Genre Research: Cosmopolitan

Cosmo was originally launched in 1886 as a family journal, but clearly, that has changed because it is now a sex-tip and fashion magazine. It is fun to read with friends because of how raunchy and ridiculous it can be.

Cosmopolitan has about 18.2 million readers every month, in about a 6:1 female to male reader ratio. The primary readers of cosmopolitan are women ages 18-34, many of whom are employed and/or have children. For the past 25 years, it has been the best selling magazine in college book stores.  Cosmo is able to achieve such a large following through its 50+ international copies.


This cover page shows star, Normani, posing in front of a white background wearing a pink dress. The color palette for the wording is shades of blue and green, which remains consistent on the cover page. I like the way the wording mostly outlines her shape but at one point the text does overlap the image.

 These two images are both interactive personality quizzes. Cosmo is not well known for its articles, but it is well known for its fun quizzes, which I happen to enjoy, so I could add some quizzes to my magazine.

 

This last image: I just found really funny. The image composition is fun and entertaining. Looking at it made me realize that it is important to have dynamic images to keep the reader interested.

Something that I really like about the magazine: it keeps a consistent color palette of pink. Every image has similar shades of pink, making it look very cohesive.