NEA pitch

mood boards

 

magazine case studies

 print magazines conventions

case study 1 - Vogue 

genre conventions and media language:

. masthead 

- there is a masthead which is a convention for magazines

- the masthead is partially obscured by Rihanna's head, which is conventional for Vogue itself, as well as many other style magazines. The branding of Vogue is so iconic that readers would be able to recognise the magazine, even without being able to see the masthead 

- the partially obscured masthead also implies that Rihanna is the most important part of the cover, and should be the main focus of the audience, emphasising her power and prestige. This provides value transference for both Vogue and Rihanna, as Rihanna is seen as stylish and a global authority on fashion and culture. Vogue is seen through this value transference as being powerful and 'fearless', like Rihanna. 

cover lines

- there is a primary cover line, as well as 4 secondary cover lines

- the cover lines primarily focus on fashion, a convention for style magazines, and this reflects their target audience of affluent, fashion conscious women who are 18+ 

- both celebrities who are mentioned (Kaia Gerber and Rihanna) are women, once again reflecting Vogue's target audience of women, as the audience can then identify with the celebrities mentioned. 

high quality photography

- a convention of high end style magazines 

- Vogue's target audience is 'affluent women' is reflected here as in order for the magazine to appear high end, the quality of the photos must be high. 

stars

- Rihanna is an a-list celebrity who is known globally 

- this reflects celebrity culture

- the use of a celebrity also encourages audiences to buy the magazine, as it is attention grabbing, and also allows audiences to identify with Vogue if they are fans of Rihanna's star persona 

mid shot

- the mid shot is used to allow the audience to see Rihanna's clothing 

- this is common for style magazines and it fulfills the purpose of the magazine: to show current and fashionable clothes to the affluent and fashion forward audience 

typography

- all of the cover lines are sans serif font

- this is a convention of magazines, and sans serif connotes impacfulness and boldness, reflecting the values and aims of Vogue 

- the masthead is in a serif font, and this is also conventional, as it implies that the magazine is prestigous and has a long history of traditions and power 

Intertextuality

'The jacket strikes back'

- possibly a reference to 'The empire strikes back', the Star Wars film

- the film is about the return of the empire after a period of absence 

- due to the issue of vogue being released in November, this may indicate that jackets have been out of style due to the summer weather, but now they are back as winter begins 

- this can refer to Blumler and Katz's uses and gratifications theory, as the audience will get gratification from recognising the intertextual reference to the film. This would therefore make them more likely to by the magazine, if they can get gratification out of the product 

celebrities 

- the use of Rihanna and Kaia Gerber could be considered as intertextuality 

- audiences who recognise the celebrity names would be more likely to buy Vogue, as they would get entertainment from it if they are reading about a celebrity who they are a fan of

- this fulfils Blumler and Katz's uses and gratifications theory for entertainment 

case study 2 - Elle

genre conventions and media language:

masthead

- there is a masthead which is a convention for magazines

- the masthead is partially obscured by Rihanna's head, which is not unusual for Elle itself, as well as many other style magazines. The branding of Elle is implied to be so iconic that readers would be able to recognise the magazine, even without being able to see the masthead 

- the partially obscured masthead also implies that Rihanna is the most important part of the cover, and should be the main focus of the audience, emphasising her power and prestige. This provides value transference for both Elle and Rihanna, as Rihanna is seen as stylish and a global authority on fashion and culture. Elle is seen through this value transference as being powerful and 'crazy beautiful', like Rihanna. 

cover lines

- the secondary cover lines refer to fashion, skincare and lifestyle products 

- this is typical of style magazines, as it reflects the audience who buy the magazine in order to see and embrace the newest styles

- the cover line that refers to skin creams all women must try reflects Elle's target demographic of 20 - 40 year old women. this is because the skin cream is clearly aimed at women as the cover line states that 'every woman need to know about' them. the target age is also reflected here, as wrinkles typically begin to occur for people in their late 20s and early 30s, so the magazine is clearly pushing products that will be likely to be bought by the target demographic. 

