Research- Design Trends

 Research- Design Trends

1/29

    HELLO BLOG! Today, I am super excited to announce that this is one of my final research posts. I will be researching common design trends found in fitness lifestyle magazines. A design trend is a popular style, technique, or idea that emerges from cultural shifts, technology, and user behaviors. Reflecting on what's current or anticipated in visual communication, functionality, and aesthetics, influencing how brands connect with their audience and create experiences. Trends are movements indicating broader shifts seen in everything like colors, palettes, and typography. 

Cover

    The trends for 2026 fitness magazine covers prioritize a high-concept cinematic aesthetic. The cover photo is no longer the typically posed smiling photo; now, they commonly want to capture candid photos of the subject working out. The shot is a close-up and focuses on details like tensed muscles and sweat, which makes the reader feel the intensity of the workout. The lighting is high contrast; you placed it where one side is lit, and the other has a shadow. This makes the athlete pop against the dark background. 

The design usually uses dark and moody backgrounds as accent colors; they use red, blue, and sometimes gray. The red portrays high energy, adrenaline, and urgency, the blue portrays the feeling of clean and calm, and the grey portrays professional and neutral. 

                                            

Layout

    Modern fitness lifestyle magazines prioritize a layered and multi-dimensional experiences that bridge the gap between print and digital. You will commonly see 'data-stream' designs with technical lines pointing to the body stats. 'Breatheable' designs with a lot of open space create a calm and centered vibe. However, by far the biggest trend we are seeing for 2026 is the 3D layering, which is where the person in the photo physically overlaps the text to create depth. The bottom layer is your background that can be a landscape or your solid colors, the middle layer is your masthead, and the top layers are the athlete that you "cut out"; you place the individual's arm or leg over the words or the equipment, creating a beautiful layered look. I really want to use this for my cover! 

                                                       

Common Articles 

    Fitness lifestyle magazines commonly focus on a mix of workouts, nutrition, wellness and everyday lifestyle content to support readers' overall health. Articles often include structured workouts, strength training and guides to help critique form and technique. Nutrition is shown through articles on balanced meals, diet trends and supplements. Beyond physical fitness, magazines foucus on mental health, highlighting recovery, sleep and stress management. Many issue also feature experts advice from trainers and nutritionists.     

                      

Digtal VS Online 

    Both digital and online copies of fitness lifestyle magazines cover similar topics but differ in how the content is published. Print magazines tend to focus on timeless content such as workout routines, in-depth nutrition, and interviews. Because they are published less freqencey print articles are more polished and carefully curated. Often using high-quality photography and clean layouts to create a premium motivational experience. Digital magazines prioritize speed and accessibility; they are shorter and trend-based. Focusing on pieces like breaking news, quick tips, and tricks. Online platforms also integrate videos, link and social media content, allowing readers with real-time updates and engagement. While print magazines aim to inspire and educate, online versions are in constant connection with their audience.

The most common distributors of fitness lifestyle magazines are 'Hammer Strength' and 'Sportlife Distributors.' 

                    

Sources

Research-InDesign

 Research- InDesign 

1/28

    Hello blog! I have decided that for my magazine, I will be using InDesign as my editing software. A few months ago, we did some practice on the program. We learned basic elements like how to upload photos and add text boxes. I found it very helpful, but today I will be doing some more in-depth research. Last year, I became an Adobe Illustrator certified. The programs are very similar to each other, so learning how to navigate will not be too difficult. 

Document Setup 

  I started by learning the proper dimensions and bleeds. Commonly, for magazines, they use 8.5x11 inches and a bleed, which is crucial for printing, of 0.125 inches. Margins should be set to 0.5 at the top and 0.6875 on the inside.  To visually divide your layout into thirds or quarters, you need to use the Create Guides command. Adding guides like this can be useful for visualizing spacing and alignment. To create this command, you chose layout > create guides. In a dialog box that opens, change the rows to your desire. With the spread successfully set up, we can now begin to add design elements. 

