Research into Grazia Magazine

I chose to research Grazia as a magazine product

because their content covers popular culture and
current affairs; being the closest magazine product to
what I want to produce content wise. I will be looking
into their paper front covers and online products as
this is what I need to produce. The target audience
starts at 25, so by looking into different aspects they
use to appeal to that audience, I will be able to adapt
them into my own product.
Magazine Product ~
- Layout; The mise-en-scène of the front cover is
interesting because in majority of magazines there is
only one main central image on the cover. However,
Grazia use product photography, paparazzi images
and their own studio shoot. This is to enable visible
links to the stories given in the central lines and
feature article. They also use a circular puff which
could be connotated as the sun and the transition between summer autumn, relating to
the clothing items they are advertising. By having a simple two-toned colour palette,
information for the reader is easier to the eye and more aesthetically pleasing, making it
more likely for them to buy the product. The date and price line are in either of the
corners accompanied by the barcode in the bottom right, this allows there to be a full
focus on content, drawing a customer’s eyes away from the price line, therefore they
worry about quality content rather than the money side. The overall layout of the cover
contains a lot of useful information without it becoming too overcrowded, they have
stirred away from a minimalistic look, but it isn’t overwhelming.
- Typography; I particularly like the way Grazia use their fonts and font sizing, they
include both serif and sans-serif typeface without making the page look messy and un-
coordinated. By having the feature article in a bold white colour it immediately attracts to
the eye, this creates an overall vibe for what the content will be like throughout the
magazine, so it is very important that the feature article is appealing and an interesting
story. With the mast head being in a serif typeface, it adds a sense of maturity to the
magazines brand image; I also think it makes it look classy which appeals to their more
middle-aged demographic. Within the coverlines, the use of a bold sans-serif font with
spacing between letters, it allows an easy read for the audience making it appealing
towards the demographic.
- Use of Language; The feature article “Why no one should police your body” represents
feminism and empowerment, the word “police” emphasizes how powerful words can be
towards people and how if not filtered out properly it can create a negative impact on
yourself and mental well-being. The language used in the feature article compliments the
central image, both supporting body confidence; the model Emily Ratajkowski has very
broad and open body language giving a positive outlook on body image. The rest of the
cover lines all have connotations towards relationships; with the autumn season being
supposedly the best for dating, including relationship gossip and facts it all adds to the
intertextuality of love, whether it being negative or positive. Within their use of language
on this front cover, I believe that it links a lot to Van Zoonen’s Feminism Theory, without
being overpowering their use of language compliments the idea that women tend to look
prettier in images used within the media. However, Zoonen talks about this in a negative
format, but I personally think that Grazia is creating a positive format for content about
females rather than degrading them and only focusing on the negative views on how they
look and appear within the media.
- Use of Images; Linking back to the central image, the little black dress used connotates
ideas of power. By lowering the angle of the camera, it has made Ratajkowski look more
of an icon, it enhances the idea of feminine empowerment. The makeup on the model is
 very glam and bronzed, with make-up being a very popular thing in modern day culture,
by having the model in a full-glam look it encourages readers to embrace their makeup
artistry and let it represent them in the way they want to see themselves. Other images
used are mainly paparazzi photos, this links to the magazines use of soft celebrity news;
the brand constantly updates readers on pop culture meaning it is important that by using
paparazzi images they are keeping to current affairs.

Online Media (Website) ~

- Layout and Navigation; On the
homepage you are immediately
introduced with a large collage of
images with coloured graphics
related to the main story. This story
being about how one of Rihanna’s
instagram posts led to a trainee
dentist becoming “one of Instagram’s
most in-demand artists”. I have
noticed on their website that images
and graphics seems to be the main
focus into getting an audience’s attention. The constant use of yellow adds to the
company’s brand identity, it creates a theme throughout their online and physical product
creating a familiar aesthetic for the audience. Also, on their front page, they include
cross-promotion by encouraging readers to sign up to their digital magazine subscription.
At the bottom of the website page they have Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest links
leading to their pages. The navigation bar is easy to navigate and contains all the
different topics that they cover. Within the menu bar they also add a newsletter signup
page, further encouraging you to sign up for more news and updates from the brand, this
is in order to create a loyal customer base. Throughout their homepage there are lots of
buttons corresponding to the content you are looking for, you can choose to click usually
3-4 buttons which take you to more stories related to the section you are looking at for
example; “Beauty and Hair” allows you to click 4 options: Hair, Makeup, Nails or Skin.
This will create more screen time for the reader and allowing the magazine to know what
the audience is reading the most and is particularly interested in.
- Use of Language; A lot of the headlines of stories are 1-2 decks long meaning they are
shorter and easier for one to read. The lexis isn’t particularly formal or informal, I would
say that they are more informal than formal however, they still use complex words in
order to attract an educated audience. Some of their content includes interviews with
readers so, by having stories that relate to the readers, it allows them to become more
connected to the magazine, hopefully leading to the reader becoming loyal (frequently
buying and looking through their products).
- Use of Images/Text/Audie/Videos; There is not one part throughout the website where
text isn’t accompanied by an image, they have created a very visually pleasing website
making it so easy for a reader to absorb content with little effort needed. All images
compliment stories well, with a use of reposted images and graphics the website has a
general theme to it. On their website there seems to be more content, with a relaxed
format and use of informal language, some stories being galleries of images relating to
an event. They put a lot of their visual content online rather than bombarding their
physical product with more images. This allows the physical product to include more
wordy content, and a lot more of the important stories. All video content is tutorials for
beauty related subjects e.g. “grey ombré what you need to know before doing this trend”