Evolution of Visual Narratives in Fashion Magazines: The Role and Impact of Iconic Signifiers

Authors : Tuğba Seferoğlu, Şerife Yıldız

Pages : 47-71

Doi:10.17484/yedi.1465278

View : 79 | Download : 121

Publication Date : 2025-01-27

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Design is a phenomenon that has a communicative or functional purpose in the process of transforming images into form by acquiring meaning in the human mind. Fashion magazines are one of the areas in which the visual significance of design is most clearly recognisable. The aim of this study is to identify the visual signs on the covers of fashion magazines and to analyse how these signs convey the meanings they are intended to convey. Also in this direction, the aim is to determine how the signs on the front covers of the French magazines, which is the subject of the study, differ from each other through the signs. The sample group of the study includes a total of 985 front covers covering the fashion magazines Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan from 2000 to 2020. In the research in which the quantitative research method was used, the visual semiotic analysis of the Groupe μ was chosen as the data collection method. Iconic values were used in this analysis to classify the visual elements on magazine covers. A relational survey design was used to analyse the data collected as part of the quantitative research method. A table of iconic signs was created, which form the structure of the visual semiotic analysis of the Groupe μ. In this way, an attempt was made to find out which visual signs were used to transfer the meaning conveyed by the visual messages on the magazine covers to the cover designs. To arrive at the research results, the SPSS package program was used. The research results show that there are significant differences in the visual expression strategies of the various fashion magazines and how each magazine reflects its own unique visual language and brand identity. We believe that this study contributes greatly to our understanding of diversity in the visual design of fashion magazines and its impact on the fashion industry.
Keywords : Göstergebilim, moda tasarımı, görsel sanatlar, görsel tasarım, moda dergileri