TV & Satellite week demolished The Field in October’s IPC Cover of The Month competition. As this is the second time the title has won in the last three months, it suggests they must be doing something right! Keep reading to find out exactly what makes the cover so good, together with some exclusive comment from the editor.
1. The photograph. It’s JAMES BOND, goddamit! Totally the face of the moment, this picture is a cracker. Never underestimate the power of eye contact. Whether in a crowded bar or on a newsagents rack, at the most basic human level eye contact reassures us all of our ‘aliveness’. Eye contact lets us feel close to the subject, as well as offering the opportunity to identify with them. With James Bond, this is a particularly potent fantasy, as all Englishmen like to think there is a little bit of Bond in them. I’m sure plenty of Englishwomen fantasise about much the same thing…
2. The subject matter. Quite what Bond has to do with this week’s TV schedules is not immediately clear, but in this instance it’s all about taking advantage of a genuine phenomenon. Here’s Editor Jonathan Bowman: ‘The Southbank Show we tagged the story on was nothing to get excited about, but two days before press day it was a choice between him or Harry Hill. Even I can see that an international superstar might have a bit more newstand traction than a bald bloke in specs! The only two other shows I might have considered were the new series of Desperate Housewives (which tanked last time I ran it on the cover) and The Sarah Connor Chronicles (which is a mite too culty and, frankly, a bit pish)’.
3. The colour way. Restricting the colour palette is a sure fire way of making TV & Satellite Week feel like the premium choice in the listings market. This design draws heavily from Grazia’s use of a single spot colour, which makes the cover feel posh, whilst delivering terrific newstand stand out. For a title which has to be enjoyed by both men and women, orange works both ways.
4. Economy of content. There’s just four stories on this cover, much more in keeping with the top end celebrity news weeklies, than traditional TV listings titles. Not withstanding Jonathon’s earlier comments, they are all well chosen, designed to deliver a real spread of appeal to both men and women, without complicating the cover.
5. The design structure. The title was recently redesigned by TV Times Art Director Steve Fawcett, who’s done a first class job. The key brand message is above the logo, highly visible, but ring-fenced from the other messages, so neither corrupt the other. The hot spot delivers Harry Hill as the second, solid reason to buy, whilst the Sarah Connor Chronicles balance out the design in the bottom right, leaving the main cover line to be visible in leading left edge displays.
6. The typography. The font used is TF Forever, originally placed in the title by Development Art Editor Richard Scott back in 2006. The development team wisely chose to retain it, as it has terrific precision, high readability and just the right amount of attitude. It’s also used in Heat, which is no bad thing. It’s well handled here by Art Editor Paul Breckenridge, understated, with just the right amount of emphasis on the Bond line via the italics.
7. Confident editing. And knowing your market. Here’s Jonathan again: ‘For the picture our inclination was to go for Bond in Quantum of Solace, but nothing had quite the right impact. We then got our hands on some newish Rankin portrait shots which we all fell in love with, but Craig’s US agent wouldn’t give us clearance to use them. The shot we finally opted for was not exclusive (nor, I have to admit, as new as we would have liked), but it was certainly striking (those eyes!) and would, we felt confident, stand out on the shelf. By this point, I should add, we were pretty certain that Radio Times and Total TV were working on Craig covers, too, and so were trying to second-guess what sort of picture they would be going with’.
TV & Satellite has been selling well since the redesign. It’s too early to say how this one will do, but early monitoring suggest that it’s over plan and over budget, which in today’s climate speaks volumes. Top work fellas!