Closer is a British tabloid magazine founded in 2005 that focuses on real life stories, celebrity gossip, and news. The website homepage is simplistic and easy to navigate, with the magazine title prominently displayed and drop down menus of topics. Closer has editions in French and American markets as well, showing its international success. The homepage uses colorful images to draw attention, with medium shots allowing full visibility. The "real life" page likewise prioritizes images and text on significant stories to emotionally engage readers, and subheadings let readers filter stories by type.

1. Website Research and Analysis
by Sara Kurowska

3. Closer is a British tabloid magazine, founded in 2005 and published by Bauer Consumer Media.
Closer specialises in real life stories, celebrity drama and gossip, news and more.
The homepage, as seen above, is very simplistic which connotes that the website is easy to
navigate around. Closers title is positioned at the top, left hand corner of the web page in a serif
which is easily recognisable. To the right of the title are drop downs of all the topics Closer
covers within their magazine. As of now, Closer have 3 editions of their magazine and website,
those also being French and American which shows their success and popularity in those
countries and how wide their audience is. Along the banner is also a ‘subscribe’ drop down which
may imply Closer are aiming to keep up the popularity of their magazine and consumers by
allowing them to subscribe to receive a copy of the magazine weekly whether this be print,
digital or both at a cost of £8.30 a month, instead of having to go out of their way and purchase
the magazine physically themselves. This may also be due to the fact that print editions are less
popular due to being more easily and quickly accessible online thanks to continuous, new
technology.
All the main images bring colour to the minimalistic homepage and draw most of the attention.
They are all usually, as seen, taken in a medium shot so surroundings and the images itself are
clearly visible.

4. The linked ‘real life’ page on the website
is again, also dominated by the colourful
images and text. Examples of some of
the real life stories covered by Closer are
the 9/11 attack, the death and murder of
Sarah Everard, violence in Afghanistan
and more. These are all significant in
ensuring their audience are emotionally
engaged by the stories and content they
publish and cover. Underneath ‘real life’
are 3 like sub headings which readers can
click on depending on the type of real life
stories they want to read about, also
helping them minimize, filter and specify
what they want to see specifically –
readers get the options of reading about
opinionated real life stories a swell as
being able to give their own opinions,
news stories and mental health related
stories. This ensures Closers consumers
have a variety of stories to access.

6. Take a Break is a British women's magazine, founded in 1990 and published by H Bauer UK, with new
issues released every Thursday. The magazine specialises in reader submitted "true life" stories, as well
as women's health and lifestyle, puzzles and competitions, following a similar format to sister
title That's Life, and rival publications such as Chat and Pick Me Up.
The homepage is of a similar style to Closer magazine, where it is very simplistic and consists of a small
colour palette made up of white and red which can connote coldness and isolation (possibly from the
emotional stories) as well as courage, anger and love by the use of red. The main images on the
homepage are of the magazine itself with a small introduction about Take a Break and to the right are
adverts to draw attention to what is being promoted. For example, EXCLUSIVE! Save an extra £15pp
on your next Warner Leisure Hotels stay with Take a Break Holidays’ implies how this offer is only
available and exclusive as it says to the magazine, therefore you won’t get this discount anywhere
else. ‘Britains Best Friends’ also invites readers to promote their friends, which is a way of Take a Break
interacting with and engaging their consumers, as well as including them in the magazine via
shoutouts.
Take a Breaks house style is continued throughout the website using white and red. The contrast
between the colours is strong and results in the images and header standing out, as well as giving them
both authority through the boldness.

7. One of Take a Breaks linked
pages is on their latest issues –
this allows readers to get a
sneak peek of the stories which
have featured in that weeks
magazine, as well as letting
readers catch up if they have
missed the chance to buy the
latest copy.

9. People is a weekly, American magazine which specialises in human interest stories and
celebrity news.
The homepage of the website holds the most up to date real life stories, as seen by the
current and latest Gabby Petito missing persons case.
There is an option to subscribe to the magazine on the top right hand side corner of the
homepage
The house style consists of white, black and blue which is also the colour of the
magazines People logo and so will be easily recognisable and one of the first things a
reader will notice when going on the site. Under the masthead are tabs such as ‘news’
and ‘entertainment’ which consumers can choose from to specify the genre of stories
they are wanrting to read – along with each tab is a drop down which further helps and
allows readers to narrow down their specifications and options where with stories like
news they can pick from news on politics, crime and so on.