TO SEE LIFE; TO SEE THE WORLD;
[ LIFE MAGAZINE, 1936 ]
TO EYEWITNESS GREAT EVENTS; TO WATCH THE FACES OF THE POOR AND THE GESTURES OF THE PROUD; TO SEE STRANGE THINGS. +
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[ VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE ]
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[ VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE ]
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PG // [8]
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
TABLE OF CONTENTS //
Table of Contents ++
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[ CHAPTER 1 ]
[ CHAPTER 2 ]
Brand Highlights
Our New Vision
[ PG : 12-13 ]
[ PG : 26-27 ]
Brand Overview
Our Mission
[ PG : 14-15 ]
[ PG : 28-29 ]
Brand History
Our Vision
[ PG : 18-19 ]
[ PG : 30-33 ]
Timeline of LIFE
New Direction [ PG : 34-49 ]
New Audience [ CHAPTER 3 ]
Our Competitors [ PG : 52-53 ]
Current Competitors [ PG : 54-55 ]
Adjacent Competitors [ PG : 56-57 ]
Aspirational Competitors
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
CHAPTER 01 // BRAND HIGHLIGHTS
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++ [ CHAPTER 1 ]
Brand Highlights ++ [ PG : 12-13 ]
Brand Overview [ PG : 14-15 ]
Brand History [ PG : 18-19 ]
Timeline of LIFE
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
[ Brand Overview ] ++ Life was best known as a major American news magazine that ran for several decades. In contrast to many mainstream publications, Life became known as the photo magazine. It gave as much importance to images as it did to words. The magazine was designed to expand the perspective of the American public by exposing people to photos of places and things they had probably never seen before. Life, being a photo-centric magazine covering major news events, was written to appeal to all Americans. Life’s owner, Henry Luce, described the purpose of the publication in a company memo: To see life; to see the world; to eyewitness great events; to watch the faces of the poor and the gestures of the proud; to see strange things—machines, armies, multitudes, shadows in the jungle and on the moon; to see man’s work—his paintings, towers and discoveries; to see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms, things dangerous to come to; the women that men love and many children; to see and take pleasure in seeing; to see and be amazed; to see and be instructed.
CAPTION:
Photo on the right taken by David Burnet
CHAPTER 01 // BRAND HIGHLIGHTS
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
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CHAPTER 01 // BRAND HIGHLIGHTS
[ Brand History ]
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++ Life started out in 1883 as an American humor magazine with limited circulation that ran weekly. In 1936 Time Inc. brought out the magazine for the sole purpose of owning its name. At this point, Life was re-launched as a major weekly news magazine with a strong emphasis on photojournalism. Life was published weekly for two generations, selling 13.5 million copies per week at its peak. Life’s contributions to the craft of photojournalism during this time were historically significant. Perhaps Life’s most iconic picture was published in 1945, a photo of a nurse in a sailor's arms celebrating Victory over Japan in New York City. Life was so popular that Sir Winston Churchill, President Harry S. Truman, and General Douglas MacArthur all serialized their memoirs in the magazine. Life was a smash hit for nearly forty years before its prestige was diminished by economics and changing tastes. Sales began to dwindle near the end of the 1960’s. In 1972 Life scaled back and since then has changed its form of publication multiple times. Life was published as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and then as a monthly between 1978 and 2000. Time Inc. continued to publish Life for special and commemorative
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issues after 2000. Between 2004 and 2007 Life was published regularly as a weekly newspaper supplement. The website life. com became a photo channel on time.com.
