Oh Comely - Industry case study
Oh Comely Industries case study - blog tasks
Work through the following tasks to complete your work on the Oh Comely magazine CSP. There are plenty of questions here but you will be given plenty of time to complete it and will find this gives you a brilliant insight into a vital aspect of media - the power of independent institutions.
Iceberg Press
Visit the Iceberg Press website - particularly the Who Are We page and the Why Are We Here page. Read the content and then answer the following questions:
1) Why did the people behind Iceberg Press set it up?
Iceberg wants to bring in a new age of magazines and media brands for people. They put their readers at the heart of everything they do. They aim to close the gap between creative magazines and traditional newsstands in order to bring the best of independent publishing.
2) What is the Iceberg Press mission statement? (It's on the Why Are We Here page and is a series of statements).
3) What are the two magazines that Iceberg Press publishes?
- Oh Comely
- The Simple Things
4) What similarities do you notice between The Simple Things magazine and Oh Comely?
It is very clear that both magazines are unconventional because of their style and layout and the text featured on the covers. Both use images that cover practically the whole page and the images are quite artistic and unique. They both convey the feeling of being 'natural' and 'free'. Both magazines are targeted at niche audiences.
5) What differences can you find between Hearst UK, publisher of Men's Health, and Iceberg Press?
Iceberg Press create magazines to make the reader happy and provide them with something they want to read where as Mens Health produce magazines in order to generate a large profit and as well as become the leading lifestyle magazine.
Writer's Edit journal article
Read this excellent Writer's Edit academic journal article on the independent magazine industryand answer the following questions:
1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine?
The independent print magazine is characterised as “published without the financial support of a large corporation or institution in which the makers control publication and distribution…“independent” in spirit due to a maverick editor or publisher who leads the magazine in an exploratory, noncommercial direction” (Thomas 2007 40).
2) What does Hamilton (2013) suggest about independent magazines in the digital age?
"A small but growing body of evidence suggests that small printed magazines are quietly thriving even as the global newspaper and book industries falter” (Hamilton 2013: 43)."
3) What is the aim of Kinfolk magazine and what similarities can you draw with Oh Comely?
Both magazines are published quarterly and the Kinfolk magazines aim is: "finding ways for readers to simplify their lives, cultivate community and spend more time with their friends and family” (Kinfolk 2014). They both are quite simple and have minimal content and charge high prices which suggests that their target audiences have a high disposable income. Also, Kinfolk's cover image shows a female whose head isn't showing which suggests that similarly to Oh Comely, they do not sexualise women in any way but instead focus on women empowerment.
4) Why does the article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling?
Magazines produced by large companies like Bauer Media and News Limited in Australia are struggling to keep readers from moving online. However, independent magazines use online developments to their advantage in order to have a strong online presence, they set their own terms and hope to collab with other creators.
5) How do independent magazines launch? Look at the example of Alphabet Family Journal.
The Alphabet Family Journal was entirely on its online crowdfunding campaign for print publication. Brimble employed a filmmaker to produce a short film to exemplify the mission of the magazine. With this film, and the strength of an online media following built over three years, sufficient funds were received from online supporters donating to her Kickstarter campaign over a few short days to cover production costs as well as payments for contributors (Jones 2014).
6) What does the article suggest about how independent publishers use digital media to target their niche audiences?
Independent magazines use digital media to their advantage by focusing on specific interest groups. Where as, mainstream magazines compete for presence in a sea of similar products, independent magazines attract readers with extremely specific pastimes.
7) Why is it significant that independent magazines are owned and created by the same people? How does this change the creative process and direction of the magazine?
Independent magazines are able to hone in on such specific markets because they are owned and developed by the same people: the founders, editors and art directors who share a similar creative vision. This shows that they can agree on the same ideas and would be able to have an easier creative process.
8) What does the article suggest regarding the benefits of a 'do-it-yourself' approach to creating independent magazines?
All the decisions can be made by you and there is no conflict between ideas since everyone has similar views. This approach is beneficial because you do not need to reply on others and you can choose how everything is represented.
9) The article discusses the audience appeal of print. Why might audiences love the printed form in the digital age?
