VogueArchive
Are you a lover of Vogue magazine? I am-vintage Vogue that is.
If so then maybe you’ve already heard- you can access ABSOLUTELY EVERY SINGLE ISSUE of Vogue magazine’s 120 year history (from 1892 to the present) through Conde Nast’s new online archive service.
Let me repeat that-absolutely the complete magazine history of every single Vogue magazine there’s ever been.
Hands down. That’s cool and is some really good news!
Well, I take that back…it depends on how fat your pockets are.
A SINGLE year subscription for ONE person is $1,575 (USA).
Say what?
Here’s the skinny.
VogueArchive is an online searchable engine providing access to 400,000 images by date, brand, designer, photographer and model from Vogue magazine since its inception in 1892.
Although the tool is marketed as a business-to-business tool for design professional in an attempt to justify the yearly subscription cost. there are plans to make a limited version available Vogue subscribers in 2012.
Vogue’s stance is on justifying the cost include:
1. The magazine’s broad appeal to a wide assortment of industries outside of (and including) the fashion industry.
2. Costs associated with getting the archive online.
3. Historical images (such as those in Vogue) not having mass appeal.
4. Creative and design professionals needing the resource as an aid in their profession.
5. Page by page accessibility to wealthy magazine buffs.
Vogue’s reasoning doesn’t make sense (and is highly debatable). Even in trying to justify costs they’re making a mindless case of justifying excessive charges to designers/creatives because they may actually want to use the tool.
Here’s what I believe:
1. If this is the case, more people would be willing to subscribe-justifying a lower one-time or yearly cost because of increased membership and higher profit for Conde Nast.
2. So, subscribers will continue paying over and over again to cover initial associated expenses.
3. Seriously? Since when doesn’t historical images appeal to the masses. Isn’t that the MAIN reason people enjoy Vogue magazine?
4. Resource yes, go-to manual no. Vogue magazines are nice to browse and draw ideals from, but they’re not classroom manuals. Vintage Vogue has “historical” relevance to many-but not all-people. Vogue is not a textbook or go-to manual for designer and other creatives. In any case, many creative and beginning designers don’t have that type of cash to give away year after year. Vogue’s reoccurring cost are more than one-time costs (and upgrades) to Adobe Creative Suit software package designers, publishers and other creative actually use in their professions.
5. There you have it. The archives are for the rich.
What do you think?
”The moral outrage people feel about being asked to pay for content is misguided,” says Chris Sanderson, co-founder of trend forecasting consultancy the Future Laboratory. “Actually, I’m surprised the price is so low. The archive is clearly being marketed to creative professionals. The searchability gives it real value, because you have the ability to drill down into content and locate exactly what you need. “So for example, if a client says, ‘I want a mid-70s Bob Richardson feel’ this archive will give you instant access to the images, to understanding the scope of his work, the locations he used, the models.”
