5 things we didn't know... (mostly) about magazines

We’ve been making magazines for a while so you might think we know it all. But after attending this year’s Magazine Street conference in Edinburgh last week, it has become patently clear that, in fact, we do not. (Yes, we were shocked too).?

An annual get-together for anyone in –?or just very into – magazines, Magazine Street has been an must-attend date in our calendar since it was launched by the International Magazine Centre in 2022. Promoting conversation, creativity and community in the industry, the event always leaves us feeling inspired, educated, and full of ideas for our next client mag project. And with talks from the Art Director of GQ Italia and renowned designer Simon Esterson on the agenda, this year’s event was shaping up to be a good ‘un.?

So what little nuggets of knowledge did we learn when we pitched up eagerly with our notebooks at Central Hall this year? Here’s a few of our top takeaways from the day:

1. “A frog is just a frog”

This off-the-cuff comment from Federigo Gabellieri , the aforementioned GQ Italia Art Director, had the room ROFL-ing. Of course, frogs are inherently funny (Kermit anyone?), but what was also amusing was the way Federigo used the comment to brush off his publisher’s policy on the use of Artificial Intelligence. “We don’t use AI. That is our policy. But a frog is just a frog,” he shrugged, explaining the digital addition of an amphibian hopping around at the feet of a celebrity in a colourful, conceptual cover shoot.?

Federigo wasn’t being disrespectful or boasting of flagrant disregard for the rules. We think he was making a subtle but important point. As creatives, the temptation might be to condemn computer programmes we fear may replace us, but actually they can be useful, sometimes, when used minimally and appropriately for practical reasons.

Bringing along an actual frog to a celebrity cover shoot would just increase the chances of chaos –?something it is an Art Director’s job to minimise on any shoot already threatened by the potentially disruptive presence of so many egos in one room. Adding an amphibian post-production doesn’t take away any creative integrity from the process, it just adds a little froggy fun. And where’s the harm in that?

2. Customer service teams need a raise

When we think about customer service teams, we mostly imagine glum faces on the other end of a phone, bored sick of listening to endless complaints. And often, we’d be right. But we’d also be overlooking their value. Something Louise Ioannou , Marketing Director of Nat Geo Kids magazine was keen to highlight.

When she joined the title, after 10 years working in B2B and B2C marketing roles, she brought with her a unique customer-centric approach. In real terms, this meant that the first thing she did was go and knock on the door of? the customer service department. “But we’re just customer service,” was their bemused response. What on earth could they offer Louise, a marketing guru??

Well, according to Louise, EVERYTHING! “They have all the insight,” she revealed. Daily contact with readers –?disgruntled or otherwise –?means they know exactly who the audience is and exactly what they want. For Nat Geo Kids, the first thing on that list of ‘reader wants’ was no more auto-renewal of subscriptions. So Louise and her team listened, made the change, and as a result have happier readers, much more likely to return than cancel their subscription. And, also, much more likely to recommend the magazine to fellow parents.

Today, the marketing and customer service teams at Nat Geo Kids exist as one department. By bringing the two teams together, Louise has given her marketing team a direct line to the readers, and they are able to make immediate responsive changes in line with customer feedback. Now that’s a model many consumer magazines would do well to follow.

3. You can make a pretty good little mag on Canva

Okay, we have a confession to make. When we read the title of designer Julie Christie-Clark ’s talk –?‘Canva for Magazine Designers’ –?we winced. With many years of education and experience using professional design software, such as InDesign and Photoshop, we didn’t have the greatest respect for Canva. As far as we were aware, it was fine as a way for a new generation of influencers (with no formal training) to create nice social media posts from the templates available, but it wasn’t a tool built for ‘real’ magazine design. Or was it?

Julie’s practical and informative session revealed many nifty little design tools and shortcuts that would benefit not just an amateur designer, but professionals too. (I mean, she should know, she is a professional. And a damn good one at that.) Did you know, for example, that you could create comprehensive brand kits, bespoke templates and flexible flatplans on Canva? We sure didn’t. And did you know you need never face the agony of a complicated cutout ever again? Yes, it’s true.

Now we’ve seen what you can do on the platform, we realise it could actually be pretty valuable for some workflows and even brochure-style projects. However it does miss having some essential tools we like to use to create flawless client magazines. To retain our favourite, granular controls, we will continue to use InDesign in our day-to-day work. But we’re going to get up to speed with Canva to help clients who already use the platform get the most out of it. Thanks for opening our eyes, Julie.

4. Designers should welcome ideas from the editorial team. And vice versa.

How many times have we all heard the phrase ‘stick to what you know’? It’s easy to see why it might feel safer to stay in our own lane, wiser not to stick our noses in where they don’t belong. But working in design v editorial silos is not good for producing features that fly.?

At White Light, we’ve always tried to promote collaboration between our designers and copywriters. It’s how we create our best work, and it’s reassuring to hear that it’s an approach promoted by some of the most excellent minds in consumer magazines too. It was raised at Magazine Street by the lord of editorial design, Simon Esterson , so it must be true.

Showcasing examples spanning a century, including iconic layouts from the likes of The New Yorker, Spy, and Private Eye; Simon took us on a visual tour of the history of magazine design. Citing legendary names including David King (Sunday Times magazine), Rob Lowe aka Supermundane (Anorak), and Tibor Kalman (Colors by Benetton), Simon showed us how the greatest layouts are created through the interplay of images and text.?

He showed us that even a spread that is entirely black and white, with acres of white space, and small simple images, can be beautiful, proving that “you don’t need a big budget to make a big impact”. What you do need is “editorial wit” – and that can be found in any department, and especially when designers and writers work together.?

5. MSG is actually not a bad thing

Okay, okay. This one is technically not about magazines. But it came from a magazine. And it’s just too good not to share. Hands up who thought MSG was bad for you? Yes, our hands were up too. Until Holly Catford , Art Director and co-founder of Pit magazine, educated us.

A bold, thought-provoking and award-winning food magazine, Pit has published whole issues dedicated to iconic foods such as sausages, beans, and, yes, you guessed it, MSG. In fact, their MSG issue is the fastest-selling and most talked about edition ever. And not only because it looks be-yoo-ti-ful, but also because of the fascinating food-focused editorials it features. Want to join us in our newly-enlightened pro-MSG state? You must read Cheryl Cow’s piece on the true story of Chinese food’s most controversial ingredient. Get ready to be wow-ed (and to enjoy a guilt-free takeaway this weekend!).