study task 5 - visual research and analysis

As shown here we can see that these type of magazines are body shaming celebrities that are deamed ‘unattractive’, while trying to convey the body type that should be deamed desirable. Because of this, women are likely to buy the magazines in order to feel better about themselves.

From seeing magazines such as this, we can tell that in order to attract a certain target audience they must use similar methods of visual communication. In this case, the use of photography and colourful layout has helped the magazine cover to look more informal and less sophisticated. By using this style they are able to reach out to the women that want to hear about regular celebrity gossip and ways to better improve their own image.

When considering a solution to this form of body shaming, we must first begin by examining ways in which other establishments have tried to combat the issue themselves. This way it is easier to gather an understanding of the approach that could be taken in order to oppose the oppressive messages. One example would be this image shown on the cover of PLUS magazine. The approach that has been taken here is to show a body type that would likely be shamed in a gossip magazine, and present it on the cover in a similar style to a fashion magazine. As most fashion magazines take a sophisticated approach to their style, slim body images is something that is frequently used. Therefore, by showing a more realistic representation of a womans body in this way it can show that corporations should expand their ideas about body image and what can be acceptable. 

The problem here is that others have criticised this approach as going in the opposite direction. This refers to the way in which several campaigns against body shaming are in fact promoting an unhealthy image of a different type. For example, showing women of large build could be promoting obesity, which would mean that the viewers are likely to accept the images as normal and this can lead to an unhealthy diet.

One approach that had been suggested by peers that can be considered, would be to recreate a webpage which used similar styles and images as their magazines to further promote body image. From seeing this webpage by OK! magazine, it is clear that they too use the same content and use a similar style. This involves the use of colour and heavy reliance on photography. 

When looking at the typography for the website we can see that basic sans serif fonts are used  throughout. By using these fonts the website can look more informal and maintain the style that is used for attracting their audience. Although this magazine has used sans-serif, there are others that use serif fonts in a less exagerated way. For example, Heat magazine features a serif font for their logo but by making the letters bolder it has been possible to maintain an element of ease rather than formality. When compared to the likes of GQ magazine we can see that GQ is more sophisticated.

Study task 5 - Target Audience

When considering the target audience for this project it was important to first assess the ways in which the existing magazines try to attract the attention of their audiences. For example, Heat magazine uses a heirarchical grid system and celebrity photographs to present the front covers of their magazine. By doing so the reader is aware of the style of magazine from first glance and is likely to recognise this genre if they saw it by another company.

Men’s Health magazine

One of the most well know magazines on the market today is Men’s Health, which promotes a certain body image for males aged 18-30 to aim for. As seen from the front cover of many issues of the magazine, it is clear that they intend to impose certain routines and ways for building muscle on their audience. It is also clear that there is a link between how body image is portrayed and ways in which the reader can ‘better’ their sex life. For example, through showing images of muscular male models, Men’s Health is able to portray an image of power and status, which they believe can help their readers to be better at attracting women or having sex.

It is likely that the magazine targets men aged between 18 and 30 because they believe they are most likely to have more time in their lives to workout. From what we can see the magazine also tends to target white and black males in particular, as many of the cover models shown are either black or white. This could also be to do with the fact that certain ethnicities are more likely than others to workout. 

In terms of the layout, it is noticeably different to the gossip magazines as it relies more on the typography elements rather than the imagery. However, each issue tends to show one large image of a male model in the centre of the cover, which is surrounded by text. By laying out a magazine in this way it is clear that the text is supportive of the central image and furthermore intrigues the reader into purchasing the magazine.

GQ magazine

When looking at GQ magazine, we can instantly see that it is aimed at male audiences aged between around 18 and 65. It is also noticeably less focused on body image as a subject and more about world stories and interests that men may have. In this way the magazine is able to broaden their audience as well as help their readers to better their image in their own way. For example, by adding sections about the latest clothing styles for different age groups, there are more options for the reader to pursue rather than seeing a single body type being promoted.

Although the GQ cover approach is similar to Men’s Health, it is clear that it is less judgemental in its intentions. It also uses simialar typopgrahy styles and layouts, however it is more sophisticated and formal in its approach. For example, on the cover of their magazine, Men’s Health says ‘build a beach body’, whereas GQ says ‘167 winning looks for spring racing’. 

