Vogue Covers

Researching the content.

Vogue is a highly successful fashion publication that has been around for many decades. Throughout its time on the shelves it has created its own recognizable brand that has become iconic to the publication. It is this significant image they have created that has to be kept up and maintained to a high standard to ensure the continued success of the brand. Some might argue that it is the cover that ensures this success, as it is what draws its audience to the magazine rather than the many others on the newsstands. Each vogue cover has to represent the brand and has many factors that have to be considered to achieve this. From the photographer, the model, hair, makeup, location, cover stories and the colour of the ‘VOGUE’ written across the top of the magazine, each of these components that makes up the front cover has been strategically planned and thought out and it is the overall outcome that ensures the magazine maintains its high standard and world wide audience. Below you can see a few of my favorite past vogue covers. 

The visual hierarchy of the magazine is also very apparent. It’s clear that the magazines title is the first point of reference for the viewer with the font, colour and typeface all drawing the viewer’s attention to the magazine. It is then the cover image and cover stories job to sell the magazine to the audience meaning that both have to be visually striking and consistent with the ‘Vogue image’. Everything that has been placed on the cover would have been strategically planned and mapped out by a team of people to ensure the best possible response and success from that issue.  The covers I have displayed above may not be the most successful issues to date by I find them visually pleasing and they appeal to me in different ways than they might do to others. The fact that different people react to images and text in different ways is also something that has to be considered in publishing the magazine and it’s important that they find an equal balance to appeal to a wide genre of people. Vogue is a magazine that has been running for almost twelve decades with its first issue published in 1892 and has managed to stay successful throughout that time so they must be doing something right but in the long run it’s the audience that decides the success of the magazine as its them who chose to pick up one magazine from the next whether it be the text, colour or cover image that helps them do it. 

Understanding an audience

Understanding your audience is crucial when creating a piece of work, especially for commercial use. An artist has to know who their work is going to appeal to in order for them to get the ideas and meaning of the project across and understood. For example it’s pointless for an advert for a new state of the art car to be printed in a fashion magazine as its not appealing to the audience the product is intended for. If an artist understands and has knowledge of their audience they can enhance and focus their work on communicating with that specific group of people.

A successful piece I believe that’s in the media at the minute is Banksy’s title piece for The Simpsons. Although very controversial he has taken key issues in society today like sweatshops, child labor and animal cruelty and included them in his own title sequence for the show. The extended sequence apparently being inspired by reports the show outsources the bulk of their animation to South Korea has created a lot of debates within the media. Banksy has never been one to conform to societies expectations and is successful in his work because he knows that he is appealing to a wide audience some of which scrutinize and others that applaud his ability to bring social issues into the forefront of the media and get people talking about subjects that would otherwise be brushed under the carpet. The Simpsons is one of the most successful TV shows of our generation and is broadcast all over the world. Banksy would of known this, he would of researched past shows and known how to appeal to the shows audience whilst still portraying his point. He is communicating with over thousands of people but because he has done his research and has a knowledge of who these people are and what entertains them he has been able to successfully pass his message along to them.

The Notion of Inspiration

People draw inspiration from many things and find different ways of finding their own individual inspiration.  Whether it is on the Internet, through books, magazines or exhibitions inspiration comes from exploring and finding different medias or techniques that excite us and capture our attention.  I don’t think I have ever been inspired by just sitting inside looking at a blank sheet of paper waiting for ideas to come; you have to go out and explore or even get lost in a place that you don’t know. It is through this that you open up your mind to things you don’t normally notice, wouldn’t normally see or wouldn’t take the time actually stop and look at. Once you have your visual examples you can then sit down and experiment with them. You have the concept and research behind your ideas that make them stand-alone and stand out as an individual piece of work that people can relate to.

When I am starting a new project I always research into photographers, films, artwork or even social events that might inspire me. I love finding new artists that inspire me through their work. I went to Brian Griffins exhibition yesterday and really enjoyed it. It was set up in 3 different locations, two inside and one open air. I loved the idea of having an open-air exhibition as it means your work is open to everyone and anyone. People who wouldn’t usually see exhibitions or are unaware of them can stumble across them and be inspired and brighten up an everyday mundane task and turn it into something memorable. Below are a few examples of how the exhibition was set up.

