Bearded Basturds • Magazine Design Concept

BEARDED BASTURDS

Magazine DESIGN CONCEPT

FOREWORD

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02 | DESIGN CONCEPT

FOREWORD

As significant growth is on the horizon for the Bearded Basturds brand, now is the time to connect with your customers with alternative marketing F O R E W O R D BY K Y L E M A C K AY

Firstly, thanks again for showing a keen interest in the magazine design concept I’ve put together for Bearded Basturds. As a brand which specialises in bespoke cosmetic products combined with a traditional high-street barber service, the magazine will allow you to connect with your customers remotely, giving them an alternative way of buying products and allowing more insight to the brand background and culture - the cosmetic collection are your product, the high-street barbers are your service, and the Bearded Basturds magazine will be your voice; a triple threat.

We can approach the magazine concept from two angles - digital and printed - both with their own advantages and suitable placement/usage...

Let’s first look at the digital magazine; digital marketing is becoming more influential due to the impacts of social media, blogging and mobile device accessibility. By combining a strong visual with modern marketing techniques, this design concept could develop into an effective marketing tool with depth and potential. With over 45% of UK consumers preferring to shop online, it’s becoming more essential that you communicate with that demographic from a digital point of view by using an indirect, yet visually effective method. The digital magazine offers every element of the Bearded Basturds brand in one place, which is fully accessible on smartphones and tablets. Then there’s the digital features; slick flip-book interface, interactive links to online products/content, social media integration, video playback and 24/7 online remote access.

Another benefit of the online version is the option of live updates. Let’s say you want to run a limited time promotional offer... you can simply add the content on announcement, run an update to inform

customers of final days and then when the offer expires, simply remove the pages. Same option applies to making changes to published articles or introducing new products. The live updates just give you a freedom with the publication which isn’t possible with a printed magazine. And from a convenience point of view, the magazine URL won’t change at any time during or prior to updating the publication.

So now onto the printed magazine; these still have their place on the shelf which comes with benefits of their own. The printed magazines are aimed at the customers who like something to read in a traditional format without looking at a screen - let’s call this minority “The Traditional Basturds”. The more detailed editorial articles which require more than a quick blog post will be more likely to be read in a printed magazine.

Physical prints would also attract new customers, by leaving them in suitable public places such as cafés/bars, colleges/universities, retail stores or a well placed magazine stand in a busy shopping centre, giving customers the chance to pick up a copy to take away to read in their own time or pass on to even more potential customers.

This is an original idea which with time, we will come to realise its strengths and iron out any weaknesses.

Original ideas need to be explored to test the potential of your “brand voice” and stand out against competition in the same industry.

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POTENTIAL

Having seen the design concept, let’s dig a little deeper and look at the possibilities which could define the magazine as a key marketing platform THE POTENTIAL

The magazine can go as far as you want to take it, growing in size as your customers’ interest in the Bearded Basturds brand spills into different aspects of your brand. The direction in which the magazine travels will work hand in hand with the brand progression; as Bearded Basturds grows and moves forward, the limitless possibilities will write themselves.

Initially, I’d suggest collecting the content and running the magazine on a quarterly basis and when you‘ve got an gauge on how many readers you have on board, then you can consider running them monthly.

To get the ball rolling, I’ve listed a few examples of product content, editorial subjects and subcultures which may be of interest to your customers...

PRODUCT CONTENT As an essential aspect of the brand, your customers will be interested to hear about the current collections as well as future products.

- Products of Science - Introducing: “The Smooth Basturd” Collection - Top 10 Grooming Gadgets EDITORIAL SUBJECTS This is where the blog aspect comes in. If you’ve got something to say, this is where you can get your message across without felling limited to keeping to too brief.

- Do Women Really Like Beards?

- Growing Success - The Dirty Secrets of Budget Cosmetics - The “Basturd of the Month” Award S U B C U LT U R E S Why not introduce subcultures to the magazine? Interview local bands, promote city lifestyle or fine dining, you name it.

By introducing other industries, you can dip into selling third party advertising. But let’s remember what’s most important; Bearded Basturds.

S O W H AT D O YO U T H I N K . . . ?

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POTENTIAL

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