Typography

    Adobe InDesign is a powerful tool for typography, offering precise control over text frames, font styling and layout. First, I learned how to create text inside text, which is a super cool visual! You need to select two fonts; the first font will form the enclosing text, so it will need to be heavy enough to contain body text. The second font will fill the inside. Next, you will need to create a new Swatch and Fill background with C100 M90 Y10 K67. Type your desired word and set fill to none and then set the stroke to paper and 3pt weight. Next, apply drop shadow and add a second layer, then apply outer glow to the second layer, apply basic feather, then finally add a gradient, and BAM, you're done. I LOVE this, and I definitely want to use a variation on this somewhere in my magazine, whether that's in the feature article or the table content, I am unsure. 

                              

    To create the famous drop cap that most magazines have in the feature article, you need to first specify the number of drop cap lines and characters, then choose a character style. Selecting the option uses the original left side bearing of the drop-cap character rather than the larger value. It is particularly useful for fonts in sans-serif. If the drop cap characters overlap the text below, select Scale For Descenders. I also 100% plan on using this for the beginning of mt feature article. I feel like it acts as an attention grabber and breaks up dense and text-heavy layouts. 

Exporting

    To export your final magazine to the web, you have 4 options: XHTML, copy and paste, PDF, and XML. For the XHTML option, you can export the entire document to a basic HTML doc and link the images in a separate folder. Copy and paste is very simple; you can copy and paste to your images into InDesign directly. For the PDF, export the document and post the PDF on the web, the PDF can include interactive elements like movies and sound clips. Finally, XML is for advanced repurposing workflows; export the content into an HTML editor such as Dreamweaver.

Sources

Research-Target Audience

 Research-Target Audience 

1/27

    Hi blog! I have super exciting news, I finally decided that my genre will be fitness lifestyle! Today, I will be researching the target audience for this amazing genre. Your target audience is a group of people most likely to buy your goods or services. By understanding your ideal customer base, you understand their wants and needs and how to best cater to them. Through the target audience, you can fine-tune your brand and develop effective marketing campaigns, and help to connect with those target customers.

Target Audience VS Target Market 

    The terms target audience and target market are very closely related but have very different meanings. A Target audience is a narrow segment within a broader target market. It is defined by shared characteristics like demographic graphics, behavior, and interests. On the other hand, the target market refers to the overall group of people or business that the companies wants to reach out to and serve their products to. This includes potential customers who share common needs but have different demographics and preferences.  

    For example, for Fitness lifestyle magazine, to correctly identify their target market, you need to look into the total number of people spending money on fitness. In 2025, about 75 million dollars was spent on gym membership, which is roughly 25% of the US population. Primarily of these health-conscious individuals are 18-45, and they are often motivated by wellness, weight management, and active living. The audience includes fitness enthusiasts, beginners, athletes, and those seeking nutritional advice and mental health support. Often living in urban/suburban areas with disposable income for fitness-related products. Statistically, about 30-40% of fitness magazine readers are college graduates, which means the writing can use more technical vocabulary rather than vague wording. 

    The target audience for a fitness lifestyle magazine is the audience you are trying to target with a particular message or feature. We look at the psychographics of buyers, we look at WHY they train and HOW they are motivated. For example, if you cover is a super strong and muscular man, then typically men or women who want to become 'shredded' or get super strong are more liking to pick up that magazine rather than one on meditation. The best magazines look for the pain point of their audience and try to offer a solution. 

            

  Stats 

  Next, I will be analyzing some basic states for fitness lifestyle magazine buyers. 

AGE: 26-42, this is the Millennial-Gen Z bridge; they have the highest disposable income and the highest gym attendance.

EDUCATION LEVEL: Bachelor's Degree or higher; they are often highly literate and prefer articles backed by science and data rather than myths.

MARTIAL STATUS: Single or partnered (Domestic Partnership). They typically do not have children yet, or having very young kids means they still have time for self-investment.

GOALS: Functional Fitness and or stress reduction 

MEDIA CONSUMPTION: Social Media like TikTok, Instagram, and sometimes Facebook, offer quick workout tips or how to fix form. 

HOBBIES: Niche Sports: pickleball, biking, and hiking. 

$$$: Average subscriptions for subscriptions like Men's Health or Women's Health can range anywhere from 100-150$ a month. 

