The comeback kid: magazines

Magazines. We read them. We love them. We love designing them. And they are making a comeback as brands are looking for ways to make connections with their customers that are lasting and more tangible.

Magazines offer a deep level of customer engagement that can only be achieved with the right mix of authentic, valuable and relevant content directed toward a brand’s specific audiences, and their particular interests and tastes.

A beautiful example of content marketing gone right is the Union Pearson (UP) Express’ magazine, titled: On the Up. Being the first air-rail link to welcome locals and tourists to Toronto, UP was able to develop, curate and deliver content to its passengers all about the city of Toronto. In this unique position, UP becomes a thought leader and is able to partner with and feature unique places and spots to visit around the city. With its cute size, the magazine is not quite a pocket travel book but it is small enough to throw in a carry-on or purse to keep for future reference.

Image credit: winkreative.com

LCBO has been creating noteworthy content for its customers for years with Food & Drink Magazine, with how-tos, tips and food and drink recipes that encourage a lifestyle of entertaining, made better with LCBO products. Big players like Walmart have recognized the value in providing their customers with content that feels different than their product flyers and catalogues. They developed their own store mag called Live Better, with print copies available at the store checkout lanes. Live Better is full of content that talks about everyday household situations made easier with Walmart products.

image credit: facebook.com/livebettermag

Last month, Airbnb announced its new magazine: Airbnbmag. Airbnb doesn’t own property, but it does own a valuable share of the hotel industry – a network of enthusiasts who value a certain kind of travel experience. Its hosts and travellers crave an insider’s scoop to the cities they spend time in. With this unique position, Airbnb, in partnership with global publisher, Hearst, developed the premier issue, entirely devoted to Los Angeles, California. With 28 pages of content, this magazine is described as “real information for the world of Airbnb.” There are plans to release more next year, each issue being a tribute to a different city, with the expectation that it lives on the coffee table of hosts around the world.

Why has this new sector of publishing emerged?
Sarah Schaffer, content studio manager at HZDG advertising agency explains that with access to so much information, new “enthusiastic audiences interested in hyper-niched subject matter” have developed, opening the doors for this new arena of marketing potential. Sarah’s team notably created a niche-magazine called Sous-Vide for their client, Cuisine Solutions. Instead of a traditional ad campaign, Cuisine Solutions decided to invest their efforts into an ad-free brand publication, which was chock-full of fresh content developed by the advertising agency.                                                   

image credit: adweek.com

Rather than pushing the traditional 12 issues a year model, brands are embracing a publishing schedule that is completely their own, where they can produce one or two magazines a year and create impact. This kind of freedom means publications are only going to get better and better. 

A designer's top 10 things to do in Israel

Israel is a hub of arts, culture and innovation, with a rich history. It is a country full of colour and diversity in every aspect of the word. Each time I (Jody) visit the country I am able to appreciate a new spot. Having just returned from an amazing vacation, I am happy to share my list of favourite things to do (and photograph) when exploring Israel’s two biggest and most contrasting cities: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. 

1. Take in the sights and smells of Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda Market. The market is alive at all hours, but pay a visit mid-day for the best look at the plethora of nuts, dried fruit, produce, candy and baked goods available. Grab lunch at one of the many amazing restaurants tucked between stalls.

2. Visit the vintage and second-hand market at Dizengoff Square (Tel Aviv). On Tuesdays and Fridays, local collectors come together to sell their best finds to the public at this market, which parks itself in the centre of the city. Find everything from stamps to jewels to clothing and beyond.

3. Wander the streets of Florentin, Tel Aviv’s “Soho,” to see some of the best street art. This neighbourhood in transition is home to the city's young makers and doers, and is jam-packed full of delicious coffee shops, restaurants and galleries to lose track of time in. 

4. Walk along Dizengoff Street for designer boutiques, cafes and restaurants (Tel Aviv). Gawk at the windows full of Israeli designer wedding gowns, sip coffee or grab a stool at one of the many restaurants that line the street with outdoor seating.

5. Stop to do some chin-ups at one of Israel’s many outdoor “gyms” (Tel Aviv).  A run or walk along the Tel Aviv boardwalk can turn into a full-fledged workout if you stop and take advantage of an open gym. Completely free to use, these are stationed around the city to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

6. Find some shade under The Umbrellas Street Project in the historic Nachalat Shiva District (Jerusalem). A project installed by the city – which was originally slated to run from June through October 2015 – has become a permanent fixture. The 1,000-ish umbrellas protect pedestrians from the sun on this busy shopping street. It does not rain in Jerusalem during the summer. At all.