Print magazines could be seen as “tomorrow’s primary documents, excellent records of current and emerging artists’ and designers’ practices and communities” (Thomas 2007: 40). The growth of independent magazines reflects a deeper cultural change in the way print magazines are now created and read. A culture of collaboration, creative passion, appreciation of graphic design and physical print all represent an alternative to the conventions of mainstream mass media. Those editors and founders of independent magazines are producing cultural records that will one day represent the changing concept of print magazines as people increasingly incorporate the digital into their everyday lives. As Brimble explains when asked why AFJ was not produced as a digital magazine, for her efforts, and for those who purchase the magazine, she prefers “something real [that] will never go away. Because nothing beats the experience of print. There is beauty in the ritual of holding a physical magazine in front of you” (Brimble 2014). This physical print magazine is the output of years of work, both online and in meeting and working with contributors and supporters. Other independent magazine creators, like Jordan Vouga, art director and founder of Ancestry Quarterly, share this attitude.
"There is something nostalgic about a magazine. It’s substantial and you can smell the paper. It hits you at a subconscious level. I don’t get the same emotional connection with digital content” (Garrett Mettler 2014)."
10) What are the challenges in terms of funding and distributing an independent magazine?
From there, creators rely on subscriptions and high cover prices to continue to produce, while not necessarily making a profit from each print run. While highly innovative, these methods require risk and a willingness on the part of the founders as well as contributors to expect little financial reward.
Irish Times feature
Now read this short feature in the Irish Times on the growth of independent magazines and answer the following questions:
1) Why are independent magazines so popular?
These are magazines that play with the form, from open binding to multiple paper stocks. Their subject matter is as diverse as their production techniques, from mental health to trans rights, from football to street wear. They are driven by a passion, both for their content, and the printed form, and thanks to technology, they are able to reach audiences around the world.
2) Why is the magazine publishing industry set up to favour the big global conglomerates?
These are the titles that rely on advertising (rather than copy sales) for revenue. They have a relatively cheap cover price (a 12-issue subscription to Vogue UK costs less than £20), and are filled with adverts.
3) What does the article suggest regarding finding an audience for an independent magazine?
Make your subject too broad (a magazine about football) and you will get lost in the crowd. Make it too narrow (a magazine about redheads who support Bohemians) and your audience will be too small. Get it right (a magazine about League of Ireland fan culture) and you just might have a chance. And once you know who your audience is, many other elements will fall into place.
4) What are the challenges for magazine distributors?
Shipping boxes of magazines is expensive, and with publishers taking all the risk (they pay for both shipping, and if the magazines don’t sell, the price of shipping them back), it’s key that publishers focus on getting as many direct sales online as possible.
5) The article suggests that many independent magazines only make money by diversifying into other products. What examples do they give?
If you do set up that League of Ireland fan culture magazine, you can host events, sell graphic prints, T-shirts and maybe set up a Patreon account where you can host football podcasts.TCO interview with Ruth Jamieson
Finally, read this excellent interview on the TCO London website with Ruth Jamieson, who has written a book on the renaissance of the independent magazine sector. Answer the following questions:
1) Why does Ruth Jamieson suggest there's a renaissance in independent publishing?
- Its been easier to start a magazine and find an audience
- To survive, indie mags have to do more than look good – they have to engage with readers, be produced by passionate people and have something unique and necessary to say.
2) What are the common themes for successful independent magazines?
3) How many of these aspects can you find in Oh Comely? Make specific reference to the CSP pages where possible.
- The magazine cover has a strong sense of art direction - the minimalist approach
- unique content - features about transgenders/ gender fluidity/ women
- photography by the writers themselves
4) How does Jamieson see the future for the magazine industry?
- advertisers will invest more into independent magazines
- people in general would invest more into independent magazines
- mainstream magazines will take on an 'indie' magazine approach in order to appeal to niche audiences
5) How might this future impact Oh Comely? Do you think Oh Comely will survive the next five years - and why?
I think that Oh Comely will survive in the next five years and longer. This is because they target their content at an niche loyal audience who enjoy what they read. Also, their readers are their writers which makes the whole magazine personal as well as relatable. That's why audiences would continue to purchase Oh Comely.