CAPTION:
Photo on the right taken by David Burnet
PG // [15]
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
Established
1883 Ceased
2007 —The life of LIFE
CHAPTER 01 // BRAND HIGHLIGHTS
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
[ Timeline of LIFE ] ++
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[ 01 ]
[ 01 ]
1883
[ 02 ]
[ 04 ]
1918
+ 1936 Acquired and re-launched as a weekly, photo-centric magazine
[ 04 ]
[ 03 ]
Founder John Mitchell died
Founded as a small humor magazine
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[ 02 ] [ 03 ]
[ 05 ]
1920 Charles Gibson purchased the company
+ 1959 Life begins to lose readers
[ 06 ]
1967 Life won the National Magazine Award
CHAPTER 01 // BRAND HIGHLIGHTS
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[ 05 ]
[ 07 ]
[ 06 ]
1972
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[ 07 ]
[ 08 ]
1978
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+ 2004 Revived as a weekly magazine again
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[ 09 ]
[ 09 ]
New logo and published as a monthly magazine
Weekly magazine ended, now only occasional “special reports”
[ 10 ]
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[ 08 ]
[ 11 ]
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[ 10 ]
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[ 11 ] [ 12 ]
2000 Ceased publication of monthly
+ 2007 Ceased publishing weekly magazine
[ 12 ]
2008 Google began hosting an archive of Life’s photographs
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
CHAPTER 01 // BRAND HIGHLIGHTS
LIFE—
The end of an era. 1883–2007
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
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CHAPTER 01 // BRAND HIGHLIGHTS
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
++ [ CHAPTER 2 ]
Our New Vision ++ [ PG : 26-27 ]
Our Mission [ PG : 28-29 ]
Our Vision [ PG : 30-33 ]
New Direction [ PG : 34-49 ]
New Audience
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
[ Our Mission ] ++
To inspire and expand perspective through shared life experiences.
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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[ Our Vision ] ++ Life is remembered fondly as a magazine that shaped our perspective of the world. It featured eye-opening, hard-hitting photo-journalism on the horrors of humanity like war, poverty, and natural disaster, but also it inspired us with beautiful, heartfelt moments. Life’s photography was undeniably remarkable, but its popularity dwindled once television became the norm. It attempted to revive itself several times, always coming back in the form of print media, but each time has failed. Life will revive itself once more, but this time it will be relevant for the twenty-first century audience. The brand will continue doing what it’s best known for—sharing important, powerful life experiences—but instead of print media it will create a platform that continues to engage people in the digital age. CAPTION:
People having fun in the Color Run.
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
[ New Direction ] ++ This was our past look. These pictures show what we looked like in the past. The key visual of the past Life was to show people news that happened around world by using documentary photography.
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
++ This is our new look. These pictures show our new look in the future. In order to attract the next generation of Life customers, the brand will have the look and feel that inspires people of the digital age.
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CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
[ New Audience ] ++
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+ [ Mid-life Crisis Office Worker ]
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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Jeffrey Knowles 52 years old Project Manager Redwood City, CA
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He is unhappy with his job because there is too much pressure. He recently signed up for a dating application because he recently separated from his wife. He watches inspiring movies to get the motivation for improving his life. He reads mystery novels because they let him temporarily escape into an interesting world. He thinks about when he was young a lot because life was better then. He daydreams about quitting his job and moving to a developing country. He watches TED talks to be inspired by great ideas.
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
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+ [ The Professional ]
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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Melanie Brennt 42 years old Sales Director Seattle, WA
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She sometimes skips lunch because her day is packed with meetings. She watches TED talks to be inspired by great ideas. She listens to podcasts while running because she wants to exercise her mind and body. She only eats organic food because she believes it is healthier. She tells stories to potential clients to make them interested in her company. She wants to take more vacation but can’t because she works so much. She thinks a lot about joining groups on meetup.com but doesn’t because lack of time.
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
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+ [ The Backpacker ]
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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Noah Garcia 20 years old Student Portland, OR
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He travels to historical landmarks because he wants to understand human history. He avoids touristy restaurants because he prefers authentic food. He likes to camp in the wilderness because it brings him closer to nature. He likes to hear stories from other backpackers because they are interesting. He uses hostelworld.com to book hostels because he likes to stay in hostels. He often uses Instagram because he likes to take photos while he traveling. He has to stay overnight at the airports sometimes because the cheap tickets he bought were early flights.
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+ [ Post-Doctorate Research Scientist ]
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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Stephanie Zhang 31 years old Psychology researcher Houston, Texas
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She is homesick because she hasn’t back to China for 3 years. She likes to eat Chinese food because it helps her with her homesickness. She binge-watches documentaries because she is an information sponge. She gives to the homeless because she has empathy for all human beings. She studies psychology because she believes science can unlock mysteries of the human mind. She subscribes to multiple news feeds to stay on top of world news. She donates to environmental non-profits because she is concerned about climate change.
