Magazine website research

This first magazine website is Dazed. I chose this as one of the websites to analyse as I like the kind of layout it has
used. They have used a range of different image sizes, and they have laid them out in different ways. They have a
simple white background to their website, but they use interesting images, with use of colour, and intriguing
headlines to draw in the audience. They also offer a lot of different options on their drop-down menu bar, like
fashion, news, music, art, photography, life & culture, politics and more. This is good as it gives lots of options for the
audience. Also, in the drop-down menu they have links to their social media, and links to contact them, which is good
as it spreads their audience further, and they can reach a greater audience. I like how they use colour; they keep a
neutral colour scheme for the background of the website, and then add pops of colour with the images. This keeps
the website from being too cultured, but the colour from the images keep it looking interesting, and not boring. They
use simple typography, using just black and white colours, and a sans-serif font, which is quite bold. They have made
it very easy to use, and everything is easy to locate, the menu on the left, and it has clear headings for each section.
On their homepage, they show stories from a range of different categories to show what to expect. I chose the
fashion linked page to analyse. It showed different celebrity stories about fashion, fashion trends, and different looks
from the runway.

You can also see one of their front covers. I decided to add this as I would like to use this as part of my inspiration, as I
want to use lots of colour in my edition.
This magazine website is RollingStone. Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on
music, politics, and popular culture. These are the kind of subjects that my target audience may be
interested in.
This websites layout is a little different to others, especially on the homepage, as they have used different
sized images, and they are spread out kind of randomly. Usually the layout is more even, and have images
next to each other, and the same size.
They have kept quite a simple colour scheme, by keeping it mostly black and white, but keeping their
signature red on the top of the page, and in some of the typography. This adds a pop of colour without
being too much for their magazine.
For my magazine I want to have my linked page to be a gallery of images from the photo shoot that I do,
and at the top of the gallery I want to do an about us section where I talk about my brand and what its
about.
On my homepage I want to include the front covers from my print magazine, and also this is where I want
to include competitions and links from the print copy. This is so there is audience interaction with my
product. Also, here I will have features from my print magazine where ill put ‘check this out on our
website’. Also, I will have a link on this website where people can write in their own stories, which can be
featured in later editions. This could also be a competition, where the best story gets a feature, or a prize.
This way the readers get something back from reading the magazine, and it makes it more likely for them to
buy it again.
This magazine is UGS magazine, which is an independent hip hop magazine. I have chosen this magazine to analyse
because the layout is the kind of layout I want to use in my website, the way they have used the space, especially on
the homepage, they have used less negative space, and have filled the empty areas with drawings. I like this kind of
feel for my website as it makes the website look less empty. However, on their other linked pages, they have kept the
negative space around their images. This makes it so that the homepage is the pain feature. The negative space used
on the other pages is to keep the focus on the images, and on the stories.

I also really like the colour used on this website. Their images are quite bright, and vibrant, which is what I want to
create in my product. Also, I want to create colour in my product through typography, editing, and graphics, to create
a vibrant feel to it.

Another thing they have on this website, is their social media links right at the top of the homepage, this is a great
way to grow your audience, and by it being right at the top on the homepage means that people are more likely to
see it, and actually use the links. They have their YouTube, twitter, Facebook, and Instagram links. This is a good
range of different platforms and means its more likely that the audience will have at least one of these that they can
use.

Another thing they have on their website that I might want to incorporate into mine is the shop. This is where they
sell their different merch. This is a good idea as it gives the audience something they can physically buy, and
something else for the reader to access.

They have used a simple font for their typography, and have left it very simple. They have left their typography black,
with a bold, but simple font. This keeps the focus on the images.