Further Research: Editing Softwares

Hey guys! So, todays post, if you hadn't already gotten from the title, will be a little different. I won't be talking about the fashion genre at all, but rather the different softwares I can use to make my magazine. 

Once again, if you've been following my posts for a while now, you'd know that I already have some experience with both Adobe editing softwares from the past and InDesign from assignments this year. In other words, I already have a pretty big bias in this decision BUT, I do really want to consider some other programs a not just InDesign, just in case.

So, sit back, relax, and put your reading glasses on!

InDesign:

Being an Adobe program, InDesign is a professional editing software that is used all over and for a number of creative projects. It has a number of features such as:

• Professional Layout Controls
• Allows a creator to have precise placement of items like images, text, and graphics. Has the ability to make multi-column layouts, grids, and guides for structure and visual aid.

• Typography Features
• Advanced typography tools like kerning, tracking, and leading. Has the ability for creators to set a style sheet with consistent fonts and text styles throughout a project document.

• Image and Graphic Integration
• Works with other adobe programs like Photoshop and Illustrator making it easier for importing high-resolution images, vector graphics, and custom artwork.

• Master Pages and Templates
• Can create master pages that automatically apply consistent headers, footers, and page numbers on all document pages.

• Multi-Page and Interactive Support
• Supports interactive PDFs and digital magazines with links, videos, and other multimedia.

• Output and Printing
• Professional export options like print ready CMYK files, PDF/X standards, and color management.

And so much more.

Issuu:

Though Issuu is a fellow popular resource when creating a magazine, its known more for its hosting, sharing, and reading content then design and layout like InDesign. Meaning this website wouldn't be the best for creating my magazine, but more of distributing it across media.

Affinity:

From what I've read, Affinity is a great alternative to InDesign. It's known amongst designers for its "flexibility", affordable pricing, and professional features such as:

• Professional Layout Tools
• Like InDesign, Affinity allows complete control of grids and multi-page layouts.

• Seamless Image and Graphic Integration
• Works together with other Affinity programs like Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer.

• Affordability and Ownership
• A one-time purchase with no monthly fee. 

• Typography Features
• Features like style sheets, text wrap, tracking, and paragraph alignment.

• Export and Print Options
• Supports professional print-ready exports like CMYL and PDF/X standards.

• Digital Flexibility
• Exports layouts suitable for digital formats and PDFs for media distribution.

Affinity is a great publisher and a strong tool that acts sort of like a mix of InDesign and Issuu. All while blending professional capabilities with affordable pricing.

However, and yes, I did really evaluate the other choices, I do think I will be using InDesign as the software for making my magazine. Between InDesign and Affinity, InDesign just naturally has so much more to offer and the biggest "upside" I kept reading about on Affinity was its affordable price. But the thing is, I get InDesign for free, so this wasn't much of a grab to me. And with my history of using adobe programs, its generally just a no brainer to stick with what I know instead of trying to learn a whole new software. And that's all I got for today.

Thanks for reading, see ya next time!

Sources:

https://emagazines.com/blog/magazine-software/

https://www.agitraining.com/adobe/indesign/classes/what-is-indesign?srsltid=AfmBOop_1pNKJziFiS_hCMYsPC8gnQ3Mhn0kLFM_KP4aq31ZItC19SCB

https://www.foleon.com/platform/content-studio

https://emagazines.com/

https://issuu.com/solutions/publishing/digital-magazine

https://www.affinity.studio/page-layout-software

Further Research: Style Guide

Hey guys! So, today's post will kind of be a blend of genre research and magazine conventions. I really want to focus on how to make a style guide and why it is so important. I've read a few things about style guides, thanks to my earlier research, but I've yet to go in-depth. However, I know that they are very crucial in the making of any magazine and especially in a magazine surrounded around fashion and visual appeal. And that is what my goal for today is. Let's get to it!

First off, what's a style guide? Well, a style guide is a set list of rules and outlines for the design of a creative project. The reason why many projects prioritize style guides is because they maintain a consistency throughout the design process and avoid errors in conventions. It's usually one of the first steps in the creative process of any design project, especially those with multiple members to avoid confusion.

Being that they are all about the design choices, they are heavily important and reflective of your project goals and morals. Meaning, they're more than just a color palette. So, what's in a style guide?

