This week Fashion Bible Vogue unveiled a new website, in its latest attempt at reflecting what the magazine stands for and its commitment to a internet savvy audience. To kick off the launch, model Gigi Hadid was shot in a tribute to Anna Wintour's first-ever Vogue cover, while the site banner had featured a sketch by the magazine's Creative Director Grace Coddington.
This is not the first time that the print giant has undergone a revamp of its web property. It first went a major makeover back in 2012 which at that time was designed by Vogue publisher Condé Nast’s in-house digital team, working with Vogue’s art department. The site took eight months to redevelop and was aimed at offering the user "an experience which was closer to that of the print magazine while continuing to capitalize on the timeliness, newsworthiness and excitement of the web".
However, over time that experience felt short of its promise due to varying differences in content and usability, needless to mention slow updates, slideshows, and stories that were created with print and not digital, in mind. In recent time both editor in chief, Anna Wintour, and creative director for digital, Sally Singer, had acknowledged that Vogue’s site was still to fulfill its potential and with this makeover they're now hoping the revamping will represent a deeper change in what it offers to web and mobile readers.
Vogue has also made a move to invest in a large web team and a stepping up of its news content. The New york times spoke of this in a report adding that the new site will have its own expanded staff and its own space in the headquarters of its parent company, Condé Nast. It will cover news at a faster pace and will now mount its own fashion shoots while keeping familiar fashion staples. According to WWD reports Wintour is looking to build out a staff of around 20 people to focus just on the site.
The visual appeal the site delivers as a result of its clean look is immediate. These days it has become the staple and new convention for online design, to be created for easy navigation on a mobile device. Vogue also had made sure that only one advertiser will appear on each page.
While the site draws about 3.3 million unique visitors a month (according to Vogue). With its focus on quality content Anna Wintour is confident the new site has “the authority and the vision of the print magazine.”