NEA- generic research- Vanity Fair

 Previous covers:

Article about her friendship with Cynthia Erivo 

Article about her life as an Olympic gymnast and her personal life 

Article discussing his career and his upcoming events

Article talking about her life, career and hobbies  

Article talking about his career as a formula one driver 

All these articles reflect the zeitgeist and as each cover is about a person that was of relevance at the time of publishing. Each cover uses a serif font for the masthead- this is something i will incorporate as it is typically used for a more ABC1 audience- who are the target audience for my brief. This magazine also tends to use more bolder/ saturated colours than vogue did- this is something i will take into consideration as my target audience is 16-25 years old so this may appeal to them more than a muted colour scheme. This magazine also has more variety in its backgrounds- it does not just have very plain backgrounds, some are location shots. This may be easier to accomplish for my own magazine as finding a plain studio-like background may be difficult. The models on these covers also wear ‘subtle luxury’ clothing- i think i will be incorporating this into my own magazine as it adds to the high brow aesthetic of the genre. 

Brand Identity:

Vanity fair existed in the 1920s and 30s as an illustrated magazine and then returned again in the 1980s with the version that is more similar to today’s issues. This was due to the Great Depression when it became unprofitable so was merged with vogue until it was revived in the 80s. Since then the brand style has stayed fairly consistent with the masthead only slightly changing in the time. In their mission statement on the website, they claim to be a ‘premier publication for Hollywood obsessives, the insider’s source for arch political analysis, and a trusted home for incisive journalism’. This shows that they focus on a wide range of topics- this is most likely to have as wide an audience as possible and have higher readership figures. Although the magazine is not as iconic as vogue it is still a well known product with a strong brand image. 

Values and ideologies:

Vanity fair features models of a variety of ethnicities and feature more male models than Vogue but still significantly less than the number of female models. Their values are “VF explores the intersection of power and personality, profiling the outsize characters who shape our culture. Across platforms, VFstands for ambitious storytelling, iconic images, and indelible experiences, including the legendary Vanity Fair Oscar Party.” (About us section of the VF website).