Name and Tagline:

Well, before someone can sit down and start deciding the design factors of a style guide, they must create a name and tagline. The name is rather self-explanatory, but a tagline? Not so much. A tagline is a short but memorable phrase that captures the general goal or "mission" of a project. Both are to help create an identity for the project and make it unique from other projects.

Typography:

Once you have your "identity" for your project, the next choice is to start considering the visuals for fonts. This means your primary font style and secondary font styles. After that, you have to consider the weight, size, and hierarchy.

(Brief explanation:)

• Primary Font
• headings, subheadings, and copy.

• Secondary Fonts
• captions and quotes.

• Weight
• whether the font will be bold or light.

• Hierarchy
• the general guideline for font selections or the order of how you want readers to view your text.

Color Palette:

The next choice is to start deciding a color palette. In this color palette you would need a primary plus secondary colors for text and backgrounds, accent colors for highlights and or callouts, and a guide explaining when each should be used properly.

Imagery Graphics:

Next, the photography choices like lighting, angles plus any image treatments like filters, borders and overlays must be decided.

Editorial Style:

Next, the writing style is decided. This refers to the tone, grammar and punctuation rules, and headline/subhead style.

Examples of Do's and Don'ts:

And lastly, though it's not always implemented, visual examples of what each should look like are demonstrated with each feature of a style guide. This helps to provide a correct or incorrect comparison to avoid errors.

Using this as an outline, I think I'll have a much easier time when it's time for me to start making my own style guide. But for now, that's all I got.

Thanks for reading, see ya next time! :)

Sources:

Vogue | Masteringmedia

Vanity Fair Magazine Radiates Rich Culture And Flair | Poposy

https://www.nxtbookmedia.com/blog/creating-a-magazine-style-guide/

https://www.cattediting.com/resourcehub/styleguide

https://fliphtml5.com/templates/35361903/fashion-magazine-design-layout-template/

Vogue | Style Guide Guide

Create a brand style guide for your business.

Further Research: Target Audience

Hey guys! So, after days of researching into the physical properties of fashion publications, I figured it was finally time to pause and really consider more of the demographics and targeted audiences of said publications.

What I found during this period was that though these magazines aren't necessarily rooted to any one specific demographic, especially nowadays when fashion trends and gender norms are very different than what they once were, there are multiple studies that have recorded the consumer demographics. In these studies, it was found that younger women ranging from teens to young adults were primarily the main consumers for these fashion publications. 

At the same time, I found out the fashion magazines will often produce certain issues tailored to a specific group. One example of this is Vogue Italia's 2008 July issue, or otherwise known as the "Black Issue", that was centered around and only included black models within the issue. This issue was specifically made to celebrate African American culture and those within the fashion industry. 

Vogue Italia's 2008 July issue:

Another example of this is British Vogue's August 2022 Pride issue centered around LGBTQ+ community and featured many famous faces in the community. This issue was specifically made to celebrate pride within the industry and readers.

 British Vogue's August 2022 issue:

Based on this, I realize that one way to make my final product stand out is to also produce an issue that yes is centers to a younger audience, but also to a specific group within the younger demographic. 

Websites:

Fashion Magazine Market Size, Competitive Insights, SWOT & Forecast 2033

Understanding the Target Audience for a Fashion Magazine by darion peek on Prezi

Explore the Complete Vogue Archive 

Vogue Italia’s July 2008 Black Issue

British Vogue August 2022 cover by Mert & Marcus - fashionotography

Further Research: Feature Article

Hey guys! Today's post will be focused on what a feature article is and how to write one. In all honesty, this is the part I think I will struggle with most when making my product, so I'm slightly wary of it all. But the only way I'm going to know is if I get started!

Now for the real important stuff. When choosing the magazine for my brief I knew that making the cover pretty wasn't going to be my struggle point, but rather the actual content pages. Right away I went to a website with Vogue's Archives and spent forever scrolling through the issues noting certain aspects and details I hadn't thought of or noticed before. 

Quite often content articles are titled with a play on words pertaining the topic discussed. In the example to the left, the article talks about Leigh Newman and her life growing up in the outdoors of Alaska, the article is titled " Call of the Wild" to relate to the discussion of outdoors in the text. In the example to the left, that same is done in the article talking about the smaller singer Janelle Monae, the title being "Tiny and Mighty" to show her talent despite her size.

Similarly, the images chosen for each content piece is related and visually pleasing. However, the majority of photos don't actually come from the main article, but instead the sidebars or modules on the sides. There's a perfect example of this on the content spread to the right that features a module named "Curve Conscious". In this module multiple images are shown of different fashion pieces along with small texts string what the image is of.

