ABOUT

Concept:

Create a local magazine for the promotion of music and the arts in the Chelmsford area, including a logo, marketing assets and the layout of the magazine itself for the first 7 issues, with a gradual handover to the magazine's own design team. The main goal of this magazine was to increase awareness of Chelmsford's music and arts scene, to support that scene by breathing new life into it and to stimulate interest in and attendance of live events by the population of Chelmsford.

Execution:

The logo's design took the form of a recognisable emblem, with a nod to the County Town's history of being the birthplace of radio, being the home of Marconi Radar. Panic Magazine was initially intended to be a black & white publication, so the logo had to be bold and strong, as did the magazine's layout. This held true for all marketing materials, POS and event literature.

The magazine itself contained numerous articles, reviews, regular spots, gig listings, maps and ad space, from which Panic Magazine was funded. Various writers, artists and photographers contributed content and material to fill the magazine's pages, all of which was compiled by the editor, who supplied me with everything I needed to produce the various pages, spreads, cover art and advertisements that made up the magazine.

I designed a number of icons to represent each section of the A5 booklet, which varied in extent from 16 to 32 pages. There was a double-page Gallery spread, exhibiting local artists, feature articles, demo and gig reviews, puzzles, genre-specific top 10s, interviews, questionnaires, event listings and more.

I produced 7 full issues, published on a monthly basis and distributed to venues, stores and magazine stands in and around Chelmsford, before handing over the reigns to a small team of designers and artworkers who took over the task of producing the magazine when they felt confident of the styling and layout.

In the course of those 7+ months, I also produced flyers, posters, event programmes, stationery and various marketing assets, all keeping within the styling guidelines I had produced for the magazine, thereby reinforcing the magazine's brand.

Result:

Panic Magazine ran for over 5 years in print before moving to an online format in 2011, with its own dedicated website, after which it continued to build a strong following of readers, as well as a popular Facebook group.

During this time, the magazine initiated, with great success, a number of music- and art-related events, taking place over several days and at numerous venues, offering entertainment throughout the day and evening, from live bands and solo acts, to art and photography exhibitions, with the involvement and support of the local Council's Public Entertainment department.

A few years after its launch in 2006, the magazine had become an institution for the local music scene and began the annual Panic Awards event, where local artists, band and musicians were entered into a competition, incorporating a public vote and a panel of judges. This event continues to run each year and is a mainstay of the local creative community.