Not knowing how much change we would all encounter this year, on a global scale, we decided in the Autumn of 2019 that the next issue of BARK needed to have a new look and feel.
Changing the formula
Having stuck to a fairly similar formula for the last 5 years those of us involved in the creation, direction and publication side of the magazine got together and pulled together a wish list of features and concepts, and then channelled those ideas in to the new format, design and (when you finally get it in your hands) finish!
It wasn’t easy, we knew the direction we wanted to take the design and although we wanted to shake things up it still had to be concisely Spindogs and not lose any essence that made it unequivocally ours. The new style could be jarring against what people had to come expect from us and so we needed to create sections that ran together seamlessly in look and feel.
The design phase
During the design phase the team absolutely nailed it. We had moved away from the more traditional layouts we had favoured in the previous issues and now leant more towards an editorial, coffee table type piece, supported by the increased size of the magazine, this issue being 45% longer than the previous issue!
We have introduced clearly defined sections to the magazine, 6 in fact, covering all aspects of our service offering, ensuring you get hints, tips, inspiration and takeaways from the full breadth of our expert team.
Guest contributors
As well as ourselves, we continue to invite guest contributors to give their thoughts on a particular campaign or aspect of marketing, and we will continue to do this as we all love a fresh injection of insight from the experts in our networks, and it is great to hear what other companies are doing with their budgets and resource and inevitably, what results they are getting!
The hardest thing about this issue has been publication in all honesty, much of the thought behind the creation of this issue was based on the final printed article which has now been delayed due to the global pandemic of coronavirus. Those of you who have read as far as page 44 in BARK 9 will know that there are 4 postcards included in this issue, perforated for your convenience, we cannot wait for this feature to be in your hands. We had also specified a higher quality spec finish, and I’ve already mentioned its size, hoping it will feel more like a publication you want to stop what you’re doing and focus on rather than a quick flip through.
Part of our marketing strategy
BARK has become an integral part of our marketing strategy and our key objective for the magazine is to create content that has longevity, so the articles in each issue offer something useful and are just as relevant today as they would be if you picked up a copy in a few months time, and that it adds real value to the reader.
We want you to finish reading feeling inspired, like you’ve learned something and that you feel like you know us better. As well as wanting to send a quick email to your colleagues saying “you need to read this”.
To keep BARK evolving we really value all feedback and so if you have had a read and want to let us know your thoughts please get in touch, and if you want to get a hard copy in your hands when this is finally all over let us know!
Take a read of our latest issue here.
If you’re ready to take the next step see how we can help with your new project, speak to one of our experts today via the contact form below.