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Relaunch The French magazine L'Illustré has been relaunched. However, the old problems seem only partially solved.
Relaunch The French magazine L'Illustré has been relaunched. However, the old problems seem only partially solved.
Editor-in-chief Christophe Passer was not afraid to use big words when announcing the relaunch of his magazine L'Illustré: the mix of current affairs, people stories and services that his magazine will offer will be "unique". In fact, people will even "idolize" the redesigned magazine, predicted the French journalist in Ringier's in-house magazine Domo.
The Tribune de Genève newspaper from Edipresse was noticeably more reserved in its announcement of the "ambitious new concept" (in Ringier's own words): it spoke of a "change de peau", a change of skin. In plain language: a purely graphic refreshment. Now the facelifted magazine is here - and the verdict is rather sobering.
Fine fonts, subtle colors
At first glance, the slightly larger magazine (1.5 centimeters in width and height) is pleasing: The fonts on the front page and in the magazine have become finer, serifs and subtle colors dominate instead of black and white bold print as before. Ex-Miss Switzerland Melanie Winiger smiles invitingly - if a little demurely - from the front. Inside the magazine, the expanded table of contents signals a new tidiness. But on closer inspection, a question soon creeps to the fore: is this really the "nouvelle formule" as it is advertised?
Although there are new pages on the omnipresent topic of wellness, every major daily newspaper offers such additional benefits these days. Smaller changes in the service section, such as the new car page and travel tips, are hardly noticeable. What is striking, however, are the numerous archive photos - actually an absolute taboo for a magazine that claims to have an extraordinary visual language.
"No real change of concept "In general, it seems that Illustré still suffers from one problem: the magazine is a general store. What Daniel Pillard, Head of Ringier Romandie, describes as "resting on several pillars" is viewed much less positively by others. "The magazine wants to please everyone," says Peter Rothenbühler, editor-in-chief of Le Matin and formerly head of the very successful Schweizer Illustrierte for a long time. This leads to the result that the
illustrated news-reportage-people- and life-help-sheet conveyed an "undecided impression".
The head of the "daily people newspaper Le Matin" of Ringier competitor Edipresse has noticed a focus on people stories in most illustrated magazines in Europe in recent years. At Illustré, on the other hand, the first issue after the relaunch has not (yet) seen any real change in concept, except that the design has become a little more "feminine and sweet".
However, for Rothenbühler, a proven people expert since his time at Schweizer Illustrierte, it is clear that the human factor will continue to play a dominant role in the magazine market in the future, especially as reality and music star television and the society press are increasingly interacting. L'Illustré at least has one advantage in this area, which guarantees that the magazine will be noticed throughout the week: a 15-page integrated TV program.
Illustré relaunch: Surprisingly, there is no radical overhaul.
Editor-in-chief Christophe Passer was not afraid to use big words when announcing the relaunch of his magazine L'Illustré: the mix of current affairs, people stories and services that his magazine will offer will be "unique". In fact, people will even "idolize" the redesigned magazine, predicted the French journalist in Ringier's in-house magazine Domo.
The Tribune de Genève newspaper from Edipresse was noticeably more reserved in its announcement of the "ambitious new concept" (in Ringier's own words): it spoke of a "change de peau", a change of skin. In plain language: a purely graphic refreshment. Now the facelifted magazine is here - and the verdict is rather sobering.
Fine fonts, subtle colors
At first glance, the slightly larger magazine (1.5 centimeters in width and height) is pleasing: The fonts on the front page and in the magazine have become finer, serifs and subtle colors dominate instead of black and white bold print as before. Ex-Miss Switzerland Melanie Winiger smiles invitingly - if a little demurely - from the front. Inside the magazine, the expanded table of contents signals a new tidiness. But on closer inspection, a question soon creeps to the fore: is this really the "nouvelle formule" as it is advertised?
Although there are new pages on the omnipresent topic of wellness, every major daily newspaper offers such additional benefits these days. Smaller changes in the service section, such as the new car page and travel tips, are hardly noticeable. What is striking, however, are the numerous archive photos - actually an absolute taboo for a magazine that claims to have an extraordinary visual language.
"No real change of concept "In general, it seems that Illustré still suffers from one problem: the magazine is a general store. What Daniel Pillard, Head of Ringier Romandie, describes as "resting on several pillars" is viewed much less positively by others. "The magazine wants to please everyone," says Peter Rothenbühler, editor-in-chief of Le Matin and formerly head of the very successful Schweizer Illustrierte for a long time. This leads to the result that the
illustrated news-reportage-people- and life-help-sheet conveyed an "undecided impression".
The head of the "daily people newspaper Le Matin" of Ringier competitor Edipresse has noticed a focus on people stories in most illustrated magazines in Europe in recent years. At Illustré, on the other hand, the first issue after the relaunch has not (yet) seen any real change in concept, except that the design has become a little more "feminine and sweet".
However, for Rothenbühler, a proven people expert since his time at Schweizer Illustrierte, it is clear that the human factor will continue to play a dominant role in the magazine market in the future, especially as reality and music star television and the society press are increasingly interacting. L'Illustré at least has one advantage in this area, which guarantees that the magazine will be noticed throughout the week: a 15-page integrated TV program.
Illustré relaunch: Surprisingly, there is no radical overhaul.
Patrick Steinemann
