Harper's Bazaar UK Content Analyses

Harper’s Bazaar UK October 2008 issue “Back to Black”

On the cover
General content. Depends on the cover content.
This issue: 4 topics.

Features
Main features of the magazine. Some appear also on the “On the cover” section.
The content evolves famous people.
This issue: 2 actresses, a fashion designer and a comedian.
Fashion
Season trends: clothes and accessories. Editorial Photography.
This issue: 4 topics.

Style
Most wanted, Style buzz, Best dressed, Hot trends, Fashion insider, Prince Alber (fashion designer), That’s what I want, Little black book, Night fever, A life in style.
This issue: 10 topics

Shop
Best of Black: shop trends with tips of how to combine clothes and accessories. Divided by style: cocktail, biker, equestrian, fierce and country weekend.
Catwalk to closet: tips of how to turn high-fashion trends into real life.
This issue: about the little Black dresses
Shop from the shoot: presents clothes related to the “fashion story” of the fashion section.

Jewellery
Basically jewellery trends of the season.

Talking points
General news and art (books, music, films, TV, painting, lifestyle, trends, new fiction).

At Work
General advices and trends for working women.
This issue: 2 topics

Beauty
Make-up trends, latest news and buys, general articles.

Escape
Destinations, news, beaches, weekend destinations.

Flash!
Famous people photographed in social occasions.

Regulars
Editor’s letter, Contributors, Whishlist, Agenda, Horoscope, Telephones, designer tips.

Harper's Bazaar short analysis

The cover

The logo is located on the top of the page, touching the vertical margins. The cover is designed in three columns, but the column of the center is left clean. The bar code is located on the bottom of the right column with right alignment. Four levels of information can be recognized on the features and are distinguished by type (2 different types), size (3 different sizes of the same type) and font style (regular and italic). Infos like the month and year of the issue, prices (UK, USA, CAN, FR, AUS, NZ, IT), flag and website are located on the right column, bellow the magazine logo and with right alignment.


Interior

The magazine is designed mainly in two, three and five columns. The sections are distinguished by number of columns, color pattern and subtitle of the section.
A main page is used to open each section. A drop cap is frequently used, but its number of lines follows no pattern.
Ads are found all over the magazine, even in the middle of the articles and the summary.

Some nice covers

Assignment of the Week

1. Topic for the mag: Fashion

2. Target audience:
Age group: 22-40
Income level: middle to high
Educational level: 2yr college/4yr college/postgraduate
Geographic locale: urban
Gender: mostly female

3. Table of contents:
Fashion
Beauty
Art
Healthy
Music