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1. Theory Essay
Introduction
Magazines over the years have changed a monumental amount and there is many factors to
look at for the changes over the years. Some magazines followed themes throughout their
whole existence. However, some magazines changed dramatically through the years to
follow certain trends that were up to date so they can appeal to their target audience.
Usually, younger audiences prefer up to date magazines and design to read as they enjoy
the fresh and new designs that are relatable. However, older audiences prefer magazines
that keep the same theme that started from when they were young as it brings an element
of nostalgia to their reading. This essay is going to explore the vast differences that appear
between an issue of the famous ‘Motorsport Magazine’ in the 1950’s and an issue that
came out in 2020, then I am going to try and find the reasoning for the similarities and
differences referring to the trends of that time but also the sport itself and see if that has
any influences on the magazines. One of the theories I have is that the magazine follows the
trends of the sport itself. For example, over the years the cars in Formula One have
developed and become smoother and more vibrant in contrast to the older 1950’s cars. This
statement can be backed up as in the book Art Of the Formula One Race Car, they look at
the 2010 McLaren MP423 where they described it as ‘Technically and aerodynamically, this
is unbelievable sophisticated’, this can be a direct influence for the magazine of the time
where it was becoming a lot more modern and ‘Sophisticated’. This is one of the many
theories about this subject and can be backed up by books and websites I have looked into. I
also think these magazines can be influenced by, Car liveries become more vibrant and
colourful overtime, the art trends of those decades, Formula One car aerodynamics
becoming more advanced. These are just a couple ideas I have about the development of
magazine design over the years and can be the reason why the Motorsport Magazine has
changed so dramatically.
Aerodynamic Changes In Motorsport
In motorsport the goal is to create the fastest and most technological car within the rules
but in place by the FIA. This is why we see so many cars look the same in Formula One with
little change, some cars like the Ferrari go for a long and thin chassis in contrast to the Red
Bull Formula One team who go for a short and wide car. Over the years we have seen many
changes to the look of Formula One cars due to rule changes and teams adapting their cars
around the rules. This could be a reason for the dramatic changes with the Motorsport
magazines aesthetic.
The magazines from the 50’s was bare and very simple. The front cover featured a 50’s
formula one car, for each issue the colour of the car would change. The simplistic nature of
the magazine could be influenced by the formula one cars at the time. The cars were

2. incredibly simple, they featured no aerodynamics such as front wings, back wings or
sidepods, they were basically bathtubs on wheels. The Autosport website wrote an article
about the evolution of formula one cars and stated ‘built for the purpose of earthbound
flight, made up of chassis, cockpit, panelling, engine, tank and wheels – and nothing else!’
about the cars of the 50’s.
The most recent Motorsport magazine is full with colour and text with exciting pictures and
a full range of text but with the original green title head and with the same traditional font
for the Motorsport magazine title. This magazine style can be directly influenced by the
Formula One cars of today as they car full of bright colours and exciting shapes due to the
aerodynamic advancements of the modern day.
This shows that the Motorsport magazine has followed the same trends of the Formula One
cars of the decade that followed the magazine. Going from simple cars with a simple
magazine to the peak of technology in cars and vibrant and exciting magazines. We can see
that the development of the cars in Formula One has had a direct impact on the art and
aesthetic of the Motorsport magazine.
Art Trends
Throughout the decades there has been an abundance of trends, the main media that has
been a part of society throughout time is art. From the earliest people to walk on the planet
drawings have been a part of humanity and it has it influence on every other piece of media
from music to magazines. We can see that art trends of the 80’s would have an influence on
the magazines of those times and the art trends of the 2010’s has an influence on the most
recent magazines.
The magazines from the 80’s you could see the start of them using geometric shapes such as
squares, triangles and circles. The magazines were still very simple with a big main picture in
the middle with rectangles going down the background of the front cover with no text over
it. It also included the same British racing green it did in the 50’s. The magazine followed the
art trends of the decade showing geometric shapes on the front cover and throughout the
magazine. The website ‘How Graphic Design Has Changed Over The Last 20 Years’ stated
that ‘This was an intriguing time for design and there was a very distinct style. Ranging from
geometric patterns, to complementary colour schemes and technologies offers a glimpse to
the future.’. This backs up the aesthetic of the 80’s magazine as we can see it has many
features that possess in the recent magazines, such as the use of a main picture as the main
eye catcher on the magazine, also the use of the British racing green which compliments the
theme of the magazine.
The modern magazines are full of exciting colours and very detailed pictures. However, the
main feature of these magazines is the range of text over the page. The text ranges from
sans-serif and serif fonts and also ranges in colours from greens, yellows and red. The
magazines from today reflect on the exciting and expressive art of the recent times which
use a wide range of colours and shapes throughout each piece. A great example of this

3. would be the ‘Tropics to the Max’ trend which has an incredible use of contrasting colours
to grab the eye of the viewer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have seen that the effect on real life trends/changes can affect a way a
certain media is structured. These changes in these areas can have drastic effects or
influences on the type of media you are focusing on. In this example I have seen that things
like art have had subtle influence on the Motorsport Magazine. Over time the magazine has
followed some trends that were relevant at that time. However, the change of the Formula
One cars over time has definitely seen its influence on the Motorsport Magazine. The earlier
Formula One cars of the 50’s were incredibly simple and this reflected on the Motorsport
Magazine of the time which was very simple itself with no real change between each issue
every month. This contrasts with the modern-day magazine and cars; the cars of the present
are super complex machines with a huge amount of technology within them, and this is the
same with the magazine. The magazines of the present have lots structure and have a lot of
planning and structure to them compared the to earlier magazines.
Overall, I have learnt that the major influence on the Motorsport magazine is the change of
the actual sport of Formula One, with the changes in aerodynamics changing and the more
they found out in the sport of Formula One the magazine started to evolve itself in its style
and aesthetic to match the sport. The video from Donut Media backed this statement up
with their video on the evolution of aerodynamics, in this video they look at how
aerodynamics have changed throughout motorsport and in car design in general. They are
quoted saying ‘By the time we got to the 30’s aero was becoming a big part of car design,
and we started to see the influence of art deco in car design’. This showed me that art
design/ graphic design and cars played a huge part in each other's design and appearance as
car designers looked at the art trends at the time to base their aesthetic off, as well as
graphic designers basing their magazines off how the vehicles looked.
The Motorsport magazine has had major influencers like Formula One aesthetics of
aerodynamics and art trends of the time. This magazine has gone through major changes
from the 1950’s, though to the 1970’s and to modern times. Overall this magazine is an icon
of the motorsport media industry and will carry on for many decades to come