However, this was all just my initial observations. Upon more research, I came across an introduction on how to properly create a feature article spread and details on the different attributes such as:

• Verso
• The left page of the spread that usually contains the main story with the text and always has an even number.
• Recto
• The right page of the spread that usually contains the main image and always has an odd number.

• Gutter
• The middle dip of a magazine where all the pages are bounded together. Known as the middle ground between the verso and recto and is usually left blank in order to prevent loss of information or visuals.

• Bleed
• Whenever words or images break across gutter margins.

• Images
• An obvious primary image dominating the spread

• Headline
• Usually positioned at the top of the article or page to give the reader a quick easy tell into what the text will be about

• Kicker
• The text underneath a headline that introduces the article and acts like a link between the header and the rest of the story.

• Main Copy
• The article or story body where all the text is.

• Columns
• The standard style for most magazines is a two-column divided page where the text is split to make a simple but elegant design.

• Alley
• The space between the columns and that separates the copy for easier distinction.

• Drop Capital
• The larger capital letter at the start of the main copy that wraps around to make it visually appealing.

• Widow
• A design flaw that leaves a deck (line of text) with only one word.

• Pull-quote
• Visually attractive and breaks up a large column of copy.

• Byline and Photo Credits
• Simple acknowledgement to the writer and photographer.

• Folio
• Usually at the bottom of the page and is the page number occasionally accompanied by the magazine's logo.

After learning about the main features needed and implemented into a feature article spread, I can confidently say I feel a lot more comfortable with the idea of making one. I still don't think It'll be easy, but I have faith that I'll be able to manage a lot better than I would've before I look into all this information. With that, that's all I got for today.

Thanks for reading, I'll see ya next time!

Sources:

https://www.vogue.com/

https://archive.vogue.com/topics/features

Two-page Magazine Spread | Media Studies Codes and Conventions

Further Research: Cover and Style

So of course looking into fashion magazines, I had to look into specific publishers just to get started. I figured it was a no brainer to choose the top 3 fashion magazines just about anyone knows: Vogue, FASHION, and Vanity Fair. 

The Cover:

The Masthead

One big thing I immediately noticed with looking into these publishers was the effort to make the title (masthead) pop, but without drawing attention from the main focus/ individuals featured. Vogue specifically does this a lot by adding a pop of color to their title that stands out but also blends incredibly well with the main image. An example of this is the issue to the left that showcases Rihanna. On this cover, Rihanna is featured as a close-up, wearing very vibrant and flamboyant colors that not only make the cover stand out but complement each other quite pleasantly. Despite this dramatic view, the title is still bold, big, and even colored in this gold-ish yellow that if not for the already colorful palette, would have drawn all attention right away.

I like this detail incredibly and believe it would look awesome, however I know find myself debating if this "pop of color" should be reflected throughout the whole issue or just the cover.

Examples of FASHION and Vanity Fair doing the same thing:

Vanity Fair matches the green in the title to Billie Eilish's hair and FASHION uses a yellow that once again complements the color palette.

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Cover Image

Vanity Fair's "Exception":

The next big thing I noticed while researching into the cover was the cover images. For almost every magazine from the 3 companies, the covers are very simplistic and rely on their masthead and heavily on their image to draw consumers in. What do I mean by this? I mean that a glance over the 3 publishers work and you can see the lack of coverlines. Some don't have any while others have very few making the big advertisement the image used. Though there are some exceptions to this like Vanity Fair using the feature article name (“For the Love of Lupita Nyong’o”) big and bold to advertise. However, because this article name is just the actress on the cover, it isn’t that drastic of a difference.

Vogue's Simplistic Example:

On another note that ignores this exception, the images typically are very focused on just the individual specifically and often have blank or simple backgrounds. To go with this, natural lighting and complementing colors are often added into the image to boost the appeal factor even more. Like in this example (to the left) from Vogue. On this cover Harry is blowing a blue balloon up which matches the sky and wearing a black and white outfit to go with the text color.

Websites used:

https://www.vogue.com/

https://archive.vogue.com/topics/features

https://archive.vanityfair.com/ 

https://fashionmagazine.com/

https://www.vanityfair.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopkYnHZKUFlrmsBRP5IUnNQ0_qOMTvpiliT5AQCjwJTii2swyez

Decision!

