Interwoven Letters and Images: Typography as an Aesthetic Element in Fashion Magazines

Abstract

This article examines the intersections between fashion and typography through an investigation of the graphic design of specialised fashion magazines, both historical and contemporary. It first explores the relationship between fashion and modern serif typefaces, highlighting the significance and predominance of typographic style in the communicative and aesthetic processes of these publications. The discussion then turns to the imagery of typography in magazines, arguing that words acquire a distinct iconographic and visual value in their graphic design, transcending their purely verbal function. Through iconographic, documentary, and historical research, this article explores aspects such as the morphology and composition of typefaces, demonstrating how these elements sustain the visual identity and reinforce the graphic and editorial positioning of fashion periodicals. Adopting a qualitative approach that combines synchronic and diachronic analyses, the article analyses sample pages from Brazilian and international publications whose editorial scope encompasses conceptual fashion as well as fashion and luxury, including V Magazine, Interview, Dazed & Confused, Numéro, Elle, Vogue, L’Officiel and Harper’s Bazaar. In the context of fashion, typography cannot be regarded as a neutral or merely functional element; rather, by breaking conventional standards of legibility and readability, it plays an active role in the construction of narratives, communication, and visual identities.