MAGAZINE SPOTLIGHT

September 2007

Magazine Makeover: WHERE Edition

by Anh Chu

“Magazines are like fashion,” says Jack Newton, publisher of WHERE Canadian Rockies, one of the three WHERE magazines in Alberta to undergo the franchise-wide redesign, the others being the Calgary and Edmonton editions. The magazines cater to travellers and tourists throughout the province. “The two most important considerations for a redesign are fashion and function.” Like fashion, magazines go through trends and feed off of each other but while the design needs to be pleasing to the eye, magazines must serve the editorial. “Hopefully the redesign makes the magazine more useful to our readership,” says Newton.

 

The redesigned WHERE covers show-off a snappier, cleaner look. “The best part of the makeover is the emphasis on strong visuals,” says Andrew Mah, editor of WHERE Calgary. “We also updated our fonts and use of white space to reflect more modern magazine design sensibilities which I think gives the magazine more polish.” Of course, the goal of any redesign is to lure readers, which in WHERE’s case, takes on a heightened importance. Explains Newton, “We basically get one kick at the readership base because our readership is always changing. We can’t be boring or people will tune out. We need to be visually exciting.”

 

The challenge is to grab a readers’ attention with snappy design then hold them with informative editorial. “Content-wise, we’re looking for insider information,” says Newton, explaining how travellers have changed immensely from even 20 years ago. “We’re trying to be relevant to independent travellers. They aren’t a homogenized group. We have to address all travellers and trends like ecotourism, extreme adventures, and even upscale spas.” Mah concurs. “Our core editorial mandate remains untouched—that of providing interesting features that evoke our city, great tips on shopping, dining and entertainment, and solid, objective and informative listings for restaurants, stores, events and attractions.” Susan Phelan of WHERE Edmonton compares the experience to a tight rope balancing act. “[We’re] moving forward visually and editorially without using a look and editorial style that turns off [our] more traditional readers. In essence, push the envelope a little...but not too far.”

 

The readers only see the end result, oblivious to the months of blogs, emails, and hard work behind the transformation. Being a multinational franchise (with editions in Europe, Asia and the US) as well as a national franchise (11 editions across Canada) meant a complex process and ample collaboration. Mah breaks down the process like this. “We worked with the rest of the franchise to come up with a new, consistent redesign across the network of WHERE magazines. This was decided at the upper echelons. Once a framework was developed, the Canadian editors, art directors and publishers began hammering out the details.” Newton is straightforward. “It was hugely time-consuming and painstaking for everyone to buy into.” But the results have been worth it.

 

Says Phelan, “The best part of the makeover is a more current, edgier look and feel to the publication.”

 

To check out the new look firsthand, pick up a copy of WHERE at hotels, information kiosks and Visitor Information Centres. Or visit www.where.ca.