Hey guys! So, after the week of research into the 3 genres, I think I have finally made my decision! It was hard and I went back and forth A LOT, but I feel good with my choice and what I can do with it. Especially since it was just generally most enticing and fun looking one. I mean, it just kept on catching my eye and I feel like just for that, I HAD to choose it. So, can I get a drum roll please? The genre I have chosen is...Fashion! I have ideas already going, but before I can start planning, I think it would be a better idea to continue some research that is just a little more focused.

Thanks for reading, see ya next time! :)

Genre Research: Music

Hey guys! So, for today's post I finally have my next genre choice up for choosing. And if you've been around for some of my earlier posts, you might remember an assignment I did for class called "Magazine Cover Conventions". If not, in this assignment I had to create a cover for an original magazine of my choosing. And what did I choose? Music magazines. If you haven't caught on, don't worry, I'll just say it. My next genre for research: Music!

Now referring back to my older post, which you may have or may not have read, I mentioned that the music genre for magazines was incredibly vast and arguably one of the biggest. What do I mean when I say this? Well, the genre "music" when it comes to magazines is actually an umbrella term. Almost every genre of music actually translates over to a sub genre of music magazines. In other words, there are MULTIPLE types of music magazine that correlate to a genre of music. 

A few of the most popular music genres used for magazines are:

•     
  Hip-hop
• Country
• Pop
• Rock
• Rap
• Grunge
• Alternative/Indie
• R&B
• Metal
• Jazz
• Classical

Generally, their content is focused on the certain music genre and everything circled around it. That means artists, albums/songs, stories, charts/rankings, and features. As for their design, I did have a good knowledge about their covers, thanks to my previous post, but everything else was new to me. 

Here is what I found for their most common design:

Cover-

• Main image (usually featuring a popular artist or band).
• Main headline of the feature article.
• Coverlines of other topics featured.
• Puffs/plugs of other topics featured.
• Color scheme that matches the music genre and magazine style.

Table of contents-

• List of article titles with page numbers.
• Organized in sections with headings.
• Short descriptions of articles.
• Images to highlight key stories.

Feature article-

• Are more oriented around text than photos.
• Detailed to the story or written in-depth
• Multi-paragraph and quotes.

Example of a cover:

Example of a table of contents:

Example of feature article:

Researching this genre, I learned a lot more than what I had already known naturally, but I'm still shocked by how much. Even though this is my third time diving into a genre, I still wasn't ready for all that information and learning what fully goes into the process of making these magazines. 

For the next few days, I'm going to take a step back and evaluate all 3 of the genres I have chosen closely. I want to make sure that my final choice won't be one I regret and will be something I enjoy creating. With that being said, that's all I got for today.

Thank you for reading, see ya next time with an update! :)

Sources:

20 Best Music Magazines in 2025 You Should Know

Table of contents for September 2024 in BBC Music Magazine

Music Magazines and Websites

Genre Research: Teens

Hey guys! So true to my word, the last two days have been research mania. And yes, I did decide to dive into Teen Magazines like you might've guessed from the title. I think after my last post on Fashion magazines that it's really important to look a little deeper into teen magazines and see the actual difference between the two, rather than just mentioning it. Especially since I hadn't realized the two were so different in content that they called for a split in genres. Okay, that's enough rambling, let's get into my next genre: Teen Magazines!

As blatantly said in the name, teen magazines are heavily centered around younger teenage audiences in their late adolescence. From what I read, there's not much of a "story" to them but are used as more of a navigational device to the everyday struggles and life of teenage years. Their content ranges all over the place and is a lot less focused, mainly chasing after trends and the next stylish things through DIYS, affordable styles, and more. But also, while implementing personal growth and social issues, all of course in an age-appropriate manner.

In comparison to the fashion genre, this is quite different. Fashion magazines do follow trends and such but are focused a lot more on an older audience and more professional industry. In other words, its comparably more mature. Even articles features are a lot more storytelling and inspiration compared to those in teen magazines. 

As for the design or layout, this is the most common one I have found:

Cover-

• Close up feature image of a celebrity (Usually one popular with the younger audience).
• Large puffs/plugs that feature topics teenagers (mainly girls) would be interested in.
• Coverlines doing the same as the puffs/plugs.
• Gossip and fashion tips/trends being the amin two types of topics featured on the page.

