Glamour
Glamour is a monthly magazine aimed at slightly older women with the average reader aged 35 according to this article. The main categories are:
- Fashion
- Beauty
- Love and life
- Weddings
- Health and fitness
Just from looking at the front cover there is an obvious house style and brand image. The main image is rather sultry with a sophisticated, muted colour palette. It is evident that Glamour are trying to live upto their name and are aiming to appeal to a fashion conscious, high class audience. This is evident from the magazine name, to the photography and the choice of celebrities (.i.e. classy supermodels). It is also evident from the cover that their is a lot of adult content, with a lot of articles on sex.
In terms of design, Glamour keeps a limited colour palette, with the odd pop of bright colour (in this case, orange) against a more muted, "natural" palette. The magazine uses "perfect binding" instead of staples.
The contents page spans over 2 pages and is split up into categories rather than following a numeric order. I like the fact they have a section for "On the cover" stories and this is something I might do in my own magazine.
The titles of the articles use quite dramatic language, that doesn't reveal too much about what the article is about such as "The most awkward job interview questions, ever" and "What's really on a guy's mind". This is to entice the audience to continue reading. I personally don't like this way of titling articles and would rather have clear titles that show what the article is about. The titles remind me of "click bait" titles on blog posts and Youtube videos which tends to be a big pet peeve in the blogging community so I will avoid doing this.
The articles are very text heavy (including the editor's letter), cover serious topics and use a serious tone of voice. The editor's letter alone is evident of this as it's almost an article in itself. It provides a lot of tips on how to deal with stress etc which is relatable but the language used is quite serious and their is barely any humour throughout the magazine. The photograph of the editor is quite businesslike and she appears to be at a press conference.
Some of the articles don't feature any photography at all and the ones that do, have very small images. I personally want to have a more vibrant magazine than this as I think that'd appeal to a younger audience.
LOOK
Look is a weekly magazine and is aimed at a much younger audience. This is evident in the front cover which is very colourful and more vibrant. The selection of celebrities used is more appealing to a younger audience (such as Little Mix and Kylie Jenner), and there is more focus on lighter topics like fashion and beauty.
It is more image based with photography taking precedence over text. The editor's letter is only one paragraph long and isn't even on it's own page. Instead it features at the top of the contents page which follows a similar style to Glamour's. Again it is split into categories and has a section for cover stories. It has a fashion moment of the week feature which I think is a great idea. It might be a good idea to feature a blogger of the month in my magazine.
I really enjoy the dynamic layouts in this magazine - each page is completely different but still has the same house style. I particularly enjoy the main story page, featuring Kylie Jenner. The huge photograph, title text and colour scheme is really striking and visually interesting. I like the use of drop caps in the text.
I'm particularly drawn to the 'Digital Dumping' page. I like that the main image spans across two pages and that there are sections "pulled out" from the main article .i.e. the 'An App Cured My Heartbreak' section. It creates a more interesting spread and the use of colour is appealing.
As this is a weekly magazine it is considerably thinner than Glamour and also has staple binding.
Cosmopolitan
FRONT COVER
This is a monthly magazine. I particularly wanted to research this magazine as it has a strong affiliation with bloggers', and they even have an annual bloggers awards ceremony. It's very rare to see magazines co-exist with bloggers this way as usually there is rivalry.
In an article on Knoji Cosmopolitan's target audience is described as follows "Studies have proven Cosmopolitan has a diverse reader base. Results show that 69% of readers are in the 18-34 range, and 30% in the 35-49 range. College Store Executives claim it to be the best-selling magazine in college book stores for over 25 years. Cosmopolitan has an average reader age of 30."
Cosmpolitan is one of the only magazines I found that had a coloured background on the front cover instead of a white/neutral background. The use of a bright blue background with bright pink text really helped it to stand out on the shelf!
The sans serif fonts give it a contemporary look. It simultaneously feels like it's aimed at a young, collegial audience, AND a slightly older audience which is hard to do. There a mixure of "fun", light hearted topics balanced with more serious topics such as body confidence and successful businesswomen.
The editor's letter is an average length, longer than Look's but short than Glamour's, and has a balanced tone of voice that is chatty but still puts across important messages like "be kind to yourself" and "eat better".
There is a good balance between imagery and text throughout the magazine and although there is a lot of white space, there are still pops of bright colours throughout.
Overall I really enjoy this magazine and think it's a useful source of inspiration as it gives me ideas of how to appeal to both the younger and older ends of the spectrum of my target audience. After all what appeals to a 15 year old is probably not the same thing that appeals to a 27 year old.
Bust
front cover & contents page
Bust is an American, monthly publication however I have still included it because it really stands out from the other magazines I have looked at. It feels more "down to earth" with organic, pastel colours and less focus on a "flashy" lifestyle. I do quite enjoy the pastel colour scheme as it's feminine and sophisticated but still playful - I might use this kind of colour scheme in my magazine.
The topics are more intellectual, focusing on things like GreenPeace activists and hardworking women which I admire. There are still articles on beauty and fashion but they aren't the main focus.
The contents page is pretty minimal. I like the fact they have used images of the four main articles with the page number over the top as this is useful for someone who is just skimming through the magazine. It also gives an overview of what's inside, and could influence purchasing decisions.
The editor's letter is much further along in the magazine than the other ones I looked at and contains no imagery. The letter talks a about what to expect from the issue and the articles inside rather than focusing on the editor's life. As I am creating the first ever issue of my magazine I think my editor's letter needs to introduce the magazine and what it's core values are. It also should probably explain the issues inside and talk about some of the bloggers featured as not everyone will know who they are.
The articles in Bust magazine really express the interviewees personality which I would like to do in my magazine.
The house style isn't great - there isn't a lot going on and the layouts aren't very dynamic. However I do enjoy the overall message of the magazine and the fact it isn't focused on superficial topics.
front cover & contents page
Bust is an American, monthly publication however I have still included it because it really stands out from the other magazines I have looked at. It feels more "down to earth" with organic, pastel colours and less focus on a "flashy" lifestyle. I do quite enjoy the pastel colour scheme as it's feminine and sophisticated but still playful - I might use this kind of colour scheme in my magazine.
The topics are more intellectual, focusing on things like GreenPeace activists and hardworking women which I admire. There are still articles on beauty and fashion but they aren't the main focus.
The contents page is pretty minimal. I like the fact they have used images of the four main articles with the page number over the top as this is useful for someone who is just skimming through the magazine. It also gives an overview of what's inside, and could influence purchasing decisions.
The editor's letter is much further along in the magazine than the other ones I looked at and contains no imagery. The letter talks a about what to expect from the issue and the articles inside rather than focusing on the editor's life. As I am creating the first ever issue of my magazine I think my editor's letter needs to introduce the magazine and what it's core values are. It also should probably explain the issues inside and talk about some of the bloggers featured as not everyone will know who they are.
The articles in Bust magazine really express the interviewees personality which I would like to do in my magazine.
The house style isn't great - there isn't a lot going on and the layouts aren't very dynamic. However I do enjoy the overall message of the magazine and the fact it isn't focused on superficial topics.
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