Your life would probably be a bit easier if you could somehow absorb the meaning of information in all forms, writing, art, music, science, or speech, in some sort of telepathic way. You could read the most complex paper or decipher the most intricate piece of art which PhDs of literature or design would argue for hours on end about the artist’s purpose. Well, unfortunately you can’t, unless you already have predicted exactly what the rest of this post will cover, word by word. If yes, then you might want to get that checked out. For those of us not as in tune with our inner Nostradamus, us normal folks resort to rhetorical analysis, the study of how artists, authors, or any creator, brings across their point and argument to their audience. An example of a work that has a fantastic use of rhetorical devices is the internet blog He Spoke Style which I mentioned I’d be covering in the previous post. He Spoke Style is a men’s style blog which uses visuals and a spectacular layout to create an inviting forum to present applicable style options to men who want to dress well.
Brian Sacawa, professional musician and former world class cyclist, started He Spoke Style in 2013 to fill the apparent void in they men’s online style blog universe. A New York Times reviewed soprano sax player and successful athlete, Sacawa definitely comes off as a credible source on how to be a successful person, not just some guy off the street. It is understandable how Sacawa could appear as pretentious at times, but he generally comes off as a likable guy who just wants to share his wardrobe and style ideas with people who read his blog. Those who tune in are typically males, I’d say 20 to 45 years in age (so pretty diverse), who are interested in dressing well. While it’s not like FashionBeans, another men’s style site, but with a flair for a pretty extreme and flamboyant way of dressing, it’s a site where I’m not sure the audience would be interested in if they had no base knowledge of attempting to dress well. In other words, if someone had nothing but athletic shorts and T-shirts in their closet, I’m not sure they would find this site to be of any use. I believe if you got all the readers of this site together in a room, they’d get along pretty well. This site caters to the guy who wants to be the most well dressed person in any room they walk into, a unique personality trait, in my opinion.
Sacawa is able to convey the fairly difficult and opinion based topic of style with his heavy use of photos of himself (contributing to his overall credibility) in outfits that he deems to be stylish. He has a feature called the style guide which is categorized down to articles of clothing (jackets, footwear, accessories, etc.) that features hundreds of pictures of him in a variety of different outfits that usually have articles to complement them. He prefers to use images to articulate his point rather than words and its understandable with a site covering a visual topic such as fashion.
His site is hosted by Our Own Making, a host service that specializes in simple colorful sites, and He Spoke Style is no exception. The site has a feel where it seems like it’s meant to be used like a “field manual” for style rather than something you’d sit down to read on a weekly basis. For instance, there is a style glossary full of lesser known words that you hear in style often but not know the meaning of. This simple quick reference glossary is just one feature that helps the reader grasp the topic of style in a more interesting way than just reading a wall of text in an article.
The layout of this site is honestly second to none. This is like the exact opposite of a site like TMZ, where everything on the site demands attention, and there are very few features on the site I would change in any way. Along with the clean black on white layout with no gaudy advertisements or obnoxious sidebars, the countless photos to draw inspiration from, the useful features like the style glossary, or the advice page, the blog is inviting and makes you want to return.
Usually keeping his articles fairly brief, relying more on visuals than words, when he does write an extended piece on a topic, it’s usually written in a pretty casual way. Still in a professional and clear tone, but more in the way that a friend would write to you offering advice. The articles typically have an informative section where the topic is defined and the subtopics are explained, and then the article slowly wanders into the realm of an opinion piece. So, even if you didn’t care about Sawaca’s opinon on, well…anything…, the reader could just read the informative section if they so desired. He also links out to other articles on his site that pertain to the topic at hand. For example, there’s an article about panama hats that deals with the history of them as well as how to select one. Well, now that the reader has decided to jump off that stylistic cliff and actually go out and spend their hard earned money on a panama hat, of all things, the article links to another piece by He Spoke Style on what outfits you can even where wear a panama hat with, solving the conundrum that a proprietor of a panama hat would inevitably have. It’s the small details that go a long way in retaining a reader in the modern internet age with a dwindling attention span.
He Spoke Style is able to maintain its relevance by posting content that is applicable in modern society. If nothing else was done right by a style blog, the content would at the very least be relevant, whether you agreed with it or not. Going hand in hand with the sites relevance, the content is original. I read a review for the blog that described the style ideas of He Spoke Style as a modern twist of the classic 50’s and 60’s clothing trends. A specific topic, yes, but a very original one at that – I can’t think of any other style sites with a retro theme. While specific in content, the blog covers all the bases within their niche well by having a good about of breadth with their articles. From articles on formal wear, to casual style, to how to wear a tie bar, or what tech devices you need in your life, it’s a diverse array of topics, but all have the same “old school style” theme. The diversity of topics helps make the site never feel boring and none of the articles ever feel like filler content.
Contribution to the domain is a broad idea and is often very subjective and rightfully so, deciding what contributes to society and what doesn’t. I think any entity that helps and encourages people to better themselves in any way, shape, or form benefits society. Men’s living and lifestyle blogs like Art of Manliness or Complex all accomplish this, but only graze over the idea of dressing well, which is the point of He Spoke Style. So, I feel the blog is unique in the sense that it brings a unique and in depth perspective to men’s style seeing as the site can focus on fashion without having to worry about anything else.
As a creator of any creative work, presentation is key to engaging your listener, your viewer, or in this case your reader. Presentation not only enhances your content, it visually helps people understand your argument and why you are creating anything in the first place. This is why I give so much respect to He Spoke Style for taking the time to implement all the presentation and layout enhancements they have. Clarity is key when discussing a less tangible topic like style, so nothing is lost in translation. When you have original, relevant content that is presented well, you can explain style.
No comments:
Post a Comment