Sources 

Research-Photography and Visual Appeal

 Research-Photography and Visual Appeal 

1/24

    Welcome back, blog. Today, I will be researching magazine photography and visual appeals. I will begin my research with the technical element of photography. The focus on the photo's subject depends on the type of magazine you are shooting for. These photos are high-quality and visually compelling and often follow the basics of photography. First, most magazines use natural or studio lighting, depending on the cover. Next, they use composition, good composition draws attention to the subject, making it stand out on the page, and it also creates balance to keep the photo visually pleasing. Lastly, styling this involves wardrobe, hair, makeup, and location, which helps to set the mood for the overall magazine. 

    Next, I will be looking at the different types of magazine photography!

Fitness

    Fitness photography is meant to showcase strength, health, and an active lifestyle. It focuses on highlighting proper form and muscle definition. Composition, lighting and wardrobe are carefully chosen to emphasize the body's motion and energy. They often use bright lighting and dynamic angles to convey power and strength.  Wardrobe is super important in these photos; it enhances the subject without distracting from the message. Models wear fitted and functional clothing, highlighting muscle and brand colors. Sometimes the colors of clothing are chosen to create contrast or communicate themes like power and performance. These photos support the brand's message by promoting wellness and discipline while inspiring others to get fit and stay active. 

Fashion

    Fashion magazine's photography is carefully planned to visually communicate styles and trends. Composition is used to guide the reader's eye towards clothing and accessories while also creating movement and balance. Photographers use framing and angles to create texture and details in the photos. Lighting plays a huge role in creating the vibe of the image. Often in luxury fashion magazines, they use soft and diffused lighting to create smooth skin tones and an elegant look, well other times they will use low-key lighting to create and dark and more dramatic tone to create depth and contrast. Posing and expression are ESSENTIAL to fashion magazines; this helps to communicate attitude and adds emotion to the photo. Location and background are chosen to complete the wardrobe. 

Travel 

    In Travel magazines, the photography is meant to capture destinations and experiences that inspire the reader to explore the world. Composition is used to draw the reader into the decision and create visual interest; photographers use the rules of thirds to highlight landmarks and tranquility. Lighting is usually natural, the soft lighting creates warmth. Travel photographers love to use golden hour lighting to highlight natural beauty. 

              

    Now I will be researching the visual appeal of three different types of magazine genres: fashion, fitness, and travel. Visual appeal refers to how attractive and engaging a cover is to the reader's eye. The cover is the first opportunity to make an amazing impression; it's a single frame that is meant to convey the magazine's message and special curiosity. A strong focal image and bold typography instantly draw the reader in.  Typography should be clear and understandable, with the use of headlines, subheads, and body copy guiding the reader naturally through each page. 

Fitness

    Visual appeals play a major role in fitness magazines; these magazines inspire readers to adopt healthier lifestyles, using dynamic poses and toned physiques, which draws the reader in, making them feel like they can achieve similar results. Visual appeal is not just about looking good; it is also about telling a story. Strong photography can help to convey the message of discipline and energy. Strong visuals must be on every page of a magazine; powerful photography can help to clearly show proper form and muscle movements on certain exercises and movements. Good composition and lighting helped to visually inspire readers to get active!  

Fashion 

    The visual appeal of a fashion magazine is very important it refers to how attractive and engaging the photos and layouts are, capturing the reader. Fashion uses visual appeal to communicate style and trends; clothing is one of the strongest appeals used. The photographer uses bold and vibrant colors to instantly draw attention, and different textures and fabrics create depth and dimension to the photo. Lastly, the model's facial expression creates mood and emotion, communicating the vibe of playfulness or elegance. 

Travel 

    Visual appeals in travel magazines make a destination feel inviting and memorable. Every page is meant to draw readers in and spike curiosity about the world. The immersive photography is meant to focus on the 'spirit' of the place; it is meant to evoke emotions. The use of large and full-bleed images acts as a visual portal, immersing yourself in your 'vacation'. The use of negative space gives images the room to breathe and prevents cluttering, which allows the reader's eyes to immediately look at the striking photography. 

                    

SOURCES

Research- Technical Elements

 Research- Technical Elements 

1/23

    Hi Blog, today in class, we were assigned to research the technical elements of a magazine. Today, I will be focusing on the two main elements: the table of contents and feature articles. Technical elements are extremely important for magazines; they bridge the gap between content and audience, creating a professional and enjoyable experience for the reader. These elements also serve for functional and aesthetic purposes. 

