Visual Narrative in the Magazine of the University of México (2017-2024)

Abstract

Magazines are cultural objects that reflect the ideas, tensions, and intellectual networks of the periods in which they remain in circulation. Furthermore, they are conditioned by the logic of production and the market, as well as by the interpretations made of them by their consumers. The editorial line they project depends on the people who direct them, as well as the institutions that sponsor them. Furthermore, editorial policy reflects the textual, design, and visual narratives that come together in their pages, which take into account the aforementioned elements. This article examines the visual narrative of the Magazine of the University of México during Guadalupe Nettel's direction (May 2017 to May 2024). It also establishes the aesthetic transformations represented by the inclusion of visual components not legitimized by the canon and focuses on the use of photography within the publication. To achieve this, he reviews the 84 issues and 3 special editions published during that period, describes the material and design elements, and proposes that the above influences a specific reading of the photographs that shaped its new era, thus legitimizing the visual editorial policy endorsed or promoted by the magazine's management.