7. Similarly, find some shade under the streetlights in Valero Square (Jerusalem). A collection of four flower sculptures, titled Warde, inflate by yawning open when people approach them. The sculptures provide shade during the hot days and additional lighting at night in the public square. 

8. Take a walking tour of Tel Aviv to explore the Bauhaus architectural style or lose track of time in the Bauhaus Center, which doubles as a design store (Tel Aviv). The center runs walking tours of Tel Aviv, nicknamed the White City for the world's largest collection of white buildings in the Bauhaus style. Explore the gift shop for a wide array of city-related artwork and design pieces.

9. Spend some time browsing the flea markets, furniture stores and stalls in Old Jaffa (Tel Aviv). In the alleyways and small streets around the Jaffa Port – the most ancient port on the Mediterranean Sea – you will find art galleries, a flea market, shops featuring new and reclaimed furniture, restaurants, cafes and pretty much anything else under the warm Israeli sun.

10. Have a fresh pressed juice at any corner around the city (everywhere). Juice stands mark the corners of every major intersection around Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Enjoy a pomegranate juice or fruit smoothie, all made fresh to order.

Israel is an impressive destination for anyone who is content to wander. There is life, culture and good food at every turn. If you are planning a trip to Israel, feel free to contact me for some more tips at jody@snack.is. L'chaim!

And the gold in logo design goes to...

The Olympics are an amazing celebration of sport, nationalism and community. The athletes are an example of hard work and dedication and are under pressure to bring their countries glory and recognition through winning medals.

Unveiling an Olympic logo is a brave feat on its own accord. With millions of viewers glued to the television at every moment of a world event there is sure to be some criticism. Branding plays a big role in any big event. The Olympics are no different and have often been a point of contention in the design world; with designers weighing in on what they would have/could have done differently.

In time for Rio 2016, Graphic design king, Milton Glaser, recently looked at “the good, the bad and the ugly” of Olympic logo design and assigned each logo in history a score out of 100 in an article on AIGA’s Eye on Design blog.

Milton Glaser is a celebrated designer; best known for his iconic I ♥ NY logo, which is one of the most imitated and widely distributed marks in the world.

Coming in tied for last with the low score of 20/100 are Paris – Summer Olympics 1924 and Berlin – Summer Olympics 1936. Glaser suggests they both lack focus, with imagery that is confusing and unrelated to the Olympic games.

His top logo choice was Tokyo – Summer Olympics 1964, which he scored a 92/100. “Appropriately redacted and without any confusion. The parts fit.”

Some of Glaser’s criticism centered on questions regarding the strategy for a mark of such magnitude and historical significance; “it raised the old question of the struggle between novelty and familiarity.”

When speaking about the highly controversial London – Winter Olympics 2012 logo?, he noted “as an assembly of forms, I find it unattractive. But because of its aggression, it persists in memory.” He scored the logo a rather high 80/100 reaffirming that anything transgressive is likely to cause more controversy.

To view Glaser's complete audit of the Olympic logos of the past, present and future, take a read through the original article.

First introduced in the 1948 games, refined by many after and notably perfected by the Germans for the 1972 Munich Olympics, pictograms remain one of the most familiar forms of Olympic language.  But that’s a whole other blog post.

Stop and think

It is hard to ignore the giant brain sculptures that are lined around Toronto’s major downtown venues and public spaces, including our neighbouring Distillery District. And that’s the point.

The Brain Project is a public art exhibition that forces us to stop and pay attention to brain health. The brains, which were commissioned to and imagined by 100 artists are each entirely unique and thought provoking. After their stint on outdoor display, they will be sold to organizations and art collectors with proceeds supporting brain research at Baycrest Health Sciences.

Baycrest is a global leader in geriatric healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging.

The art exhibition was an idea sparked by donors who saw the power of art and design as a tool to spark conversation and raise money for an important cause. 

 “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas

Artists (left to right, top to bottom) Erin Rothstein, Donald Robertson, Darlene Cole and Alice Teichert, bring a unique visual approach to the ideas around active and healthy brains.