- the cover lines '70+ gifts' and '12 products every women needs to know' show the advertisment in the magazine, another convention of style magazines

website link

- in the bottom right corner, there is a link to Elle's website 

- due to technological advances and digital convergence, this has become a convention of style magazines in recent years, as it is a way to reach a wider global audience 

- this mulitmedia content allows more dynamic story telling through embedded video, audio, animations and hyperlinks

high quality photography

- a convention of high end style magazines 

stars

- Rihanna is an a-list celebrity who is known globally 

- this reflects celebrity culture

- the use of a celebrity also encourages audiences to buy the magazine, as it is attention grabbing, and also allows audiences to identify with Elle if they are fans of Rihanna's star persona 

- this fulfills Richard Dyer's star theory

mid shot

- the mid shot is used to allow the audience to see Rihanna's clothing 

- this is common for style magazines and it fulfills the purpose of the magazine: to show current and fashionable clothes to the affluent and fashion forward audience 

typography

- all of the cover lines are sans serif font

- this is a convention of magazines, and sans serif connotes impacfulness and boldness, reflecting the values and aims of Elle

- the masthead is in a serif font, and this is also conventional, as it implies that the magazine is prestigous and has a long history of traditions and power 

rhetorical questions

- this is common for magazines, as it makes the audience want to buy the magazine in order to find out the answers to the questions 

- it helps to pull the audience in 

- the rhetorical questions could be called enigma codes when considered from the point of view of Barthes semiotics theory, further emphasising that they help to grab the audiences attention by asking a question

intertextuality

celebrities 

- the use of Rihanna as the 'star' could be considered as intertextuality 

- audiences who recognise the celebrity names would be more likely to buy Elle, as they would get entertainment from it if they are reading about a celebrity who they are a fan of

- this fulfils Blumler and Katz's uses and gratifications theory for entertainment 

- it seems that use of celebrities and their star personas on the front covers is the most common type of intertextuality for style magazines

case study 3 - Vanity Fair

genre conventions and media language:

masthead

- there is a masthead which is a convention for magazines

- the masthead is red, which reflects the Vanity Fair branding. this is because one of the main colours of Vanity Fair is red, and it is very conventional for their mastheads to be red in order to reflect the overall brand 

cover lines

- conventionally for a style magazine, one of the cover lines focuses on actor Timothee Chalamet, which reflects the style magazine, know for stories about a list celebrities who often wear the very best designers and are known for their style

- several other cover lines also focus on politics and business, which helps to reflect the current affairs element in the Vanity Fair brand 

- i like the mix between politics and celebrity culture that Vanity Fair does, and the aesthetic and i hope to be able to incorporate some of this into my NEA 

high quality photography

- a convention of high end style magazines 

- also reflects Vanity Fair's target audience of affluent people who would expect high quality photography

typography

- serif font

- there is no sans serif font, which is unusual for a style magazine, however style magazines do frequently use serif font to connote prestige and authority 

- it is conventional for style magazines to use serif font, however, it is unconventional for them to not use a mix of fonts and exclusively use serif 

direct address

- helps to establish a connections with the audience

- conventional

intertextuality

celebrities 

- the use of Princess Anne as the 'star' could be considered as intertextuality 

- also Trump and Jack Dorsey

- audiences who recognise the celebrity names would be more likely to buy Vanity Fair, as they would get entertainment from it if they are reading about a celebrity who they are a fan of

- this fulfils Blumler and Katz's uses and gratifications theory for entertainment 

- it seems that use of celebrities and their star personas on the front covers is the most common type of intertextuality for style magazines

the Daily Mail

- references another publication 

conventions of Conde Nast

- both Vogue and Vanity Fair are owned by Conde Nast

- conventions appear to be:

  . high quality photographs

  . featuring celebrities and their star persona

  . stories about life styles and social issues as well as fashion 

  . direct address

  . the target audience is affluent people who are well educated as well as being interested in fashion 

website conventions 

case study 1 - Vogue 

- features fashion heavily on the options section

- this appeals to their affluent, fashion forward audience

- however they do also feature sections about lifestyle E.G 'living', 'culture' and 'weddings'

- the use of the image allows more dynamic story telling 

- many sections promoting products for audience to purchase, both directly forom Vogue (subscription option) or from other brands (Prada bags, Zara skirts)

- mulitmedia content allows more dynamic story telling through embedded video, audio, animations and hyperlinks as seen above 

- displays digital convergence 

- adverts / articles promoting products for audience to purchase 

- advertising is common in style magazine website 

Conde Nast research

 

Magazines owned by Condé Nast:

