Marie Claire Digital Rebrand Proposal
Marie Claire Brand Assessment
Strengths
Marie Claire excels in creating a clean, well-structured layout. The use of white space allows the content to breathe, making the reading experience pleasant and uncluttered (a). Cover designs are consistently balanced and elegant. The use of bold, minimalistic typography for headlines, combined with carefully chosen color accents, makes the covers stand out on newsstands. The covers successfully blend fashion with a message of empowerment through poses and story angles, which speaks directly to their target audience (b). Marie Claire uses a sophisticated imagery and typography style that reflects modern aesthetics (c). Photoshoots are often dynamic and high-quality. Imagery in reported or first-person stories often features portraits of the subjects, adding authenticity (d). Headlines are often bold and attention-grabbing, while body text remains legible. Marie Claire’s use of color is refined and balanced, with a predominantly neutral palette that communicates elegance and professionalism. The occasional pop of color adds vibrancy without overwhelming the overall aesthetic (e, f, g). This understated use of color also helps highlight key visual elements like fashion items or important story details.
Areas for Improvement
While Marie Claire’s current layout is clean and functional, it could benefit from experimenting with innovative design techniques, like incorporating asymmetry or layers, to add a edge and a contemporary feel. Mixing in more design elements, such as abstract pieces, shapes, and backgrounds, could result in a more engaging reader experience. A more diverse typographic range could help differentiate feature stories, columns, and editorials, while selectively using expressive fonts could add a specialized touch to features and align with each story’s narrative tone. Online, introducing more video and animated moments into editorial content would enhance visual storytelling and aesthetics and seamlessly transition content to the digital space. It would also increase reader time and attention. Usage of consistent templates and treatments across columns and verticals would help create cohesion across the website and enhance the sense of branding while flowing readers from one story to the next. Curation of photography on the website could be aesthetically standardized, while cropping and grouping could be more carefully considered. Incorporation of a variety of imagery and sources, such as designed pieces, collage, archival photos, would add depth to visuals and excitement in aesthetics. Overall, the visuals could be elevated and pushed to the next level of impact by introducing fresh, more dynamic elements, variety, and methods. See section two for specific ways to implement these ideas.
Design Mission Statement for Future
Marie Claire’s design language is crafted to resonate with the values at the heart of the brand—sophistication, empowerment, and modernity. Marie Claire embraces a refined color scheme that blends classic tones with modern vibrancy. A minimalist spread of black, white, and beige serve as the foundational color palette, complemented by few bold hues to add a contemporary, empowering edge. The typography of Marie Claire strikes a balance between sophistication and modernity. An elegant serif font (Freight) will evoke classic luxury, while a clean, sans-serif font (Neue Haas Grotesk) will add a fresh, modern feel. The original photography style of Marie Claire is aspirational, perfectly undone, and powerful, exuding empowerment and authenticity with a narrative quality. Photography uses artistic angles and crops while maintaining an editorial, fashion-forward, and high end. Marie Claire aims to portray confidence and individuality, whether in fashion, beauty, or celebrity interviews. The overall aesthetic of Marie Claire is minimalist yet impactful, with a well-curated blend of modern fashion, beauty, and culture with vintage references. It leans into a sophisticated use of negative space, allowing editorial content and imagery to breathe: an effortless content consumption experience.
Typography, colors, design templates
Photography Moodboard - Editorial
Photography Moodboard - Celebrity/Fashion News + Illustrative/Conceptual