Table of Contents 

    By definition, a table of contents is a clearly defined section with names, article headlines, and page numbers. It acts as a 'roadmap' by providing readers with a quick overview, allowing them to easily find chapters and topics. For starters, the table of contents should match the overall aesthetic and theme of the magazine. This is mainly for continuity purposes. It creates cohesion and boosts readers' engagement.  

        

 Table of Contents- Clear Organization

    Using clear and clean categories creates professionalism. A clean table of contents shows that the team has discipline; it is generally the first thing you see after the cover, in other words, it is your second chance to make a first impression. All Table of Contents have a visual hierarchy, which prioritizes the issues most engaging stories. Like I wrote about in my last blog post, typography and fonts play a role in the overall organization. The correct use of the theme's visual elements will help the reader to avoid the feeling of 'information overload'. 

Table of Contents- Essential Metadata 

    Usually, when creating a magazine, there is an additional creation of a style guide. A style guide sets your magazine up for success; it sets up the design rules and ensures consistency. First, the reader should be able to clearly see what page the specific article is on; it needs to be in a bolder font with easy readability. Next, the table of contents always includes photos, which makes the section more appealing to readers. It is usually composed of higher-quality used as an eye catcher, then eventually seeing the table of content. Lastly, because magazines are published so frequently, all TOCs must prominently date and issue number to help readers easily identify the edition. 

                         

Feature Articles 

    The feature article does not just tell a story; it creates an experience. It uses sensory detail to pull the reader into the scene. There are commonly four main categories that are used for feature articles; the first one I am going to research is the profile. This is an in-depth look at a celebrity, local hero, or athlete. It goes beneath the surface and shows the subject in a vulnerable state. Next, we have the human interest category, which focuses on emotional journeys like overcoming trauma or having an amazing success story. Then another commonly used feature article is the 'How To' service piece, this is usually a longer article and its main in fouces is how it can help to benefit the reader and how they can grow from the article. Lastly, the trend story is an investigation into culture, new fashion trends, and new technology. 

Feature Articles- Layouts 

    In magazines, the feature articles are where we see editorial creativity shine and often 'break the rules'. This article is meant to be immersive and cinematic; it is supposed to stop the readers in their tracks. About 99% of the time, designers choose to use a full-bleed photo that stretches across the gutter. Next the designer will use a big, bold headline with unique typography to create the mood of the story. Lastly, feature articles use negative whitespace to give the headline room to breathe, ensuring that the page feels genuine and not cluttered. 

Feature Articles- Design Elements 

    Feature articles are extremely fun to work with; they give you an excessive amount of creative freedom to work with. One common design element that designers use at the beginning of feature magazines is drop caps. This is when the first letter of the article is enlarged and sometimes in a different font to act as "start here" for readers. Pull quotes are a great way to break up text; this draws readers' eyes and encourages them to keep reading. The quote chosen is usually the overall message of their article or an inspirational quote. Lastly, Feature magazine does not follow its layouts using the grid; instead, it often has overlapping photos and extends photos to the edge of the paper. 

                     

Sources 

Research- Fonts+ Colors

Research- Fonts + Colors 

1/16

    Hello Blog! For me this is a personal record two blog posts in one day!! Today, I will be researching and exploring different fonts and colors found in my top two genre, fashion and fitness. I will also be trying to understand why they do what they do and figure out what their motivate is for using certain fonts and colors. As I discussed in my first post, the design elements and color palette chosen for an issue is extremely important. It evokes the readers emotions, choosing the correct colors early on in your development phase can set you up for success. Using welcoming and warm colors can guide the reader into picking up for magazine and creating an engaging cover. This enhances experience a good platte creates a better mood and more of a professional and cohesive experience. 

    Although color plays a huge role in customer attraction, typography may top it. Choosing the correct font for your magazine is crucial, it directly impacts the readability and sets the mood for the magazine. It guides the reader with visual hierarchy and enhances professionalism. To choose the right font you must make sure it aligns with the message you are trying to convey to your audience. Choosing the wrong font and colors can send an unlikeable message to your readers, making them unattracted to your cover.  

