Part -1

Personal Identity- Wonderland Magazine 

Analysis

The Notting Hill based magazine, launched in 2005, is a pop-culture magazine. The magazine caters to affluent readers, both men and women,  between the ages of 16- 30 who keep up with current trends. The magazine that initially catered to readers in the US and UK now engages with readers of all ethnicities and backgrounds. Wonderland has released a Chinese edition in order to expand its readership. It seeks to reach an audience internationally.    

They feature the best, new and established talent in all industries be it fashion, music, film or art. Wonderland aims to show the fun and spirited side of  the fashion industry through their magazine. By introducing to the readers information about relevant pop-culture news, they aim to be a source of inspiration. Wonderland aims to be the to-go magazine for young readers desiring to stay on trend with ever-changing pop-culture.They not only feature relevant talents but also work with new and in-demand creatives in the industry thus, keeping their imagery current with trends.They aim to engage the readers in high-brow articles and imagery with a theme of escapism. Their articles include topics ranging from women- empowerment to mental health and beauty by interviewing established and young celebrities in the industry. 

Social Identity- Wonderland Magazine

What does the cultural environment around the magazine?

Based in London, published in English, wonderland has a race and Geographic diversity cultural environment.

The aesthetics of the magazine is young, bold, but elegant at the same time. They use high-end designer brands mixed with sportswear as material, showing the attitude of being bold and sexy, and the values of individualism.

What social topics is the magazine linked to?

On a social level they talked about history, heroes, Sustainable and LGBTQ+ align. In the level of individuals they have talked about the pressure of being a famous child, gender stereotype and self-success.

They included social events like brit ward, pride month, met gala and world cup.

What is the message of the magazine?

Wonderland has built a lot of teen models in different areas. They always choose those who are self-successful, bold and sexy and confident icons. Who are not afraid of being themselves and overcame some tough challenges.

So that they can attract and encourage the youth, let them find their role model (ideal I) and inclusive party they want to fit in, and do something to make the dream come true.

What social impact does the magazine want to have?

By talking with different young artists from different countries, Wonderland wants to include all the people, and educate the reader by their elegant curate, and build teen models to have positive influence in the society.

PLACE IDENTITY: what is the point of differentiation of the magazine compared to its competitors? What makes the magazine unique in its panorama? What are the inspirations of the magazine?

Analysis:

Wonderland is a British bi-monthly magazine based in Notting Hill, London, dedicated to lifestyle, fashion and popular culture.It was launched in September 2005 by editor Huw Gwyther under Visual Talent Ltd., after proposing the business idea as a pitch on the first series of the British television programme Dragons' Den in late 2004, subsequently receiving a £175,000 investment from British entrepreneur Peter Jones.

What is the point of differentiation of the magazine compared to its competitors

On the front cover of a Wonderland magazine the masthead is always bold and dominates the front cover.Wonderland has a clear border surrounding its title. Wonderland uses the same colour masthead on all their issues. Each monthly issue follows the same type of design to continue their brand throughout the market. Wonderland tries to keep the colour palette of the magazine very light and bright creating a very crisp finish to the magazine. The pure simplicity of wonderland magazine is what catches the eye of the consumers. Everything on their cover looks neat and tidy. This is the complete opposite to some magazines especially from the genre of rock/ music- they usually have very busy covers with text and images displayed everywhere. Wonderland is known for its effective alternative design. The magazine offers an inspirational and informative look into all visual cultures through a minimal. but effective layout.

For the content part Wonderland has a variety of text and images used throughout the magazine keeps each article interesting and unique to the story. It also has a mixture of full page images and smaller collages work effectively at keeping the consumer's mind to read more of the magazine. A strong influence of music culture is extremely noticeable throughout the photography used within this magazine which will draw in a wider audience compared to other competitors.

For advertisements because their target audience is the same like the other competitive magazines like i-D and dazed, even they feature designer brands such as Coach, Christopher Kane and Chanel. However I  particularly like how Wonderland tackles potential controversial issues within the fashion industry and general world today. This would encourage me to read the magazine as, as a reader, I would be able to learn about all forms of culture in just one magazine. I feel as though, through communicating with a younger audience, Wonderland is able to effectively advertise potential cultural issues associated in the fashion world and inform their readers of positive stories that can be used as inspiration.

