within Magazines
For this essay, I want to focus on magazines and look into how they are produced to support advertising and branding. I also want to touch on the future of this media and how it is continuing to change.
Magazines naturally need to sell themselves, and the first thing a reader will see is the front cover. If there is a model, their eyes will normally be open and looking at you to make the reader feel a connection. A front cover is also normally designed in a way to keep the magazine brand standards to the forefront.
British Vogue created a series of 14 covers for August 2020 called ‘Reset’. I Believe they had great impact; due to the pandemic we have been enduring to me this was a set that shows us how nature is essential.
14/14 Hackney, London
12/14 Wanstead Park, London
3/14 Lee Valley Park, London
6/14 Carbost, Isle of Skye
4/14 Lake District, Cumbria
12/14 The Mall, London
9/14 Tickhill, South Yorkshire
1/14 Dungeness, Kent
8/14 Lake District, Cumbria
10/14 "Spring lambs by the side of the A96, near Huntly", Aberdeenshire
13/14 "View out of my kitchen window, No 1. London 2020"
11/14 North Wales
I created some front covers alongside the nature idea, using my and editorial skills.
Alternatively, magazine front covers can be created through illustration. For example, January 2020 Italia Vogue, had a huge impact…It was the first-time Vogue Italia had used illustrations for the cover and they called it their ‘no photoshoot production’. These covers were created by all different ranked artists with the money saved in the production going towards financing the restoration of @FondazioneQueriniStampalia in Venice, severely damaged by the recent floods.
@Yoshitaka_Amano featuring @LindseyWixson in @Gucci
3 of 7 covers for this month - Vogue Italia January 2020
In the production of a magazine, advertisements are a key revenue creator and there is an abundance of professionals who come together to create an advertisement.
Outlined below are just some of the many roles needed -
Fashion Photographers Make-up Artist Hair Stylist
Fashion Stylist Model Editing Director
Creative Director Art Director Productions Manager
There are many different techniques to maximise the impact of an advertisement within a magazine. The layout of a magazine, the colours used in the advert, and the way the image promotes a lifestyle are all very important and can be used to differentiate a product to create a unique style.
These techniques can be enhanced by the overall image promoted by the magazine. Vogue for example has an extremely luxurious feel to it and promotes a desirable lifestyle which enhances the advertisements contained within the magazine. Other magazines have a different approach…Cosmopolitan for example, targets a slightly different audience using their loaded busy layouts, lots of information within one page and articles in which are more informal, fun and relaxed.
Magazines are now being challenged through the different ways in which consumers take in information. With more online content coming in many different formats including, social media, magazines, video content and influencers, physical print magazines have to continue to evolve to survive. Layouts can be very important but need to be focused to maximise their impact on the different platforms. Something that works well in print, may not be suitable for online platforms.
When creating layouts and advertising within a magazine you also need to think about the audience you are aiming for and the way in which that audience will consume the content.
There are many different techniques to maximise the impact of an advertisement within a magazine. The layout of a magazine, the colours used in the advert, and the way the image promotes a lifestyle are all very important and can be used to differentiate a product to create a unique style.
The future is unknown to everyone; however, predictions play an important part especially within the fashion industry. Trends can spread quickly even more so with the use of social media platforms and other IT and I believe that we will see a lot more digital fashion marketing in the future.
This is also impacted by consumer attitude changing to global issues. For example, the attitude towards the environment is playing a part in both fashion designs and the marketing of fashion as we move through the 21st century. I believe that this will drive a move away from fast fashion and towards more sustainable and reusable eco-friendly fashion.
Overall, I believe that fashion branding and marketing are an extremely important part of the fashion industry, but the method of communication will continually be changing to reflect wider issues. My involvement in this course has shown me that there are many intricate details needed to create a better advertising campaign and strategies and psychological views that I was unaware of but that are extremely interesting.