Fitness Designs   

    

    Fitness magazines typically choose fonts that convey the themes of strength and energy. Fonts chosen for fitness magazines align with the themes of importance, these covers will usually use a modern sans serif font. These fonts are commonly associated with feelings fresh and recharged. Next ensuring the readability, because magazines are so text heavy, you need to choose a font that can be easily read so that readers can quickly skim through workout routines and healthy tricks. "When selecting which are the most suitable fonts for the health and fitness industry, several key points should be kept in mind. While each one zwill possess unique styling, overall they should be bold, clean and confident. Fonts for gyms and fitness studios especially should pack and healthy, active punch. If you’re struggling to come up with a typeface or branding for a related business, you may want to start by aligning your design visually with those from major sporting or wellness brands – without copying their look, of course."

    To successfully pick the best color for a fitness magazines have to get a general understanding of how colors play a psychological role on readers mind. For example, the color red and orange often create the vibe of passion or energy. This is why we commonly see a lot of magazine covers as red. The red is meant to hype up the reader and rise the energy getting them ready to workout. This is most commonly seen in bodybuilding and muscle and fitness. Next the color blue, it is meant to give off a calm and trustful vibe. We most commonly associated blue with tranquility, that is why magazines like yoga or mediation use a blue color platte. 

    When creating a fitness magazine, the cover feels very crowed with puffs and banners. They are strategic marketing used to grab readers attention. As we know, the target audience for fitness magazines are people who wants to get in shape, or stay in shape, regardless they want to work out. Readers often are looking for a solution to solve their problem. By putting 10 different puffs on a cover, the magazine increases the chance that one of them will hit a specific solution for the person walking past. Next is the value of money illusion by showing multiple workouts and recipes on the cover if makes the reader feel like they are getting TONS of info for one cheap price. 

  

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Fashion Designs   

    

    Fashion magazines typically chose to convey theme of luxury and authority. They commonly use elegant serif fonts to create a balanced and timeless looks. The use of these fonts are meant to be minimalistic so they do not distract from the photography, the minimalist approach creates a calm, confident look for high end magazines. They typically avoid loud fonts because clean simplicity suggests luxury and sophistication. Well doing my research I came across a super interesting general rule for fashion magazine designers, unlike fitness magazines designers tend to focus more on how well the font looks rather than its readability. It is also very common that they will stick to the same or very similar fonts rather than experimenting with typography. 

    Typically fashion magazines use restricted and elegant color platte to communicate the theme sophistication, they use muted colors and deep rich accent colors. The use of muted colors allows models and photography to stand out rather than competing with them, this creates a calm and polished look. Next fashion magazines like to use deep rich accent color like burgundy and navy they use these colors to create depth and drama because these colors are darker and less saturated, they enhance the page's subtly and draw attention to key elements like headlines or details. They often avoid bright colors to make sure the magazine does not come off as cheap or trendy, such colors can be distracting and compete with the photography. 

    Unlike fitness magazines, fashion magazines LOVE minimalistic covers, they do not use puffs and banners because it can make the covers come off as "busy". Clean covers feel classy and exclusive especially on higher end magazines their audience is drawn in by the brand and photography, not gimmicks. Adding puffs and banners would distract from the cover, luxury design is about letting the visuals and typography speak for themselves, a minimal cover conveys confidence. 

   

    

SOURCES

Research- Magazine Sub-genre

 Research- Magazine Sub-genre

1/16

    Good Morning Blog! Today in class, we were assigned to continue genre research and start considering sub genres. By definition, a sub-genre is a category that exists within a broader "parent" genre. The main genre is supposed to you the general mood of the magazine, the sub-genre is suppose to enhance the information by giving an "how". Choosing the correct sub-genre is SUPER important because what you pick must act as a bridge between writer and target audience. 

    If you read my last entry you would know that my top three contenders for the my magazine is Fashion, Travel, and Fitness. I think I can official rule out travel, so today I will be researching possible sub-genre for Fashion and Fitness. For fitness I am thinking lifestyle, I have a couple of ideas for this, I was thinking I could do the feature article of this new gym that has recently opened up. I would also incorporate the best recommend creatine and pre-workout for enhance your workout, as well as the most effective exercise vs non effective workouts. Next for fashion I was thinking the sub-genre I could do luxury fashion. I only had a couple of ideas for this one, I was thinking that I could do a some articles on coaches bags to fit into the luxury category. 