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+ [ The Serial Startup Founder ]
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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Andrew Park 37 years old Co-founder San Francisco, CA
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He tracks the news all the time because he wants to know what is happening. He has millions followers on Twitter because he is a well-known startup founder. He has ambitions on space because he thinks that it is the future. He drives a Tesla because it is better for the environment and it looks cool. He is full of enthusiasm because he loves to contribute to technology. He practices fencing because he believes it is important to practice physical skills. He gives public speeches because people want to her his advice.
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+ [ Video Game Addict ]
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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Pratik Gupta 22 years old International Student Boston, MA
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He likes to play player vs player video games because they make him feel powerful. He likes exploration games because they inspire a sense of awe and wonder. He has a long distance relationship because he met his girlfriend through online video games. Video games inspired him to study programming because he wants to create his own video game worlds. He goes to Universal Studios for fun experiences that can’t be attained with video games. He participates in a Reddit community because it gives him a social connection with gamers from around the world. He watches other gamers’ Twitch streams to learn how to play better..
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+ [ The Narcissist ]
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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Jennifer Morris 24 years old Unemployed New York, NY
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She posts selfies on Instagram almost daily because she likes the attention. She always does what is popular to get more likes. She does not work because she lives with her wealthy parents. She follows celebrities on social media because she wants to be like them. She goes to parties often because it is fun. She wants to experience another life because she gets bored of living at home. She wishes she could be a better person sometimes when she realizes she is self-centered.
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+ [ Shopaholic ]
CHAPTER 02 // OUR NEW VISION
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Baihan Wang 28 years old New Mom Los Angles, CA
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She always question about what is the meaning of her life because she doesn’t know what she wants. She came to United States alone because she wanted to delivery her baby in here. She only hang out with other Chinese because she doesn't know much about English. She likes to watch Korean TV shows because she has been influenced by Korean culture since she was in middle school. She likes to shop luxury brands because she feels confidence when she wearing them. She tried to be an Uber driver because she feels staying at home all the time is boring. She lives with other new moms because they are all want to delivery baby in the United States.
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
CHAPTER 03 // OUR COMPETITORS
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++ [ CHAPTER 3 ]
Our Competitors ++ [ PG : 52-53 ]
Current Competitors [ PG : 54-55 ]
Adjacent Competitors [ PG : 56-57 ]
Aspirational Competitors
PG // [52]
LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
[ Current Competitors ] ++ Life exists among hundreds of competitors in the print news industry. Brands that closely compete with Life may have stunning photography, report on interesting and important stories, or circulate weekly or even less frequently.
CHAPTER 03 // OUR COMPETITORS
PG // [53]
++ Time
Reader's Digest
Time is an iconic brand known for its eye-popping magazine
Reader’s Digest is an iconic magazine published 10 times per
covers. It competes with Life because it also has a reputation for
year. It is one of the most circulated magazines in the United
powerful imagery.
States so it is certainly competition for Life.
The New York Times
Newsweek
The New York Times has a reputation for the integrity of its inves-
Newsweek is a weekly magazine like Life. Like Life it also tries to
tigative journalism. Like Life, it presents important facts about the
draw customers with eye-popping photo spreads. Being pub-
world even if they are ugly or unwanted.
lished weekly also threatens Life.
National Geographic
The Washington Post
National Geographic competes with life because it offers
The Washington Post is not an echo chamber. It is committed
a worldly perspective in its publications. NatGeo frequently sports
to the truth so it seeks opposing views and aggressively investi-
imagery and stories from around the world.
gates stories. Life has similar values.
The New Yorker
Travel+Leisure
The New Yorker is famous for having unique and appealing
Travel and leisure is a travel magazine that focus on leisure style
artwork on its cover. This competes with Life’s unique style and
traveling. They have most influential content in the magazine..
focus on imagery.
Smithsonian
The Observer The Observer is published only once per week, similarly to Life during
Smithsonian, like Life, publishes many stories of interest that you
its prime. People accustomed to reading weekly publications may
may not find in a typical magazine. In particular, Smithsonian is
choose The Observer over Life..
known for its pieces on science, culture, nature, art, and history.
