Inter-period Journey of the Graphic Design and Its Reflection on the Thematic
Magazines
İlter Alkan
1.
Introduction
Visual communication design creates a specific message or information by handling it as a
problem and solving it in the most effective and appropriate manner for the target group
determined (Becer, 1999).
The requirements of the masses entailed the communication in human life. The purposes
including being effective on the masses, developing or changing behaviors and attitudes or
getting informed or informing about a specific subject determine the communication
channels. The collective life and production activities of the humans required the
communication. One can only maintain the existing social relations by means of
communication. In order to maintain and support the material relations of the society, the
tools of communication including language, discourse and content and the technological
devices for conveying the contents are used. The mass media, the communication type
carried out via radio, television, cinema, press and internet was spread as of the end of 19
th
century as the capitalism reached the monopolistic stage and it became an integral part of the
social production. The media has an important role in the reinforcement and expansion of the
capitalism. The concept of capitalism is obliged to continue the production economically in
order to survive; therefore the media is the sector that ensures its continuity and permanence
both economically and ideologically.
One of the channels to reach the masses via the media organs is the magazines. The
magazines have gained wide currency with the purpose of reaching different types of the
masses after 1920s. The Industrial Revolution in bearing the modernism and the French
Revolution completely changes the expectations and consuming habits of the society. As the
technology started to develop in mid-19
th
century, the magazines had important roles both in
human life and every part of the society. Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Bazaar, Vanity Fair
and Vogue are some of the magazines published on those days. Although the target groups of
the aforementioned magazines were different from each other, they all had a common aspect
during the days they were publishes, which was the positive effects of the modern art and
visual culture in the magazine design and they were unique. However, as far as today’s design
and content approaches are concerned, the fact that the ownership structure of the media
merged with the global capitalism led the increase in the importance of the magazines in the
media. The commodification, the homogenous type and the standardization seen in the
content of the mass medium are the results and fruits of the policies supported by the
capitalist economy.
2. Literature Review
In the environment of relations of production formed in accordance with the capitalism, not
only the products for the daily use of the people but also the products appealing the feelings
and consciousness of the people started to be produced. The operation of capitalism based on
the return and commerce affects all sections of human and social life; and it turns to account
anything regarding human by placing them in the commercial relations. According to