The first impression counts

25. Jun 2009

Nowadays one needs to be trendy and in to attract attention. That applies to many parts of our lives – as well as the newspaper industry. That is why even established professional journals give their magazines a new, modern look. Senft&partner knows what it is about to catch one's eye.

As slim as a wand with a colourful style and a modern look – what makes us look great also applies to magazines and newspapers.
The American sociologist and communication researcher Elihu Katz already knew that in the early nineteen sixties and asked within his uses and gratifications approach: “what do people do with media”. The answer: Due to the variety of media they are more selective in choosing a topic or even a magazine. Beside individual interests and needs, shape and aesthetics are crucial for their choice.

Who wants to remain competitive cannot abandon a modern, target-group-specific appearance, as it is important to stand out from the mass to attract attention. On that thing also Alexandra Lehrer, editor of “Österreichischer Baustoffmarkt” (ÖBM), Martina Zimper of the “Trockenbaujournal” and Michael Cosack (“St. Hubertus”) agree.
With our graphical and technical assistance they modernised their magazines and made them more reader-friendly. Always in respect of keeping the recall value of the journal. “We especially kept our minds on presenting the articles neatly arranged, fluffy and well-structured”, explains senft & partner graphic designer Luise Keck. Pictures and different colours underline the new look.

Restart through relaunch

Often a relaunch goes along with other innovations. The Austrian special interest magazine ÖBM for example used the change of leadership as an opportunity to rework the design. “Unimpressed by the crisis talk and the economy pessimism Alexandra Lehrer decided to refine ÖBM and to increase quality”, states chief editor Alois Fröstl honourably. In February 2009 the journal was published in the new design for the first time.
“We restructured the magazine and used a new, more reader-friendly font to ensure a better overview”, explains Keck.

Charge a book by its cover

Since March 2009 the Austrian magazine for drywall builders “Trockenbaujournal” shines in new splendour as well. In the past few years the journal developed constantly and became more and more modern. To underline this process the permanent improvement of content was followed by an optical relaunch. “The appropriate layout reflects the new orientation of the magazine”, says Keck. “Neat shortcuts enable a quick reception of information and even longer articles such as portraits or reports don’t seem crowded thanks to pictures and a loos structure.”