. Architectural Digest

. Architectural Digest Germany

. Bon Appetite

. British Vogue

. Glamour 

. GQ

. GQ India

. La Cucina Italiana

. The New Yorker

. Condé Nast Traveler 

. Condé Nast Traveller 

. Vanity Fair 

. Vanity Fair Italia

. Vogue

. Vogue in other countries --> Arabia. Australia, China, France, Greece, India, Italia, Russia, Scandinavia, Singapore

. Wired 

. The World of Interiors 

14 out of the 16 style magazines owned and published by Condé Nast have a target audience of women

Overall, out of the 25 magazines owned by Condé Nast, 20 magazines have a majority readership of women

This therefore means that I am going to target my magazine toward women, as Condé Nast style magazines conventionally target female audiences  

magazine industrial context - general

i decided that the timeline would focus a lot on the context of the USA as Condé Nast is an American company

How do companies finance, distribute, and exchange their products?

finance

advertising:

- magazines generate a significant portion of their revenue from advertising

- 62% of revenue is from advertising

- display advertising

. magazines sell ad space for companies to buy

. this ad space is placed alongside editorials

. companies pay premium for this space as it helps them to reach their target audience

- classified advertising

. classified ads for specific catagories are offered

. specific catagories include: business, real estate e.t.c

. fee paid for ad to appear in deignated section

- native advertising

. editorial material sponsered by an advertisor

. e.g - an editorial in Vogue about Dior's new perfume, sponsered by Dior

subscription based model:

- audience have to pay to see content by the magazine

- print subscription

. readers pay to recieve a print version of the magazine

. magazine delivered on regular basis - weekly/monthly/quarterly e.t.c

- digital subscription

. readers can access magazine digitally on their devices

. this content is not available to users who don't subscribe

- bundle deals

. combine both digital and print content

. may also include extra content

events:

- magazines may organise events for their audience

- this would generate ticket and merch sales

- would get money from sponsership

- would also generate talk about magazine and may lead to an increase in subscriptions

licensing and permissions:

- magazines may lisence their intellectual property, characters or content to other companies

- e.g filmmakers or advertisiers

recent developments in technology:

challenges

- falling circulation of print media

- increasingly competative digital advertsing - Google and Facebook dominate the market, and Google takes a lot of the profits from digital advertising on websites

- more digital content means readers have more options and are less likely to chose to be loyal to a specific magazine

adaptations the industry has made

- diversifying revenue streams

. many magazine companies generate revenue through events and audiobooks as well as advertising now

 - digital expansion

. many media companies have online versions of their magazine

. invest in online content

- niche targeting

. companies focus on small communities / specific demographics / niche interests

. this helps to build a loyal community that will generate revenue needed to survive

distribution

direct distribution

- magazines are delivered straight to the reader

- this is often done through subscription or mail

- high control of distribution

- can make personalised marketing efforts

. subscriptions create a loyal fanbase

. magazines can collect data from subscribers and create personalised adverts

indirect distribution

- involves 3rd party intermediaries e.g retail outlets, bookstores, newsstands

- this gives a broader reach and increased visability

- the place of sale can be used to indicate who the target audience are

. if magazines are being sold in Selfridges then the target audience are AB

. if magazines are sold at corner shops then the target audience are C1C2DE

digital distribution

- delivery of digital media content

- many magazines have websites to digitally distribute content

- websites / an online presence can increase a magazine's visability

- also helps magazines to appeal to a younger audience

- must diversify in order to survive as print media sales and circulation are falling

exchange

- retail

- many magazines sell products via their website shops

- e.g Vogue has a Vogue Shop and a Vogue Retail page

How do audiences access magazines

- audiences can access magazine content (editorials e.t.c) through the magazine's website

. this has happened because of digital convergance

. helps magazines appeal to younger generations

- magazines can also be sold through retailers

- they can also be sold through direct mailing due to subscription models

audience profile

target audience: middle and up market 16 - 25 year olds who are style conscious

audience profile:

- 16-25 year old

- ABC1 demographic

- gen Z

- style conscious - audience may be mostly composed of females as they are typically the target audience for style magazines

- would have a lot of disposable income 

- would use social media, watch films and listen to music in spare time - common activites for gen Z

- would most likely be in full time education (sixth form or university)

pop culture 16 - 25 year olds engage with:

1. Music

Artists:

• Taylor Swift is the biggest artist of the 21st century. She has a massive cult following known as 'Swifties'
• other popular artisits inculde: Travis Scott, Drake, Olivia Roderigo, Chappell Roan, Lil Nas X, BTS and Cardi B

