Finished article

Page 1 (to the left of the article there would be an advert)

Page 2 and 3 (double page spread)

I have created my article in a style that would hopefully attract teenage girls. There is more imagery than text which is appealing to the audience as the article is not overpowering to read. The article explains the history of Dr. Martens, commenting on subcultures and the influence the boot has had on mainstream fashion design. The language I have used is quite formal and informative. This is my preferred style, resulting in the article flowing naturally. The pink headings and labels break up the composition, inviting the reader and creating visual impact. The images relate to the text providing visual direction for Dr. Martens as a brand. Overall, I feel the article is consistent with the composition and writing style of Teen Vogue as it is both visually appealing and informative.

Article draft 2

Page one (Page on the left would be an advert)

PAge 2 and 3 (double page spread)

I have changed the composition and imagery of my article but I feel I still need to make it more 'girly'. I could do this by avoiding black and white images, add colour to my headlines and individual DR. Marten shoes to create a 'fun and pop' influence that I saw in BOP magazine.

Article draft 1

First attempt at my article

The imagery in correlation to text is not working. I need to break up my text and use less 'punky' images as I feel it is not attracting my intended teenage girl audience. I will also change the composition of my article as it is intended to be a A5 double page spread and in order to relate this there needs to be a division down the centre.

Target Audience

BOP

BOP is a monthly American magazine aimed at children 10 - 16 years old. It features articles on music, fashion and celebrity lifestyle. The layout of the magazine features alot of imagery, surrounded by bright coloured boxes to break up the text. The headlines are short and to the point in an attempt to gain reader interest, for example 'Makeover Mania!' intrigues the reader to find out why a make over would be exciting. The coloured boxes are bright and cheerful, relating to the subject of the double page spread. Different fonts help to create a feeling of the magazine being fun and entertaining.

Teen Vogue

Teen Vogue is a version of Vogue magazine aimed at teenage girls. Similar to BOP the magazine focuses on fashion and celebrity lifestyle but also offers more serious topics such as teen pregnancy. The layout of Teen Vogue is different from BOP, suggesting that the targeted audience is older.

There is less colour and emphasis on the 'fun' aspect of fashion, suggesting a more serious audience. Less descriptive words are used and in place the language is more formal. Similar to BOP boxes are used to separate the text, consistent with Vogue's layout, this is needed to create a cohesive brand identity between magazine versions.

I feel that my writing style is quite formal and more suited to the Teen Vogue audience, however I will incorporate the bright coloured boxed I have seen in BOP magazine as I feel it relates well to the Dr. Marten brand image.

Teen Magazine research

With the information I received from the interview with Ryon and Hollie, I have decided that I am going to aim my article at young girls as they seem to be the target audience for Dr. Martens. The aim of my article is to inform teenage girls about the history of DR. Martens, making sure I do so in a way that will interest them and not bore them. This will be done through exciting imagery, bright colour scheme and informative language.

Teen Girls Magazine 

Teen Vogue

Teen Now

Bliss

Sugar

Seventeen

Cosmo Girl

Interview

As there is a Dr. Martens store in Leeds city centre I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to collect some primary research. I went to the store and interviewed two of its part time workers, Ryon and Hollie.

What is the most frequent type of customer that comes into the store?

The majority of our customers are young teenage girls. They see Dr. Martens being worn in music videos by celebrities like Niki Minaj and that creates their interest into the brand. 

Who is the target audience of Dr. Martens? 

Again, it is young girls, but we also get quite alot of indie and hipster kids coming in too. It can be quite funny because we play alot of 80's music in-store and you can just tell that they don't know what they are listening too.

What is the most popular style of Dr. Marten sold?

The girly, bright coloured ones. The boot used to be targeted at men so girls would customise their own boots. Now the designs are aimed at young girls so they have floral patterns and pastel colours. The brand has broadened its horizons probably to create more profit. All brands have to develop in order to stay current in the market. 

Do you think customers buy Dr. Martens with subcultural images like Punk in their mind?

No, they just see it as a fashionable brand and not for the original style. We still get some hardcore Punks coming in, but that is a rare occasion. 

Do you think the brand has lost its authenticity?

Yes. Original boots are still being made, but they are really expensive so customers tend to go for the cheaper ones, around 90% of our stock is made abroad, but the originals are made here in the UK with the authentic and specialised techniques, making it more expensive. The accessibility of the cheaper boots means that more are sold and the image of Dr. Martens is becoming less 'heritage' orientated and abit more 'pop,' that isn't helped with the whole celebrity culture wearing the boots too.

Dr Martens Research

Dr. Martens are a British footwear brand. The boots started with the 'Griggs' family in Northampton, Midlands. They owned a successful boot making company since 1901 and were successful, established and well respected. Grigg's saw an advertisement in the 1950's for oversea's partners for a revolutionary new air-cushioned sole. This sole was invented by Klaus Martens, a doctor in the German army during World War II. In 1945 Martens injured his ankle in a skiing accident, leading to him inventing the air cushioned sole found in Dr. Martens boots as his standard army boots were too uncomfortable on his injured foot. This partnership lead to the first pair of DM's to be sold in 1960. They were an eight-eyelet Ox Blood Smooth leather design which is still being sold until today.

The boot was both durable and comfortable and many working men adopted the boot as their chosen footwear. In the late 1960’s, Skinheads started to wear Dr. Martens to imitate the style of working class males communicating a proud sense of identity and rebellion against the mid-60’s hippie movement.

Pete Townshend, of  English rock band The Who, wore a pair of 8-eye boots on stage. In doing this he made sure that Dr. Marten’s would become a cemented signifier of subcultural style by connecting the rebellious nature of the Skinheads with the self expression of rock music.

The Punk’s embraced the boot in the 1980’s and used it as a mark of rebellion against the lack of opportunity society was providing. With these subcultural connections, the boot developed to represent unconformity, independence and liberation.

Subcultures continued to choose Dr. Martens boots as time went on; skinheads, punks, hardcore, psychobilly, goth, grunge and emo are just a few. Each group adjusted the boot in some way to make it their own. Customisation allowed individuality and creativity, making sure each pair were different.

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring Summer 2013

The popularity of Dr. Martens was noticed by fashion designers such as Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier, leading to many versions being sold on the high street in stores such as Topshop and River Island.

Rihanna wearing DM's

The popularity of Dr. Marten's continues on until today, however the brand has taken a new direction. With the help of celebrity 'it' girls such as Rihanna and Niki Minaj, Dr. Marten's are becoming the chosen footwear for young teenage girls, a very different target audience from the original working class male.

The brand has developed a new image with a huge variety of colours, styles and prints being sold. Collaborations with the brand has also lead to the extreme popularity of the boot. Model Agnes Dean has designed her own range for the brand. These developments somewhat lead the brand away from the authentic image it upholds, but in order to stay a current and profitable brand alterations are needed and attracting a new audience is inevitable.