19/11/14 - DECON/RECON PROJ. (Magazine Research)

Dazed & Confused May 2009 Cover

As I've chosen Dazed and Confused to be the publication I'm working for, I have set about looking into what market the magazine appeals to and what their ethos is. As their most recent Nicki Minaj issue is nowhere to be found, I've looked back into past issues that I have to gain this insight and try to better understand the magazine.

Dazed readers range from the ages of 18-30years and all have an interest in high fashion as well as music, arts, culture and photography. As so much of Dazed's content revolves around current affairs, I think my editorial and article would be perfect for the magazine. My film that I am creating is also something I believe would be seen on Dazeddigital, the magazine's website as they tend to highlight and arouse interest for new and upcoming artists.

Vocabulary used in articles and interviews for Dazed are usually serious when they need to be, but expletives and slang are still thrown in when appropriate. As the audience is relatively young and can be described as 'hipster', it makes sense for the magazine to use terms that they'd expect their audience to understand. Interviews are never censored- if a star swears, the magazine publishes it. It gives free reign to the contributors to say and do as they please.

I would describe Dazed and Confused as a magazine for what people consider 'arty' and maybe even somewhat 'pretentious'. I can see the girls walking around Brick Lane clutching their Holga cameras and snubbing the Ugg boot clad girls walking out of the nearby Mac store reading Dazed. I can also see the laid-back, smokes-weed-in-his-bathroom-with-his-friends-but-prefers-nights-in-with-a-round-of-beers-and-a-guitar-type guy flicking through his girlfriend's copy of Dazed and thoroughly enjoying it. What I can't see however is any old average Joe picking up a copy of Dazed and actually reading it.