case study

The colour used on the front cover of the Marie Claire magazine is orange nude, that colour often represents happiness and joy but also fascination and stimulation. This makes the audience feel like the magazine has this intelligence to offer to the reader but in a fun joyful way. This edition is the fashion edition so the use of orange suggests to the audience that they have the most intelligent fashion to offer that is also fun and not drab and boring. Throughout the magazine mostly black and white are used making it look very editorial and professional to the audience so that they will trust what what Marie Claire has to say. to make the text stand out they also use hints of orange to underline important facts, they also use a lot of nude tone colours such as pink which has been a very popular trend of 2016 so Marie Claire is up to date with the latest trends making them appeal to a much younger audience who may not know of them. The pink is used in boxes behind text to make it stand out more but also add some graphic design to a piece of text that would look rather dull otherwise. The connotations of the colour pink are sweet, feminine and cute which add a softness to the text even if its about something harsh so the audience is distracted by what the colour could mean.


The image on the front cover is Britney Spears centred in the front smiling whilst wearing a stylish coat in front of an orange background. The audience can see that she looks content and fashionable showing a different side to the Las Vegas performer that looks much more subdue, the audience can see this and think to themselves that they can aspire to look great even after being through so much in their lives. Due to her smiling it makes the front cover more inviting to the reader so that they are more likely to want to pick up this edition.
The title "Fashion Special" has connotations of style and limited edition due to it being a "Special" making it a one time thing giving the audience urgency to purchase it to find out the latest trends in fashion and style. The reader would be attracted to this title because the magazine states "90 pages of gorgeous looks" underneath the title letting the reader know that they are offering a lot fashion wise so it would be worth picking up because it would last a while for them.
The subtitles "Britney's back" is letting the audience know that they have the inside scoop to her return to the scene which will entice her fans to by it so that they can find out what she has to say in this edition but also to see the photoshoot of her. "Why its time to stop people pleasing" is giving the audience reasons why they should have to keep pleasing other people so that they can better themselves and not have to worry as much about what they have to say and how they should say it too.
The language used on the front cover is mostly formal with a mixture of colloquial too which is seen in " Men what he's not saying about sex" which could appeal to women that want to find out about such a taboo matter. Aside from that the overall formality could appeal to anyone because it is easy to read without any type of unclear communication. "Skin SOS" has an urgency too it making the reader excited to find out what products can help their skin out, the use of the word "every" when talking about trying to send every girl to school sounds imperative and important and the "Help us" pulls at the readers heart strings making them want to be able to help.
The only colour used on the front cover is orange which frames the subject that is Britney, the colour orange has connotations of joy and happiness but also stimulation as if what the magazine has to offer is intellectual. This colour creates a calm atmosphere making the reader feel comfortable to pick up this magazine to be able to read it and relax.
£3.99 is the price of this magazine which is ideal for the audience that are in their late twenties to early thirties who have jobs so they are able to afford such a price. The magazine is very thick so it has quite a lot in it for that price so it is reasonable for them to charge that much.

In the contents page we see images scattered across it in no particular order but it still manages to look artistic and modern, they have been equally spaced out allowing the page to breathe so its minimal and simplistic for the reader. From this we can see that the audience is people aged 20-30 because they just want to get straight to what the articles are about and not get distracted by other things. They've used a simplistic black and white background with the font being black and the background being white so they contrast from each other, the images have very neutral brown and brass tones in them so that they compliment each other without it being an eyesore to the reader. The contents is laid out in the centre going vertically down making the text easier to read but also making the images beside it appear more dramatic and interesting due to our eyes not being pulled focus on to one point on the page. A typewriter font has been used giving simplicity and an editorial feel to this magazine making the reader feel like what this magazine has to offer is worth reading out. The language  used in the contents page is manly formal with touches of colloquial language hinted in with "what he's not saying about sex" as if you were talking to a friend about this topic, thus this creates a safe atmosphere for the reader so they feel like they can read about it without feeling judged or scrutinised.

The double page spread of this magazine is about Britney Spears which takes up eight pages with four being just photographs of her.
The title of the double page spread is "stronger than yesterday" written in type writer font without any capital letters to give a more editorial effect, the title is a lyric from her 2000's hit "Stronger". The writers state she has "risen back to the top of her game" and in her "only UK interview" showing the reader that Marie Clarie has the inside scoop on what her secret is.

On the third page we see one page full of text and the other with a photograph taking up the majority of the page with inspiring quotes for young people such as " I care more about feeling sexy than looking sexy. That all comes from within" showing the readers that even a huge celebrity doesn't seek approval from others to how she looks, she only listens to herself which sends a positive message out to the readers. The interview goes into detail about her debut single from her latest album which is her 9th which the readers would expect her to be used to her success by now but we see her more down to earth side with her saying "Can i scream?" in an excited tone. Most pop-stars have an arrogance about them knowing their success and being completely egotistic whereas Britney seems more humble and not cocky about her successes. Then the interviewer talks about her debut on the scene back in 1998 when she released her first single "Baby One More Time" when she was only 16 the reader would think she must be so confident and outgoing but at the time she has stated "I try to act tough but i'm not".  However in 2016 she is in the "best place she has been for years" since she has now been in the industry for 18 years.

The interview continues with where Britney is currently in her life talking about her Vegas residency and how much money it has earned her, but this residency also allows her to spend more time with her pre-teen children showing that even a superstar has to balance her career and her home life. This is inspirational for mothers in particular because it shows them that as well as being a single mother she can still manage everything. She is an example that single mothers can be successful without being in the shadow of a man. We then dive into her social media were she is infamous for her "goofy" photographs of her and her boys which makes her come across more down to earth so the audience can relate to her and her silliness. Going into detail about how when she was young the stress of Los Angeles made her feel like she had to constantly look perfect and be perfect but what has made her feel better has been becoming a mother, "being with my boys has made me so much more accepting of myself" this could be relateable to mothers already but also aspiring mothers who may want children themselves showing them that children can bring out your inner self.

On the 5th and 6th pages we see more photography in black and white this time with a quote beside one saying "What I do know now is that I don't believe in happy ever after. I just believe in happy right now". This quotes persuades the reader into enjoying life currently rather than wishing to be happy in the future which is reinforced by her interview. Her perfume industry is then discussed with her releasing her 20th making her one of the biggest celebrity perfume endorsers, showing the reader that not only is she a popstar she has branched out into other things.


The editors letter in this magazine like a short interview with questions and answers keeping it short and simple for the reader. The questions are quite informal such as "How many middle-of-the-night panics did you have while redesigning this issue?" showing the reader that even someone with a great job can still procrastinate about her work just like any regular person, this creates an informal relationship so that the reader can feel familiar with the editor without actually meeting her in person.
She also appeals to a younger demographic stating that on Instagram people write "Long captions and heaps of hashtags" showing her annoyance toward people who do such on social media to the point where it sounds like she is talking to a friend. A professional photo of her is shown at the top giving the reader a face to put all the text to with her name and position at marie claire shown beside it.