What makes the magazine unique in its panorama?

Wonderland magazine, it’s got so much colour and attitude it’s almost top shelf material. The interviews are fun, the photography features are pure magic and the pages are so glossy it’s almost the same sensation as trying to keep hold of a buttery fish. Recognising that the interviews, features and fashion spreads were consistently so hilariously fun, wild and injected with pop culture, the content speaks for itself. 

What are the inspirations of the magazine?

The magazine draws inspiration from popular culture: fashion, film, music and art. They offer a unique perspective on the best and new established talents. The magazine aims to entertain, challenge and inform both men and women with editorial and fashion shots by the most in-demand photographers working today. Their goal is to  represent the positive and the playful elements of the fashion industry. The magazine aims to inspire, rather than dictate to their readers

Part - 2

Concept and Covers for Wonderland 

Concept :Projection:

Projective identification- means of communicating, a primitive form of relationship, or a route to psychological change. This is used for ridding the self of unwanted parts or for controlling the other's body and mind. He/she strives to find in the other, or to induce the other to become, the very embodiment of projection. Feelings which can not be consciously accessed are defensively projected into another person in order to evoke the thoughts or feelings projected. This theme and concept is great for Wonderland because we want to project our themes and concepts to the reader, to influence them, to make them feel, to make them aware. 

Theme for this issue is
Projecting a digital party 

PART - 3

BRAND PITCH :

Collaboration with brands that are current and relatable to the theme and audience. Brands that are  currently appreciated by Gen-Z and millennials are key to expanding the target readers and creating a new theme for the magazine. Brands like msftsrep, Mashael Al Rajhi , and onitsuka that are brands appreciated by youths

MSFTSrep - ( 10 y/o brand ) https://msftsrep.com/

MSFTsrep is a brand that is Co-created by siblings- Jaden and Willow Smith. The brand recently became a part of the world’s premiere menswear arena: Florence’s Pitti Uomo. They want to create a community for rebellion. Rebellion for just world- human rights, equality, sustainability, valuable education. They want to be a ‘movement’ for youths. 

The core values and interests of this brand / community reflects that of the wonderland reader. This brands suits the restructured Wonderland since it is a brand that is new, loud and is founded by celebrities that millennials follow.

 

Mashael Al Rajhi - Saudi Designer. https://www.instagram.com/mashael.official/?hl=en 

She’s a Saudi based designer, appreciated by the Arab fashion industry.She is known for her collection for  revealing for the first time the Nike pro Hijab. 

Her design appeal is very young , fresh and adventurous. rebel with a cause, Mashael is at the crux of deviating from the trends of her contemporaries while creating a fashion emporium that represents its cultural origin.

Wonderland will greatly benefit from this collaboration as it expands readers knowledge on designers, and introduces them to designers from emerging fashion industries. 

It also allows a connection to a whole new niche target audience. 

The brand pitch is Swaroski. Swarovski, is a brand everyone knows about, but it has never been featured in magazines- except for their collaboration with Conde nast. I think Swaroski is a good pitch for Wonderland, because not only would it give the magazine a good Return of investment, but also create a sense of a dreamy issue. Also Swarovski has decided 2021 is the year they renew their sustainability mission. The company revealed its: 'six key commitment focuses: greenhouse gas emissions, conscious materials, empowerment and education, waste and circular economy, equality, diversity and inclusion, and of course respect for our people.Teens/ gen-z want to engage or be a part of conversations on social media. want to buy from brands that support a cause they care about. So our brand is swaroski, we find out about their social cause they support, and incorporate this in the post and stories. This will be great for both Wonderland and Swaroski. 

WINDOWSEN:

WINDOWSEN was founded in 2019, a sports Tech Couture brand combining traditional womenswear couture and sportswear. Sensen Lii as the designer is willing to make some new attempts through the reaction of combinations(men’s and women’s) to show that there is no connection at all between garment and gender.

It’s a new emerging brand which fits WONDERLAND’s target. The revolutionary outlook can discover and express more about the teenage self. It suits the digital lifestyle trend and is easy to style with both high-end brands and sportswear that wonderland already have. To the interview target of wonderland, who are those young celebrities, the new Alice-on-wonderland piece can stimulate their challenge spirit, find a new self, and show how unique they are. Therefore, the brand is a perfect choice for wonderland to collaborate.