Brian Griffin, Self portrait

This exhibition shows a wide range of Brian Griffin's photography ranging from his well-known pieces to pieces never seen before. The Location of this exhibition is based outside Birmingham's Snow Hill Station, a station that Brian Griffin used everyday while working in a factory. It was from this job he left to start his photography career. 

Recontextualized ideas in contemporary culture

Pastiches are another way for artists to recontextualize ideas into contemporary culture. In season 5 of Americas Next Top Model we see the photographer Barry Lategan take traditional pieces of classic art and photograph them as modern interpretations. They picked 5 original art works, all well known and recognizable in modern culture but photographed them how they believed the images would be interpreted today. The works that they chose were; The Mona Lisa, Whistler’s Mother, The Birth of Venus, Girl with a Pearl Earring and Vitruvian Man. These images were shot for an advertising campaign for ‘Quench body lotion’ and by using these iconic art forms they capture a wide range of viewers into the advertising campaign.

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa, Bre ANTM

Whistler's Mother

Whistler's Mother, Jayla ANTM

Birth of Venus

Birth of Venus, Kim ANTM

Girl with Pearl Earring

Girl with Pearl Earring, Nicole ANTM

Vitruvian Man

Vitruvian Man, Nik ANTM

I really like what Barry Lategan has done with these images. My favourite from the series is 'Girl with Pearl Earring' this is because the expression he has captured on the models face compliments the original image well while still adding something new to the image. Overall i would say that he has successfully interpreted within contemporary culture.

The Notion of Originality

Marine, 1964 Photograph by Julian Broad.

The notion of originality in photography is a widely debatable subject. Nowadays when we have so much access to TV, film, and art it is hard to tell if an idea or concept is in fact original or whether it has stemmed from another body of work, be it consciously or unconsciously. Everyone has originality even when copying work, the setup of the image, how you chose to shoot it and even light it is your own work even if the desired effect is to mirror another image. The work that I find inspires me the most is when photographers knowingly pastiche work and add their own individual twist to the subject.  An example of this I have drawn is from The 2008 Hollywood Portfolio of ‘Hitchcock Classics’ in Vanity Fair. In this shoot photographers took iconic moments from the directors greatest hit movies and interpreted then into images that they believed represented the scenes. 

Dial M for Murder, 1954 Photograph by Norman Jean Roy.

Rear Window, 1954 Photograph by Norman Jean Roy.

Rebecca, 1940 Photograph by Julian Broad.

Strangers on a Train, 1951 Photograph by Art Streiber.

Vertigo, 1958 Photograph by Jean Roy.

Lifeboat, 1944 Photograph by Mark Seliger.

North by Northwest, 1959 Photograph by Art Streiber.

The Birds, 1963 Photograph by Norman Jean Roy.

Psycho, 1960 Photograph by Mark Seliger.

Steve McCurry

I visited Steve McCurry's exhibition 'Retrospective' yesterday and found a new love for his images. His collection of portraiture photos stand out to me the most. It is in these photos I find that the relationship formed between him and his subjects becomes evident in his work and his photographic technique captures the attention of the viewer to the image, engaging them with the story behind the characters.  


"Most of my pictures are grounded in people. I look for the unguarded moment, the essential soul peeking out, experience etched on a persons face. I try to convey what it is like to be that person, a person caught in a broader landscape that I guess you'd call the human condition." Steve McCurry.

 Peshawar, Pakistan, 2002

 

Lhasa, Tibet, 2000

 

Bombay, India, 1996

 

Srinagar, Kashmir, 1999 

Peshawar, Pakistan, 1984

Peru, 2004

Kabul, Afghanistan, 1993

Weligama, Sri Lanka, 1995

This landscape image caught my eye as soon as I saw it in the exhibition. I love the detail and colours captured in the sea and the composition of the subjects works well to capture the viewer's eye and lead it around the photo. This is one of my all time favourite Steve McCurry images.

Loving LaChapelle

My first blog and its only right that I speak about one of the top photographers on my list, David LaChapelle. Over the last first few years LaChapelle's work became one of the main points of reference in my research for personal projects, drawing inspiration from his use of colour, vivid imagination and iconic images. 

Angelina Jolie: Lusty Spring 2001

Lil' Kim: Blow-Up Doll 2000

Alek Wek: My House 1997

Uma Thurman with Lipstick 1997

Emile Hirsch: Flaunt 2008

Kirsten Dunst: Rolling Stone 2002

Cameron Diaz: Dollhouse Disaster 1 1997

Nature's Naked Loveliness 2003