At least it's good to know even high-fashion glossies like Harper's Bazaar
were at the mercy of their cover subjects and advertisers.
In this case, Mrs Beckham.


The second issue of my mag just hit the stores.
Yes, i do like it.
Next up - maybe I should learn graphic design.
I am now more interested in the text and layout/flow of a mag than ever.
As a writer, I caught on to design and visuals pretty late.

I remember it was when I was working in ELLE.
My art director Daphne (now at Singapore's BAZAAR) was such a cool, charismatic Hong Konger.
She could make the most ordinary pictures and product shoots come alive.
A little tweak here, some skew there...
And you could tell she was so into her job.
She really lived and breathed visuals.
I'll never forget the day we went into Borders together.
She told me...... words are just lines and lines of black scribble.
"My eyes don't register them at all.... words just float by.
But design stops me. I see everything in visuals. Even words appear as graphic lines to me."

I've always thought words make the magazine.
Your mag is only as strong as your editorial.
But in that afternoon, Daphne taught me to see things from the visual perspective.
And honestly, i feel a lot more balanced now.
One can't do without the other.
And I do wish I know more to be able to direct my designer further.
My designer is not a magazine person by nature.
I usually need to direct the layout of the pages, particularly for articles I feel for.
And I alwayz need to bring magazine cut-outs for him to refer to, to communicate my ideas.
If i know design better, it should all be easier.

Every magazine has its design template.
STYLE's design is very loud and brazen.
Very graphic, mod and strong.

ELLE has stayed true to Daphne's template,
not changing even though she left so many years ago.
It's quite stagnated now, if you ask me.
Though 5 years ago, it was considered classy, neat and pleasant.

Under Daphne, BAZAAR now, of course, has design that seems to come alive.
It is the rare case where the mag's design trumps its editorial.
Its template is fresh, experimental, elegant and unconventional.
Hard to maintain the distinct elegance throughout, but it's done it.

SPH design's for its women's titles are largely the same.
HER WORLD, SIMPLY HER and FEMALE all look the same to me.
Safe, pleasant, lots of white space, conventional.
Boring.

I like the designs of ELLE UK, EASY LIVING and this new French mag that I forgot the title of. THey just started selling it in Borders.
VOGUE looks too aristocratic and Nylon too avant-garde for mainstream titles.