PG // [54]
LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
[ Adjacent Competitors ] ++ Adjacent competitors are not in the print media industry. They may exist in other media industries or bring the kind of content published in Life to people in some other way.
CHAPTER 03 // OUR COMPETITORS
PG // [55]
++ Travel City
The British Museum
Life readers are often exposed to worldviews and perspectives
The British Museum is a museum in London which houses a vast
far different than home. Customers may choose to book travel
collection of art and historical artifacts. People may be drawn to
to another country to experience the world first-hand instead of
this museum instead of Life because it offers in-person experi-
reading about it in Life.
ence of important artifacts from around the world.
Getty Images
Vice
Life features stunning photos in its publications, but Getty
Vice News Tonight is a news television program on HBO. Like its
Images is all about photos. Someone who is more interested in
magazine publication it is known for highlighting lesser known,
photos than stories may turn to Getty.
but important stories, its worldly perspective, and high integrity.
Youtube
Wikipedia
YouTube has millions of videos uploaded by people from all over
Wikipedia is as unbiased source of information about virtually
the world. While Life does a good job of bringing experiences to
everything on the planet. Potential Life customers may be drawn
people, there is far more content available on YouTube and much
to Wikipedia instead because they are more interested in the
of it is unfiltered.
information itself than the presentation of it.
Vimeo
National Park Service
Vimeo is similar to YouTube but has a reputation for videos with
Life often features stories and photography of natural wonders.
better quality. The videos on Vimeo often share life experience
People may prefer to visit national parks like Yellowstone or the
with a level of quality similar to Life’s photos.
Grand Canyon.
Trip Advisor
MoMA
In constrast to Life bringing life experiences to people, Trip Advi-
The Museum of Modern Art unique modern artwork on display
sor helps people find the experiences they are looking for.
from many of the world’s best artists. Life readers who are especially interested in art may prefer to interpret meaning from art instead of read Life.
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LIFE // VISUAL STRATEGY GUIDE // +
[ Aspirational Competitors ] ++ Life’s aspiring competitors operate platforms that bring interesting or powerful experiences to their customers. They leverage technology to remove societal barriers, resulting in a proliferation of sharing that was not possible in the past.
CHAPTER 03 // OUR COMPETITORS
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Wechat connects people all around the world. People often share
Reddit is a social media platform that allows people to form
what is going on in their life. While the content is often poor in
communities, share links, and participate in discussions.
comparison to Life, occasionally there are genuinely important
It is more engaging than the original Life Magazine because
stories originating from Wechat.
of high user interaction and large amount of content.
Oculus
Airbnb
Oculus VR has a powerful virtual reality platform. VR can
Airbnb is a platform for renting your own houses, rooms to other
immerse people in experiences like no other media has done
people. It helps people communicate with other people. Users
before.
also can get special experiences from it.
Party With Local
Tinder
Party with a Local lets travelers connect and hang out with
While not strictly a competitor, Tinder’s technology reduces
locals and vice versa. This is similar in spirit to Life because
friction for dating. Dating strangers often opens people up to
it ensures people from different backgrounds are
differing worldviews and unique experiences.
brought together.
Second Life
If Only IfOnly delivers unique things to do and experience. While the
Second Life is a free 3D virtual world where users can socialize,
experiences are local to the customer’s area, their platform pro-
connect and create using free voice and text chat. While not a
vides something similar to what Life wants to do.
VR game, users tend to become very absorbed in the experience of the game and meet people from all over the world.
Meetup Meetup is a platform to find meetups so you can do more of what matters to you. Meetup is similar in spirit to Life’s new brand because they have a platform which facilitates experiences.
Htc HTC created the Vive virtual reality headset. It is certainly a competitor to Oculus VR which makes it a competitor to Life as well.
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My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, and some style. —MAYA ANGELOU [ A U T H O R , P O E T, C I V I L R I G H T S A C T I V I S T ]
Copyright, 2017 Fuhan Li This book is a non-commercial project for educational proposes and is not intended to represent the LIFE brand. Photo Credit: LIFE Magazine flickr.com unsplash.com times.com vsco.com Software: Adobe Creative Suite Typefaces: Roboto Sans/Roboto Slab Binding&Printing: Imageink, San Francisco
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