While social media sites appeared to launch successfully, at the time of writing there had been no word as to when and how the magazine would actually appear. However from a design point of view the branding has all the signs of a potential success. Playing into a myriad of recent design trends the logotype features a heavy, italicised sans-serif typeface marked by an imposing full stop (picture). The logo as it appears on social media implements a contrast between black lettering and a background colour not too dissimilar to ‘millennial pink’, although this has been reworked slightly to reflect a more flesh-like hue in order to retain some originality. Variations of the logo used across social media banners feature a range of pastel tones in blue, green and purple, all of which were listed as some of the most popular colours amongst the online generation in 2016-2017.
The name itself appears to show a surface-level awareness of issues relating to gender and identity, which initially caused much excitement within queer circles. However there has also been much opposition to a name that can create such a clear sense of division and exclusion between the queer and straight communities - us vs. them implies a fundamental difference between the two sides which simply does not exist and only serves to widen the gap between understanding and acceptance.
Despite this the branding is clear and effective in its appeal to a young and socially aware generation, and has gained the platform a combined audience of nearly 60,000 over their social media sites alone.
Considering that the venture has yet to fully emerge in both of its physical and digital manifestations, the platform has already been through a significant rebrand. The current logo was introduced to social media sites on 20 October 2017, replacing the original logo just two weeks after the initial launch of the platform. What is perhaps most interesting is that the contrast between the original logo and the current iteration is markedly different. Although the colour scheme appears to have remained the same, the original logo consisted of a formal serif typeface which is more akin to independent publications such as Riposte and Hello Mr. (pictures), magazines that typically entertain an older, more mature audience. Allowing greater accessibility to a younger generation through rebranding therefore may have been an astute decision. Their original manifesto highlighted the importance of celebrating and encouraging the future of the queer community, and branding themselves within a niche market of young queer audiences that are in dire need of an outlet should, in theory, ultimately provide a greater success for the platform.
Examining the success of Them. through its branding alone can only provide an incomplete and uncertain evaluation of its future, but it cannot be denied that investing in marginalised queer voices is a significant step for a company as large and as influential as Condé Nast, and should serve as an example to the rest of the publishing world. However it remains to be seen whether Condé Nast are willing to contribute to solving the deeper problems faced by the queer community or whether this venture is purely for commercial gain and improving the reputation and gains of the company.
Considering that the venture has yet to fully emerge in both of its physical and digital manifestations, the platform has already been through a significant rebrand. The current logo was introduced to social media sites on 20 October 2017, replacing the original logo just two weeks after the initial launch of the platform. What is perhaps most interesting is that the contrast between the original logo and the current iteration is markedly different. Although the colour scheme appears to have remained the same, the original logo consisted of a formal serif typeface which is more akin to independent publications such as Riposte and Hello Mr. (pictures), magazines that typically entertain an older, more mature audience. Allowing greater accessibility to a younger generation through rebranding therefore may have been an astute decision. Their original manifesto highlighted the importance of celebrating and encouraging the future of the queer community, and branding themselves within a niche market of young queer audiences that are in dire need of an outlet should, in theory, ultimately provide a greater success for the platform.
Examining the success of Them. through its branding alone can only provide an incomplete and uncertain evaluation of its future, but it cannot be denied that investing in marginalised queer voices is a significant step for a company as large and as influential as Condé Nast, and should serve as an example to the rest of the publishing world. However it remains to be seen whether Condé Nast are willing to contribute to solving the deeper problems faced by the queer community or whether this venture is purely for commercial gain and improving the reputation and gains of the company.