Essay on Design Management Practice and Theory
Today, the design management plays an important part in the development of the effective approaches to marketing and brand promotion. At this point, it is possible to refer to the experience of Cover Magazine, which is a popular print media and a well-recognized brand that is renowned in many countries of the world. The popularity of the magazine is, to a significant extent, determined by the design of the magazine. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that Cover Magazines focuses on the development of both external and internal designs which are equally important for the overall success of the magazine. The combination of the external and internal design helps the magazine to attract the audience and to keep the interest of the audience high. In such a way, the audience grows interested in the magazine that creates the original, exclusive design and promotes its brand through the creation of the particular brand image. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that the development of the brand image is extremely important in the contemporary business environment because the positive brand image contributes to the rise of the popularity of the brand and customer loyalty to the brand. In this regard, Cover Magazine gains considerable benefits from the effective external and internal design which lays the foundation to the overall popularity and success of the brand.
Cover Magazine was one of the first print media that started developing the unisex design to attract both male and female audiences. In fact, this trend was absolutely new for the time, when the unisex design was introduced by Cover Magazine. The magazine introduced the new design in the 1970s, when the impact of the sexual revolution and accelerated emancipation of women accompanied by the rise of the feminist movement contributed to the elimination of barriers between genders (Gross, 1987). In such a situation, the elimination of barriers between genders gave rise to the unisex design and Cover Magazine was one of the first magazines that used the unisex design to attract both men and women. In fact, the unisex design created by Cover Magazine allowed the magazine to attract the broad audience. To put it more precisely, the use of the unisex design contributed to the increase of the target audience of the magazine almost twice. Traditionally, the magazine focused on the female audience only but the introduction of the unisex design attracted men to the magazine that increased the target audience and, therefore, sales of the magazine.
At the same time, the introduction of the new design required changes in the traditional elements of the design to make the content and external as well as internal design of the magazine attractive for men. In such a way, the design of the magazine became a compromise that attracted both men and women. Such universal approach to the design of the magazine allowed the magazine to boost its business development and increase its target audience substantially.
Furthermore, Cover Magazine became not only the fashion magazine but also the lifestyle magazine that means that the magazine focused on the creation of the lifestyle above all rather than on the promotion of fashionable trends only. In such a way, Cover Magazine again used the new approach to the development of the design. In this regard, the magazine has made the breakthrough in the development of its design and its branding policy. The focus on the creation and promotion of the lifestyle has become the mainstream in the development of the design and brand image recently, whereas Cover Magazine was one of the first brands that have started using the lifestyle-oriented design to create the design that would create the particular lifestyle in the audience. In such a way, the magazine created the long-run design strategy which allowed the magazine to breed the customer loyalty. Customers learned the lifestyle promoted by the magazine and its design and they grew accustomed to the particular design and lifestyle becoming loyal customers of the magazine.
At the same time, the magazine developed the specific design aiming at the specific audience, creating the Cover magazine for kids, men and women, such as Cover Kids, Cover Man, etc. The diversification of the target customer group of the magazine resulted in the respective changes of the design of the magazine. At the same time, changes in the design of the magazine opened wider opportunities for the magazine to attract a larger customer group. In such a situation, the magazine has eventually managed to focus on the large audience, including not only the youth, which is the traditional customer group for fashion magazines, but also for adults in the forties and even fifties (Orecklin, 2004). Moreover, today, the magazine aims at kids too that means that the magazine forms its audience from the early childhood since children, who are accustomed to read the magazine in their childhood are likely to continue reading the magazine in their adulthood. In addition, they may even attract their own children to reading the magazine since the magazine’s design for kids attracts children. If parents purchase the magazine for children and if children see their parents reading the magazine on the regular basis, they may also grow interested in the magazine and become attracted to it.
Cover Magazine has a stable structure and covers key areas that contribute to the creation of the specific lifestyle of people (Barringer, 1999). The monthly issue includes normally the following elements: Latest within fashion and art; Music, Food, & Literature Tips; Beauty & Lifestyle; Travel; Interview; and this structure and style are maintained steadily for years. The stable structure contributes to the high quality internal design of the magazine because editors and contributors of the magazine know perfectly what customers expect from them and they know what to deliver to customers to meet their needs and expectations. At the same time, the current structure of the magazine is truly universal because it contributes to the development of effective approaches to the magazine design and helps to create the specific lifestyle that readers can trace throughout every story and part of the magazine. In such a way, the magazine contributes to the formation of the target lifestyle and attracts the audience due to the distinct and authentic lifestyle which is the distinct feature of Cover Magazine.
Essay on Design Management Practice and Theory part 2
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