Fitness Lifestyle 

    I have conducted some background research. All fitness lifestyle magazines have four main components, the first one is they all have the physical activity section. In this section they provide basic "structured" workouts, they usually we go over cardio, strength training and flexibility. The next one they always have is nutrition, they focus on the saying "food is fuel". They write about healthy balanced meals like protein and carbs to maximize your workout. The third core component is recovery time, a basic  fitness lifestyle prioritizes 8-10 hours of rest, making you are ready to crush your workout. Lastly, the focus on mental health, your body is only as strong as your mind. They include stress-relief techniques like mediation and journaling. 

      1900  As the second part of my research I have decided to look at how l fitness lifestyle has evolved and changed over the years. The earliest I could find was the early 1900, this was considered the rise of physical culture. These magazine were pretty different from what we see today, instead of focusing on "getting muscles" it was more focused on being a strong capable human being. Exercise was often paired with fasting and natural remedies. 

   1950  After World War 2 the focus 'strong capable' humans shifted into strength and bodybuilding. The 'ideal' man was no longer scrawny but now a strong man. This is also where to start to get the first lifestyle magazine, they were revolutionized the industry by using photo-essays to tell stories about everyday American life.

   1980  This was considered the aerobics boom, magazines focused on neon spandex and celebrity pre recorded workouts tapes. In 1997, magazines like Oxygen launched. This was revolutionary because it was the first time a mainstream women's magazine focused on lifting heavy weights and having muscle, rather than just being "thin" or doing light aerobics.

  2000  In the early 2000, we moved from generalized "gym" magazines to specialized magazines like CrossFit or Bodybuilding. Other forms of fitness like yoga and pilates started growing fast fame. In the 2000's, diet culture in magazines reached an intense peak. Unlike today’s focus on "wellness" and "strength," the 2000s were dominated by a "thin-at-all-costs" mentality. There would be feature articles on "hidden calories" and "diet" food.  

  2020 Now we see fitness magazines focusing more on mental health and low impact training like walks, runs, etc. We have also seen many magazine take more of a scientific approach for example we see certain articles the focusing heavily on benefits of cold plunges and how to improve your HRV. 

              

 

Fashion Luxury 

    Often, Fashion Luxury serve at "gatekeepers" of high fashion, they focus on high-end brands like Coach and Prada. Unlike general fashion magazines they are not meant to help you find a deal at the mall, but inspire and set trends. They don't just report on what is popular they tell the world what will be popular. In these magazines there are three main components that every issues has. To start off 99%. of the time they will have somekind of trend report. For example they will give us breakdowns of colors or patterns seen on runways. Next we will ALWAYS receive style tips, how to wear a certain item for example, 5 ways to wear a scarf or 10 ways to level up your next going out fit. Lastly a common trend we see in all fashion magazines are the "must haves" like the must have perfumes or colognes. 

    Similarly, what I did for fitness I have decided to breakdown the different eras of fashion magazines. 

    Late 1800  Vogue was founded in the late 1800, early issues focused on the "high society" and balls. Something I found that was super interesting was instead of photos on the cover, there were hand drawn fashion designs. The vibe of these magazines were discipline and high society. 

    1950  Naturally with the evolution of the camera photography soon replaced the hand drawn covers. During the 1950's the new look  focused was on extreme femininity of women, like tiny waists and large skirts and Hollywood glamour. 

    1970  Unlike the 50's focus on stiff glamour the 70's focused on youth culture. They did articles on miniskirts and the "London Look". The high end magazine captured the freedom and rebellion era through expensive high end glamour called jet-style. 

    1980  The 80s covers were filled with  Power Suits and "Grunge." This was also the Supermodel Era the magazines made the models more famous than the clothes.

    Late 1990-2000  In the early 2000's vogue expanded into teen vogue and captured the entire family lifestyle. Covers were filled with modern celebrity like Cindy Crawford and many more. 

                     

                     

SOUCES

Research- Magazine Genres

 

Research- Magazine Genre 

1/12

Hi Blog!

    Today in class we were assigned to research possible magazine genres that we would like to use. 

After some thorough consideration I have narrowed it down to three. Fashion, Travel or Fitness. After choosing my three potential themes, I conducted some basic research about what makes a strong magazine, choosing the best layout for your genre type and recommend tip and tricks. 

