Inital Double Page Spread: Research + Development

This is my inital research and development of double page spreads for my magazine project. The research is not completely genre accurate as I still was pinning down what I wanted to do.

Before Reading
Magazine:	Dior
Issue:	Date of Issue/ Issue No.: 40 Andalusian Grace
Publisher:	Olivier Bialobos
Genre:	Does it fit into a sub genre? Fashion
Images:	How many images? What are the images of? There are 15 images on this double page spread, 14 coming from the collage. The images are almost all centralized around the models themselves, all wearing the signature look, California couture. On the first page, the image was shot using an extreme long shot, allowing all the models to be visible, along with the background. The image itself is very creatively composed, featuring a solid color background, similar like the usual, however it also shows a playful peak into the californian sky that is full of palm trees, contrasting the bland vibe of a photoshoot studio.
Layout	What is the layout like? Is it heavy or light on text? Where are the page numbers? Does it have lots of negative space? Does it have a drop cap? As the pages are mostly image-dominant, they aren’t too heavy on text. The text is on the bottom fifth of the page which implies that the main focus should be on the images. The page number is very small but is placed on the bottom right of the second page. There is very minimum negative space as the page is filled with images, the negative space is filled with the text. Subverting the usual fashion magazine convention, there are strangely no drop-caps on these two pages.
First impressions:	I think that the page itself is very colorful and eye-catching. I like how the page is centered around a singular color, blue. The blue itself is saturated enough to grab the attention of the reader but it doesn’t cause any eye strain. I like the use of the collage on the second page and how the images “pop out” of the image box. However, I slightly dislike the image on the first page as it seems quite boring. I would’ve personally enjoyed it if it was also a collage as the image seems a bit underwhelming after the amazing display on the second page. The placing of the text itself is very pleasing as the images dominate most of the pages. This allows the reader to not be overwhelmed by huge chunks of text.
After Reading
Heading:	California Couture
Subheading:	For his Dior Spring 2023 Men’s show, Kim Jones brought his silhouettes from Paris to Los Angeles. The singular energy of this extraordinary location, caressed by the ocean and steeped in boundless creativity, gave Dior style an irresistibly Californian allure.
Author:	Is there a byline? Is a photographer mentioned No.
Article:	What is the article about? What is the message? The article discusses the articles of clothes worn by the models in the images. The text uses a large array of adjectives to describe how iconic the pieces are. This text doesn’t have a particular message however it does seem to imply that the readers should be impressed with the fashionable accessories and clothing that are being displayed.
Mode of address:	Does it address the audience directly (you, your etc). Is the writing style formal/informal, friendly/serious. The text does not address the audience, its purpose is only to explain the intention of each accessory or clothing. The text is written in a formal writing style.
Pull Quote:	Does it include a pull quote? What does it say? Why has it been used? It does not.
Audience:	Who is the audience for this magazine? How were they targeted? The audience for this magazine are most likely those who are passionate about fashion. This is because in the text, there are many terminologies that may only be understood by those who have advanced understanding of how clothing materials work. Many of the descriptions of the materials and clothing also seem to have underlying connotations which the text explains in detail. This further supports the idea that this text is targeted towards fashion enthusiasts as they are most likely to care about the meaning of fashion.
Impression:	What did you think of the article? Was it fun, interesting, boring? Why? Personally, I think the article was not very interesting to read and is definitely not engaging. However, this is justified as the purpose of this article is to inform about the clothes designer’s choices.
Inspiration:	What did you learn? How can you apply it to your own magazine design? I would really love to apply the collage technique to my magazine’s double page spread. I would like to display my images in this manner as it looks quite “messy” and “incomplete” which I think seems to capture the teenage vibes perfectly.

Before Reading
Magazine:	TeenVogue
Issue:	Date of Issue/ Issue No.: January 2016
Publisher:	Condé Nast
Genre:	Does it fit into a sub genre? Fashion Sub genre: Teen-Fashion
Images:	How many images? What are the images of? There is only 1 image in this double page spread. The image is of a female subject with pink hair. The image is taken with a long shot angle, displaying the background environment which the subject is in. This background almost contrasts the subject as the subject is captured in a seemingly cuter, bubbly vibe while the background shows a more “boring” view of the environment.
Layout	What is the layout like? Is it heavy or light on text? Where are the page numbers? Does it have lots of negative space? Does it have a drop cap? The page is mostly filled with the 1 image, allowing some limited space for text. It is quite heavy on text, the writing seems cramped, it almost seems like the text is being forced into the page. No page numbers are visible and the double page spread has very little negative space. There is a drop cap for the letter “I” at the start of the article.
First impressions:	At first glance, I immediately feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount of text on the page. The small font of the text also adds the feeling of tediousness while looking at the page. I definitely feel like reading the text would be more of a chore. However, the image used is very attractive as it is quite high in contrast. The colorful but not eye straining nature of the image is very pleasing to look at and definitely saves this double page spread. I especially adore the use of harsh lighting and shadows in the image.
After Reading
Heading:	No heading.
Subheading:	No subheading.
Author:	Is there a byline? Is a photographer mentioned No.
Article:	What is the article about? What is the message? This article talks about the rise in fame of the model Fernanda Ly in the world of fashion. She grabbed the attention of many people due to her uncommon pink hair as well as her quirky style. Due to this rise in fame, she started to work with famous figures, eventually receiving many opportunities to work with reputable brands such as Louis Vuitton. This article doesn’t have a particular message however, it is more of a personal anecdote from Fernanda Ly which may inspire others who are aspiring to be models too.
Mode of address:	Does it address the audience directly (you, your etc). Is the writing style formal/informal, friendly/serious. The text does not address the audience, as this article mostly shares Fernanda Ly’s personal story, only referring to herself. The writing style is seemingly semi-formal.
Pull Quote:	Does it include a pull quote? What does it say? Why has it been used? It does not.
Audience:	Who is the audience for this magazine? How were they targeted? As mentioned earlier, this article may inspire aspiring models. This most likely implies that the target audience is those who are looking to be models. This is supported by the fact that the article contains many of Fernanda Ly’s personal experiences, showing a more in depth perspective of how she became successful. This may be interesting to those who are looking to start their modeling careers as they may find tips helpful.
Impression:	What did you think of the article? Was it fun, interesting, boring? Why? The article was definitely a lot for me to read and was almost overwhelming. This was mostly because the article was laid out very poorly and didn’t really engage the readers in any interesting way. The text was also quite small, making me strain a bit to read it..
Inspiration:	What did you learn? How can you apply it to your own magazine design? I learned that I should never put too much text on the double page spread as it may cause the reader’s interest to drop drastically. Some negative space should be also present so the reader doesn’t feel like they are drowning in text and content.

Reflection: 

This double page spread research definitely drained a lot of my time and energy since I had to constantly force myself to read the articles. It was quite a tedious process especially since one of the double page articles had a very chunky, small font article which was not engaging and very hard to read. However, I knew that it was crucial to do the research as I needed to know what I should have in my article as well as what would kill the audience’s interest. Ultimately, I found out that in my article I must interact with the audience and avoid using too much formal language as my main target audience is teenagers. I think I’ll have a lot of fun writing my magazine article.