I don't buy magazines much at all, so I had to really go look for three that I could be interested in.
No 1:
DWELL
My mom usually brings me a stack of them when she visits, so I thought I'd use it for this project. Subject matter is interesting and the design is lovely. Very clean and with a definite nordic flair/edge. As for their target audience, I would say,
35 and up (maybe up to their 50s and 60s),
college educated men and women, appreciate good quality and design--the paper is nice (so they probably
make a decent amount of money... maybe upper class). I would say the typical Dwell reader lives in an
urban or maybe
suburban area. The layout and content tells me these people have a functional, not overly decorative, sleek, and contemporary aesthetic.
No 2:
OUT
I guess I chose this one because the target audience is pretty much... me or sort of.
25 to... um,
40, definitely
male, fashion conscious, image conscious; he spends lots of money on products, music, and liquor (none of which I do) so he must have a
decent income--I would say middle to
upper-middle (or even lower-upper) class. He's probably
college educated, but not necessarily. Most likely living in an
urban area. He is definitely very interested in the media and social life. He's pretty sex-driven. The more I think about it, the less this guy is like me... The layout and choice of type in particular (lots of extreme, Bodoni-like thicks and thins as well as what seems like some custom hand-drawn lettering) tells me these guys have a playful, dramatic, yet design-concious and contemporary aesthetic.
No 3:
REAL SIMPLE
And finally, a tribute to all the women's magazine haters. This is another of my mom's favorites (and I enjoy it from time to time too). It's definitely targeted to
women, possibly in the
30 to 50 age group. These ladies love to entertain and cook. The Real Simple gal enjoys...well, simple, understated, wholesome elegance. Her food is always healthy, her kids probably get As, and her house and dinner parties are impeccable. I would say she lives in a
suburban area (maybe a small city--though I know I love to imagine I had the space/time/money to have a dinner party on a terrace in Manhattan). This magazine is targeted to women who are doing okay for themselves, but are not unaccustomed to pinching pennies now and again (probably
middle class, maybe upper-middle). I think it's safe to say she went to
college. The layout is basic (in a good way, of course), simple (real simple), careful in its use of color (but color is definitely always present).
I'm excited to be using these three publications... I think they all have distinctly different voices and audiences as well as pretty different visual languages. This was the easy part... now I actually have to think of something!!