    Well I was reading over one of the articles it suggested these really good idea, to make a mood board of potential fonts, colors and designs. I LOVE this idea and I will definitely be using it, I will most likely look on Pinterest! Some other basic information that they recommend was that before choosing your design elements to start by clarifying the magazine mission. After that then you make sure that the color platte and fonts go with the message that you are trying to convey. 

FASHION 

    When we were told to research and pick a couple of different genre, fashion imminently was my first thought. I love fashion magazines, I love keeping up with the latest trends and seeing what is considered "in" and "out" specifically Vogue so I knew that had to be in inspo. When I was looking over their different editions, I noticed that every cover is very minimalistic, they cover is usually one posed photo and very little coverlines. Next I realized that about 80% of the time the masthead's color is chosen from

 the cover photo. 

 

   

    All of the topics discussed in the magazine are very modern and trendy, they usually have a very famous and well know celebrity on the front meant to attract eyes and spike curiosity. I looked over a website that is called 'best vogue covers of all time' and a common trend among all of them. Mostly all of them have they cover photos the first thing you notice is there eyes, it feels almost as if they are looking at, you drawing you into the magazine. It's almost like it saying "read me read me" 

    As I was researching I decided to find out some basic continuity between every fashion magazine. First the most common is to sell and aspire through visuals and editorial. Magazine's do this by crafting quality images, videos and compelling stories. This allows costumers to fantasize and dream of elevated lifestyle. The next one I researched was shaping trends, most magazines act as trendsetters through celebrity feature articles and celebrity endorsements. 

   

TRAVEL 

    My second topic that I decided to explore is Travel. It is recommended to focus on the specifics, even though there is a lot to talk about in a certain travel destination like Paris, if you list a lot of general information it can scare off the reader, it you must identify a niche. You will need to come up with unique angles for articles and coverlines. Unlike fashion there is not constant new fashion trends, for a travel magazine you really need to deep dive and to be able to hook your reader. I have decided to look specifically at Traveler Magazine. 

    The photo chosen for the cover is always a breathtaking photo of nature with little to no distractions.  (people) The cover is very minimal, the fonts are very thin and gives off an inviting feeling. I have also been noticing a lot of these magazine do not have any puffs or banners. The cover is meant to get a relax vibe like the one you would get on vacation. 

    The content inside of the magazines usually includes travel tips like (where to get the best hotel) (what to avoid well visiting) (what to pack), as well as culture and cuisine. These types of magazines are usually VERY detailed, they list of a lot of what seems irrelevant information. Overall I like this genre and is one my top choices. 

    Like I did for fashion I decided to research continuity between every travel magazine. One big example of this is through the theme, most travel magazines choose a very similar message to convey. For example they choose adventure, culture or relaxation. They do this to promote mental well being and the humans natural desire to travel. Another common continuity is "show us don't tell us". This is where magazines this is the KEY into getting people off the coach and on the way to the airport. Instead of doing a basic boring long article, designers will use beautiful nature photos to sensory detail and use specific moments to let the reader imagine if they were really there.  

FITNESS 

    The third topic I would like to explore is Fitness. I feel like this one of the less popular genre so I could have a niche perspective. On the front there is always a person who is very in shape and healthy. Unlike fashion or travel magazines the cover is very crowed with puffs and coverlines. There are banners everywhere, overall a lot of information on the cover. On almost every fitness magazine I have looked at there is a positive quote or phrase written somewhere, I really like this contribution it makes it feel genuine to the reader. 

   

    Most of the magazines that I looked over had the same couple of topics: nutrition advice, workout routines and expert reviews. Another similarly between all Fitness magazines are there seasonal cycles, for example depending on what season you are in, the editor will add seasonal motivation "New Year, New Me" and "Summer Shred" this is meant to match readers lifestyles and is a successful sales tactic. The last continuity I researched and explored was the visual style used on covers. For example bold headlines they used make the magazine easily identified as fitness. Next is quick consumption, easy to read tricks for weight loss and easy to make meals. 

    Overall I really like how these covers are NOT minimalist they are fun and engaging to readers. 

    I am unsure if I 100% like this genre I really like the creative freedom that it gives me there are so many possibilities. 

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