After researching the ways in which body image is portrayed by the media and particularly in these magazines, it became clear that body image in gossip magazines are promoted towards women, where as body image is more likely to be promoted to men in health magazines. In this way it seemed necessary to try and create a cover which could apply designs suited to both men and women in a more positive way.

This could also mean that the style of the magazine layout and colour schemes would change in accordance with the audience preference. For example, where womens magazines likely show bright colours, particularly pink and purple, mens magazines are more likely to show neutral colours like white or dark shades like navy. This way the media is portraying colours as being suited to certain sexes. 

The idea with the design of the magazine cover would be to try and break out of this norm by using both colour preferences in one design. Therefore, the designs would show that these colour schemes can be applied to context without being steriotypical. The overall result of this would be that the magazine design can attract both sexes and subsequently draw in a larger audience.

Study task 5 - Contextual Research

Client background

Gossip magazines, or tabloid magazines, have been around since the early 1900s and began in north America, reporting on the latest scandals and personal lives of celebrities or well-known people at the time. It wasn’t until the 1950s when these magazines began to become more popular in society. Most of which would report on daring stories including illegal drug use and homosexuality among celebrities.

Today, gossip magazines still provide scandalous stories and celebrity content to their readers. However, there has been a recent change in the platforms in which these stories can be communicated. For example, in America, popular sites like TMZ.com are well known for their coverage of the latest celebrity stories. Through the use of social media, the site has been able to gather more viewers and furthermore popularised the coverage of celebrity news online, rather than in a magazine.

One thing to consider when finding a solution was how to reach the biggest audience in today’s society. As there is a shift from reading material to media coverage online, it seems as though the larger audience potential is through the internet. However, by recreating a magazine cover for tabloid news, the project would show how the ideas about body image should be changed from the foundations from which they started. 

Competitors 

The competitors to consider during the project include the magazines that still use body shaming content to sell their products and the online companies that intend to broaden these ideas to a wider audience. By creating a mock design of a gossip magazine it would be possible to show the same audience how the content of the magazines they purchase are reinforcing the prejudices of today’s society.

One thing that needed to be considered during the design process was how to create a design that would challenge the design and layout of other magazines. This means looking at competitors such as Heat, OK!, Star, Hello and Reveal, to see what techniques are used in order to appeal to the audience.

Culture 

As there is a growing culture of identity in society, it is necessary for companies to try and help consumers to find their identity. This can however mean that by encouraging people to pursue a certain identity, there will be a certain image that is considered desirable to all. For example, after reading David Gauntlett’s Media, Gender and Identity (2002), it became clear that companies have instilled an image of what beauty is into society so that they can profit through selling certain beauty products.

In the same way gossip magazines, like Heat, will target certain people to promote their content to, particularly women as they are more likely to take an interest in the celebrity news that is offered. This also gives the magazines the chance to profit through advertising beauty products in the magazine.

This idea of what beauty really is in today’s society has been reinforced through popular culture and the media and will likely continue to do so for the forseeable future. After reading Germaine Greers view of the UK beauty industry in 1999 it was supportive of this theory as it shows that even 18 years ago £8.9 billion a year was spent on beauty products by consumers. When compared to today we can see that the demand for beauty products has increased dramatically as the UK beauty industry is now worth £17 billion.

The same argument can be said for men’s magazines also. We know that the images that are reinforced by the media can be harmful to many young people, in particular. This theory was supported in Suzy Bashford’s 2016 article, This Boy Can, when she found a 13 year-old boy who believed he was fat even though he was of average build. 

There is also the idea that social media is playing a big part in the reinforcement of body desirabilities. For example, celebrities on Instagram can gain a high number of followers, based on their physical appearance and tend to have a big influence on their younger followers most. One way that this could be addressed would be through the use of social media links in the design. For example, by sharing a social media link to a more positive Instagram account, younger followers may be influenced by and more accepting of average body types being portrayed.

Ways to communicate - There are several approaches that could have been taken in order to appeal to the intended target audience. This includes comparing womens magazines to mens magazines and picking out which features are commonly used throughout. These would then be used as inspiration for a magazine that can appeal to both audiences.

By focusing on the use of a hierarchical grid system, it would be possible to sort imagery and text into certain areas of the page in order of relavance. By doing this the magazine can capture the attention of the reader from first glance and encourage them to want to find out more. As the grid system is commonly used throughout many tabloid magazines, this would allow the reader to take interest in a magazine that looks to be a similar style.

