Hello, in this blog post I researches the conventions of the technical elements that are used in health and fitness magazines, including the sub-genre of meditation and relaxation. The goal of my research this segment was to analyze how each choice of technical elements such as mise-en-scene, light, and composition are used to successfully communicate a mindful and calm magazine
To complete this I opted to use a different set of exemplars, as opposed to ' Mindful Magazines' and 'Women's health' which have been primarily the only few magazines that I have used to fuel my research. To avoid bias and promote diversity into my final project, the exemplars that I researched included 'Calm magazines', Tricycle: The Buddhist Review and meditation-focused digital spreads from Headspace and Balance.
I chose these examples because they strongly align with media centered around mediation and clearly demonstrate how the technical elements in the media are used to convey stillness, focus and emotional clarity.
Calm Magazine-
Tricycle: The Buddhist Review-
Meditation-focused digital spreads from Headspace and Balance.
A major technical element within this sub-genre that I noticed was the use of low-contrast, soft lighting. For example, in calm magazines spreads, lighting seems to all look natural or simulated to have a gentle glow rather than sharp highlights in photos. This intentional lighting seems to reduce visual tension to overall keep a mindful tone to the whole magazine, by keeping all the images looking calm, quiet, and still.
Mise-en-scene also seems to be very controlled in these examples, as it seems to be minimal across all of them. In Tricycle: The Buddhist Review the subject of their cover photos seem to always be positioned in uncluttered indoor spaces or outdoor peaceful environments with symbolic elements such as stones, plants, incense, or natural fabrics. Likely because of the religious connotations of the magazine, costumes are all simple and modest, and also usually in muted colors like beige, white, sage green, or soft blue. These choices minimize any possible distractions while visually represent mindfulness and balance.
In terms of composition, the media of mindfulness and mediation magazines usually favor centering a subject in their cover photos. Many of these photos place the subject directly in the middle of the page, which for me created a sense of stability. Negative space, or rather the amount of it in mindfulness magazines also caught my attention. Photos that feature on single subject I noticed usually use wide shots to show a lot of negative space around the subject, such as a horizon or a calm beach.
Analyzing these examples helped me understand how technical elements help influence the audience's interpretation of Magazines. The use of soft lighting minimal mise-en-scene, and carefully balanced composition creates a calm visual image that audiences can immediately associate with meditation and wellness.
When creating my own magazines, I plan to use all of these conventions by using centered compositions, neutral environments, soft lighting, and symbolic props.
Sources / References
Calm Magazine. https://www.calm.com
Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. https://tricycle.org
Headspace. https://www.headspace.com
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