How to determine which redesign process your magazine should take

The Big Decision
You have finally come to grips with the fact that your magazine needs an overhaul and a redesign is eminent. You have done the market research and received everyone’s buy-in on both the editorial staff and the design team. Great. Now what? This is often decision-making time for many publications. This is the point where the team needs to decide whether they want to handle the redesign in-house or contact an outside contractor to take on the job. Ok… Now, how do you decide which is the right redesign process for you, your team and your publication? First and foremost, ask yourself: Does your team have the talent and time to pull this off? It’s a no-brainer but it has to be asked. Do you feel like your in-house creative team has the knowledge, talent and time to pull off a successful redesign at the quality level you expect? If the answer is yes, continue reading. If the answer is no (or you had to think about it way too long), go directly to the Outside Contractor section.

Staying In-House
Starting an in-house redesign allows the team an obvious high level of control over the entire process. Since it’s an in-house project, it can be controlled like an in-house project. The redesign can happen immediately and everyone on the team is there through every step of the process. Critiques can happen often and the redesign can be massaged on a regular basis as needed to get it to where it needs to be.
A big decision for the in-house staff is deciding on how to deal with the ongoing publication as the redesign is being worked on simultaneously. Time and manpower are crucial. Can your team be divided into two divisions to deal with both the current issue and the redesign? Or will your budget allow for freelancers to be hired to deal with the daily magazine production and open up your design team to concentrate on the redesign. A realistic schedule for the redesign launch is paramount to help make this decision so that you don’t stretch your team too thin, or go over budget with freelance.

One of the design hurdles with the in-house redesign is the team’s intimacy with the prior magazine design. The creative team will have to make a conscious decision to step away from what was and move forward with what will be. For some teams this is easy, for others it’s more difficult. Some creative teams are too close to the old design that it is very hard for them to step away. Make this decision early because the last thing you want is to get midway through a redesign and realize your team is just too close to it and your goals for the process aren’t being met.

The Good:
-Unlimited control and direct team involvement
-The team working on the redesign is intimate with the publication
-The in-house staff dictates the timeframe/schedule

The Bad:
-Time and manpower limitations due to the ongoing magazine work
-The team working on the redesign is intimate with the publication
-Possible lack of knowledge and experience on magazine redesigns

Outside Contractor
There are many different firms that specialize in magazine redesign and each has a different process and outlook. One of the great things about working with an outside contractor is that you get to choose who you feel is the best fit for you, your team and your budget. Working with an outside contractor can remove all of the pressure that comes with the redesign process from your team and allows them to focus solely on the ongoing magazine production until the redesign is ready to be implemented. Specialized contractors often bring a fresh perspective and tested processes into the fold. Their experience in the redesign area can often streamline the redesign and help with the organization of all aspects of the process. Obviously, working with a contractor isn’t as hands-on as an in-house project, however this issue can be easily avoided as long as the communication lines are always open. A quality line of communication between your team and the contractor can mean the success or failure of the redesign… as with most projects communication is of utmost importance.

The Good:
-Specialized in magazine redesign – it’s what they do
-Removes pressure from the in-house team
-Bring a fresh outlook and tested processes to the project
-Good communication can lead to a successful redesign

The Bad:
-More hands-off than the in-house process
-Non-communication can lead to goals not being met
-Often slightly higher cost than the in-house solution

Choosing
Choosing between an outside contractor and an in-house redesign can be difficult. Even with the general overview above, deciding which direction to take on the process isn’t always cut and dry. The key is to think through everything clearly, state your goals and make a decision based on your magazine, team, schedule and budget. Good luck.