Table of contents spread-

• Visually engaging with bright colors/photos.
• Organized into the different topic sections (pop culture, fashion, beauty, relationships, etc.).
• Titles listed with page numbers and tiny descriptions.

Feature article spread-

• Focused on topics engaging to the teenage audience (celebrity gossip/interviews, social issues, trends, etc.).
• Usually more photo oriented then text oriented.
• Text is usually short and features lots of quotes.

Example of cover pages:

Example of a table of contents (really old, but it was hard to find pictures :c ):

Example of a content spread:

After this research, I can now confidently say that I understand what a teen magazine is and the differences it is from a fashion magazine. Because of this, I don't regret choosing this genre as the second of my three, even if it was quite similar to my first choice. I think I made the right decision to dive down deeper into the division between the two, otherwise I would have never fully been able to separate the two and mistake them both as the same.

That being said, I will be looking into finding one last genre for research and as one of my top 3 for my final selection. I'm not sure which way I'll go with this genre or what to choose next, but I'm excited to learn more. For now, that's all I got for today's post.

Thanks for reading, see ya next time!

Sources:

Teen Vogue Archive | REDEF

Teen Magazines | Encyclopedia.com

Genre Research: Fashion

Hey guys! So, for the past day or so I have been looking into magazine genres through pictures, lists, titles and even in stores. The biggest thing I have to comment is that I had no idea there were so many kinds of genres when it came to magazines! Eventually, I pulled up a list that had just about every genre made. That made it a lot more overwhelming, but also easier to pick out certain ones for research. With that being said, the first genre I decided to research is: Fashion!

Fashion magazines are typically the default genre many people think of when thinking about magazines. And I got that pretty quickly. Originally when I had first started my research into magazine genres, I had asked a few people I knew to list 3 magazine genres, and all 4 of them chose fashion first. In other words, it wasn't much of a shock when reading into the genre and finding out it was such a staple.

Usually, these magazines are a creative blend of journalism, photography, and design that all work together to create a physical representation of social ideas, especially ones of the time or that are "trendy". Although reading more, I discovered that they're also a way to inspire and influence their readers through a carefully structured design.

The most common or "default" design I found was this:

Cover-

• Main image (typically featuring a celebrity or a model).

• Feature article headline displayed.

• coverlines (catchy phrases to tell you about the articles/ teasing the content inside).

Table of contents spread-

• Page numbers listed with each article so they can be found.

• Visuals relevant to content.

• Follows same color palette shown on the cover and throughout the magazine.

• Fonts are the same and easy to read all while complimenting the magazines style.

Feature article spread-

•   Usually plays with the balance of pictures to text. Some have not much text but lots of picture while others have a large main picture and a decent amount of text.

• Pictures relate to the story/topic (if about a person, usually features that person in the pictures).

Example of cover pages:

     

Example of Table of Contents Spread:

Example of Feature Article spread (Two different types):

Text dependent:

Photo dependent:

Upon some deeper reading however, I learned that that this genre had a close "relative" or "sister genre": Teen Magazines. I personally was unaware the two were actually pretty different until I started looking at them more closely. I had always believed that the two were fashion magazines and one was just targeted for younger audiences. And in a way, they are, just also not.

After reading into what a fashion magazine is and what it contains, I have found myself surprisingly interested. I think I can overall have a lot of fun into making a product of this type and I wouldn't mind the idea of it at all, even if fashion had never been something I personally valued very much. I think it's a nice step out of my comfort zone and generally pretty intriguing.

However, this was my first attempt into research and reading up on a specific magazine genre, so maybe I will change my mind. For now, I'll keep this genre as an option in the back of my mind, but for the next few days, I'll be looking into different genres. One definitely being Teen magazines.

Thanks for reading, see ya next time with a new update! :)

Sources:

https://genreslist.com/magazine-genres-list

Magazine Conventions | Masteringmedia

features | Topics | Vogue

Crafting a Captivating Magazine Contents Page: A Step-by-Step Guide - News Magazine

Teen Magazines | Encyclopedia.com

Starting Research!

Hey guys! So, this week is the official start of researching my product in class. And guess what, I decided to do a magazine! Honestly, I saw this coming from the start, but I did really question the decision after learning more about Primere Pro. Anyways, over the next week I will be researching some genres and pulling 3 that have specifically piqued my interest overall to look into a little deeper. From those, I'll choose one to claim as the official genre for my magazine brief.

Thanks for reading, I'll see ya next time with an update! :)