Platforms:

•  Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, TikTok (music discovery is big here).
• Spotify is the most popular streaming platform in the UK
• 77% of Gen Z reguarly listen to msic through a streaming service in the UK

Popular genres:

•  pop music is the most popular type of music genre in the UK amongst 16-25 year olds
• genres like rap and hip hop are also popular, with artists like Travis Scott and Drake dominating
• rap and pop music are often combined in songs, E.G Kendrick Lamar's rap section in Taylor Swift's Bad Blood
• girls favour pop music more, whilst boys tend to enjoy listening to rock and rap music more than girls

2. Films & TV Shows

Streaming Services: 

• Netflix, Disney +, Prime Video, YouTube, BBC IPlayer 
• BBC IPlayer had the most viewing growth of any UK platform (20%) - double that of Netflix 

Popular TV shows:

• Euphoria, Stranger Things, Wednesday, The Last of Us, Bridgerton, Attack on Titan, Never Have I Ever, Ginny and Georgia, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Brooklyn 99, Friends, Modern Family, WandaVision

Popular genres:

• action
• comedy E.G sitcoms

Films:

• Marvel and DC superhero films, 
• Barbie & Oppenheimer - the barbenheimer trend
• animated films - Shrek, Disney princess films (Moana, Tangled)
• action - The hunger Games, Harry Potter
• 'Netflix' films - films produced by streaming companies. Netflix is the main platform that does this 

3. Gaming

• Popular Games: Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox, Call of Duty, GTA V, Valorant, League of Legends, The Sims, Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, Among Us (still gets moments of revival).
• Gaming Culture: Twitch & YouTube streaming, esports, VR gaming

4. Social Media & Internet Culture

Platforms:

•  TikTok, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, SnapChat, Facebook
• 73% of 16-24 year olds have SnapChat
• 70% of 16-24 year olds have Instagram
• in march 2024 - 76% of 15-25 year olds engage with TikTok

Memes and trends:

• Constantly shifting; influenced by TikTok, ironic Gen Z humor, reaction videos, and viral challenges

5. Fashion 

• Styles: Y2K, streetwear (Nike Dunks, New Balance, Adidas Sambas), thrifted/vintage, quiet luxury, techwear.
• Brands: Nike, Adidas, Supreme, Uniqlo, Aritzia, Carhartt, Balenciaga (less post-controversy), SKIMS.

Initial response to media NEA brief

pros of creating a magazine:

.  I can use skills that I gained from my year 11 media NEA in this NEA

. the brief is very open so I can tailor it to my personal interests E.G an interview with a musician

. the age range (17-25) is in my age bracket, so it would be easy from to know the target demographics interests 

                                                            

                                                            cons of creating a magazine:

. I would have to write 2 articles for my double page spreads, which is very time consuming

inspirations for magazine front pages:

I especially liked the feature of Elle ‘back to the 90s’ because my initial idea for one of my front covers is to do an edition about how 90s fashions have impacted fashion today. I also like the minimalist style of Vogue & Elle.

Initial ideas for my magazine front covers:

Idea 1

My initial idea is to do an edition of my magazine focusing on how 90s films impacted fashion. I might look at how they have impacted fashion today, but I’m worried about making the subject too wide, so I think I’m just going to focus on the fashions of the films for now. I found a useful link to a Vogue article about some of the 90s film fashions. This will be useful in helping me to write my article, and especially useful because Condé Nast is the company that produces Vogue, and it is also the company that is mentioned in the NEA brief.

https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/90s-fashion-movies

Idea 2 

One of my other ideas was to do a feature on women in film. I want to do a feature about how a female director has been able to successfully break into the very male dominated field. This could be very easy to include intertextuality, as there are many strong female role models and film. One idea I had was to include a quote from one of these role models as a cover line. I could also have my model imitate an iconic outfit. If I did this as a cover, I would want to do this as a mid or wide shot. This is because I feel it is easier to convey power and success from these shots than a close up because you can shoot from a low angle to give the impression of authority

Idea 3 

I wanted to do a feature on a current, popular musician. 

I want to do an intertextual reference to this picture of Kate Bush as I think it will make an impactful cover image

I want to do a cover on an artist who is inspired by Kate Bush, as she reflects the zeitgeist as her song 'Running up that hill' has been brought to the forefront due to its use in Stranger Things