Work through the following tasks to complete your work on the Oh Comely magazine CSP. There are plenty of questions here but you will be given plenty of time to complete it and will find this gives you a brilliant insight into a vital aspect of media - the power of independent institutions.
Iceberg Press
Visit the Iceberg Press website - particularly the Who Are We page and the Why Are We Here page. Read the content and then answer the following questions:
1) Why did the people behind Iceberg Press set it up?
Iceberg wants to bring in a new age of magazines and media brands for people. They put their readers at the heart of everything they do. They aim to close the gap between creative magazines and traditional newsstands in order to bring the best of independent publishing.
2) What is the Iceberg Press mission statement? (It's on the Why Are We Here page and is a series of statements).
It's all about the audience.
Chase the work, not the money.
Compromise isn't our friend.
We will always make time for ideas.
We are stronger when we work with others.
We want good people to work in a good place.
Every year we will help a cause that matters.
We believe in a thing called Print.
- Oh Comely
- The Simple Things
4) What similarities do you notice between The Simple Things magazine and Oh Comely?
It is very clear that both magazines are unconventional because of their style and layout and the text featured on the covers. Both use images that cover practically the whole page and the images are quite artistic and unique. They both convey the feeling of being 'natural' and 'free'. Both magazines are targeted at niche audiences.
5) What differences can you find between Hearst UK, publisher of Men's Health, and Iceberg Press?
Iceberg Press create magazines to make the reader happy and provide them with something they want to read where as Mens Health produce magazines in order to generate a large profit and as well as become the leading lifestyle magazine.
Writer's Edit journal article
Read this excellent Writer's Edit academic journal article on the independent magazine industryand answer the following questions:
1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine?
The independent print magazine is characterised as “published without the financial support of a large corporation or institution in which the makers control publication and distribution…“independent” in spirit due to a maverick editor or publisher who leads the magazine in an exploratory, noncommercial direction” (Thomas 2007 40).
2) What does Hamilton (2013) suggest about independent magazines in the digital age?
"A small but growing body of evidence suggests that small printed magazines are quietly thriving even as the global newspaper and book industries falter” (Hamilton 2013: 43)."
3) What is the aim of Kinfolk magazine and what similarities can you draw with Oh Comely?
Both magazines are published quarterly and the Kinfolk magazines aim is: "finding ways for readers to simplify their lives, cultivate community and spend more time with their friends and family” (Kinfolk 2014). They both are quite simple and have minimal content and charge high prices which suggests that their target audiences have a high disposable income. Also, Kinfolk's cover image shows a female whose head isn't showing which suggests that similarly to Oh Comely, they do not sexualise women in any way but instead focus on women empowerment.
4) Why does the article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling?
Magazines produced by large companies like Bauer Media and News Limited in Australia are struggling to keep readers from moving online. However, independent magazines use online developments to their advantage in order to have a strong online presence, they set their own terms and hope to collab with other creators.
5) How do independent magazines launch? Look at the example of Alphabet Family Journal.
The Alphabet Family Journal was entirely on its online crowdfunding campaign for print publication. Brimble employed a filmmaker to produce a short film to exemplify the mission of the magazine. With this film, and the strength of an online media following built over three years, sufficient funds were received from online supporters donating to her Kickstarter campaign over a few short days to cover production costs as well as payments for contributors (Jones 2014).
6) What does the article suggest about how independent publishers use digital media to target their niche audiences?
Independent magazines use digital media to their advantage by focusing on specific interest groups. Where as, mainstream magazines compete for presence in a sea of similar products, independent magazines attract readers with extremely specific pastimes.
7) Why is it significant that independent magazines are owned and created by the same people? How does this change the creative process and direction of the magazine?
Independent magazines are able to hone in on such specific markets because they are owned and developed by the same people: the founders, editors and art directors who share a similar creative vision. This shows that they can agree on the same ideas and would be able to have an easier creative process.
8) What does the article suggest regarding the benefits of a 'do-it-yourself' approach to creating independent magazines?
All the decisions can be made by you and there is no conflict between ideas since everyone has similar views. This approach is beneficial because you do not need to reply on others and you can choose how everything is represented.
9) The article discusses the audience appeal of print. Why might audiences love the printed form in the digital age?