In terms of the typography elements of the project, the use of sans serif seemed to be the most necessary, as suggested by peers after seeing several examples that use sans serif text on their covers. 

Study task 4 - studio brief 2 - defining the brief

The issue

There is a recurring problem in today’s society with the way that the media portrays body image and the subjective opnions it poses on its target audience. The problem is that women are portrayed in way that may be offensive. For example, the steriotypical body image that the media will convey as desirable is likely to be a tall, slim figure with long hair for women and tall with a toned body for men. 

In this way the media is able to target certain audiences into purchasing product that they believe will ultimately fulfil a means to an end. This is paticularly noticeable through the selling of cosmetic products and advertising on TV and in magazines. The issue itself is derived from years of consumerism and the imagery that has been reproduced in the mainstream media. By giving people a certain body image type to strive for the companies that sell cosmetic products are able to provide people with the tools they want to better their own image.

After extensive research into consumerism and the way that it involves the exploitation of body image, it became apparent that to create a solution, it would first require an investigation into the ways in which companies target specific audiences and sell their products. This meant looking at different areas of advertising and certain products that negatively use the subject of desirable body types as their selling point. Many of the examples that had been found during this investigation include gossip magazines, protein products advertising and skin care campaigns. The majority of the examples that were looked at had used body image in a negative way, while others were alternatively trying to tackle the issue by promoting different body sizes or campaigning for more equal treatment of body types in the mainstream media.

How to resolve the issue

To resolve the issue of body shaming it would first require a certain aspect of the subject to be approached in a similar manner to how it is promoted in the media. For example, through the use of gossip magazines, companies are able to promote negativity to certain body types, particularly celebrities, so they can appeal to a certain audience that will buy the product. This is because they believe that by body shaming certain celebrities, the readers can feel somewhat better about their own appearance. By creating an alternative version of these images, with less negativety, it would be possible to appeal to the same audience and furthermore try to persuade them to change their opinions on body type.

The idea of an alternative version would be to mimic the style and layout of the magazines that exist. This would also include the same colour schemes, image hierarchy and choice of font that would be used on a front cover. By doing this it would be possible to visually appeal to the same target audience upon first sight. Once attention has been drawn to the front page it would be possible to interest the reader in the content of the magazine.Another idea would have been to create an alternative using a webpage design that would mimic an existing webpage for a company that body shames people. However after discussing this idea with peers it seemed that the magazine cover design would be more appropriate to the context. 

What needs to be communicated

As many of the magazine examples include imagery that showed women of different sizes and shapes, it would be necessary to replace these images with real representations of average people. By showing average body sizes of both men and women the magazine is able to target different audiences while maintaining similar imagery. This will also give the design the opportunity to show more accurate representations of body types, which furthermore will mean there is more relevance in the images shown and with the appearance of the readers.

As the images shown in mainstream magazines are used as a way to also promote beauty products to its readers, the alternative version would mean that the readers would feel less inclined to purchase the products sold by companies. This is because the images would show more natural body images which furthermore would make the reader less inclined to try to improve how they look.

It is essential that the design layout includes the same layout, including bullet point subheadings and small circular additional offers, similar to how it would be displayed on a gossip magazine. When looking at the grid formation of gossip magazine layouts we can see that more often than not there is a hierarchical grid system being used to draw the readers attention toward the title of the magazine or a central large image. In the same way the design alternative has the same approach to appeal to its audience.

It would also be desirable to try and mimic the same colour schemes that are used throughout gossip mgazines. In particular, bold and bright colours are often used for the backdrops of these designs as well as imagery of holiday destinations or photographs. After looking at the advertisement that read ‘are you beach body ready?’, it seemed necessary to try and include a backdrop of a beach or another summer holiday destination, which would furthermore back-up the images of average body sizes, showing them to be just as acceptable as any other.

Is there a target audience

As this design solution could be used for a gossip magazine, it could potentially be seen as a proposal for a magazine company like Heat, as a way to attract new customers to their business or to attract a new audience.

Primarily the intended audience would have been women from ages 18 and above, as this is likely the age range targeted by gossip magazines. However, as the intended design was to tackle issues of body image of all kinds, this meant that the target audience could also include men of the same age range. 

This also means that the design element would need to consider ways that the magazine cover will appeal to both sexes. For example, the colour schemes used in order to attract both audiences and content that would be displayed on the cover.