Print magazines could be seen as “tomorrow’s primary documents, excellent records of current and emerging artists’ and designers’ practices and communities” (Thomas 2007: 40). The growth of independent magazines reflects a deeper cultural change in the way print magazines are now created and read. A culture of collaboration, creative passion, appreciation of graphic design and physical print all represent an alternative to the conventions of mainstream mass media. Those editors and founders of independent magazines are producing cultural records that will one day represent the changing concept of print magazines as people increasingly incorporate the digital into their everyday lives. As Brimble explains when asked why AFJ was not produced as a digital magazine, for her efforts, and for those who purchase the magazine, she prefers “something real [that] will never go away. Because nothing beats the experience of print. There is beauty in the ritual of holding a physical magazine in front of you” (Brimble 2014). This physical print magazine is the output of years of work, both online and in meeting and working with contributors and supporters. Other independent magazine creators, like Jordan Vouga, art director and founder of Ancestry Quarterly, share this attitude.
"There is something nostalgic about a magazine. It’s substantial and you can smell the paper. It hits you at a subconscious level. I don’t get the same emotional connection with digital content” (Garrett Mettler 2014)."
10) What are the challenges in terms of funding and distributing an independent magazine?
From there, creators rely on subscriptions and high cover prices to continue to produce, while not necessarily making a profit from each print run. While highly innovative, these methods require risk and a willingness on the part of the founders as well as contributors to expect little financial reward.
Irish Times feature
Now read this short feature in the Irish Times on the growth of independent magazines and answer the following questions:
1) Why are independent magazines so popular?
These are magazines that play with the form, from open binding to multiple paper stocks. Their subject matter is as diverse as their production techniques, from mental health to trans rights, from football to street wear. They are driven by a passion, both for their content, and the printed form, and thanks to technology, they are able to reach audiences around the world.
2) Why is the magazine publishing industry set up to favour the big global conglomerates?
These are the titles that rely on advertising (rather than copy sales) for revenue. They have a relatively cheap cover price (a 12-issue subscription to Vogue UK costs less than £20), and are filled with adverts.
3) What does the article suggest regarding finding an audience for an independent magazine?
Make your subject too broad (a magazine about football) and you will get lost in the crowd. Make it too narrow (a magazine about redheads who support Bohemians) and your audience will be too small. Get it right (a magazine about League of Ireland fan culture) and you just might have a chance. And once you know who your audience is, many other elements will fall into place.
4) What are the challenges for magazine distributors?
Shipping boxes of magazines is expensive, and with publishers taking all the risk (they pay for both shipping, and if the magazines don’t sell, the price of shipping them back), it’s key that publishers focus on getting as many direct sales online as possible.
5) The article suggests that many independent magazines only make money by diversifying into other products. What examples do they give?
If you do set up that League of Ireland fan culture magazine, you can host events, sell graphic prints, T-shirts and maybe set up a Patreon account where you can host football podcasts.TCO interview with Ruth Jamieson
Finally, read this excellent interview on the TCO London website with Ruth Jamieson, who has written a book on the renaissance of the independent magazine sector. Answer the following questions:
1) Why does Ruth Jamieson suggest there's a renaissance in independent publishing?
- Its been easier to start a magazine and find an audience
- To survive, indie mags have to do more than look good – they have to engage with readers, be produced by passionate people and have something unique and necessary to say.
2) What are the common themes for successful independent magazines?
- Strong sense of art direction
- Have content that is unique and shows that they have something to say
3) How many of these aspects can you find in Oh Comely? Make specific reference to the CSP pages where possible.
- The magazine cover has a strong sense of art direction - the minimalist approach
- unique content - features about transgenders/ gender fluidity/ women
- photography by the writers themselves
4) How does Jamieson see the future for the magazine industry?
- advertisers will invest more into independent magazines
- people in general would invest more into independent magazines
- mainstream magazines will take on an 'indie' magazine approach in order to appeal to niche audiences
5) How might this future impact Oh Comely? Do you think Oh Comely will survive the next five years - and why?
I think that Oh Comely will survive in the next five years and longer. This is because they target their content at an niche loyal audience who enjoy what they read. Also, their readers are their writers which makes the whole magazine personal as well as relatable. That's why audiences would continue to purchase Oh Comely.
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