DARE Magazine: Something for All Women

Leaping in with both feet, DARE magazine, a homegrown digital publication, strives to change the ways of fashion and beauty magazines by producing a publication for curvier women.

The magazine's founder, Diana Di Poce, sought to change the perspective of the industry through her thesis project. The fourth year Ryerson Fashion Communications student describes herself as being "plus-size all my life." However, despite all the fashion publications produced world-wide, she was unable to relate as there was a lack in the representation of the average woman.

Ensuring a Canadian focus was an important factor for the 22 year old. The debut edition includes the following:

• Jeanne Beker talking about her collaboration with plus-size retailer, Addition Elle
• Designer Jessica Biffi of Project Runway Canada, Karyn Johnson of fashion blog Killer Kurves and MTV Canada's Sheena Snively sharing style picks

That's only to name a few.

The magazine's focus may be geared towards plus-sized women, but Di Poce's goal is to ensure that any woman is able to gain inspiration simply by looking through the magazine. 

"[It's] just like how I pick up an issue of Elle or Flare...even though I won't fit these outfits and I won't look like these models, I still get inspiration from it."

Throughout the years, various publications and organizations have featured plus-size models in their campaigns, fashion shows and/or advertisements. For example: Elle Quebec featured plus-sized model Justine LeGault on the cover of their May issue. However, it's not a frequent occurrence. Efforts around the inclusion of the representation of the average woman are appreciated; however, Di Poce wants to see publications expand this past just a one-time occurrence. 

"I think it's important for them to do that, but it's still seen as special," she said. "This is the average woman, so why aren't we seeing these (women) on newsstands?..Why aren't we seeing that more?" 

Guidance for this project was provided by Ben Barry, Assistant Professor of Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity for Ryerson's School of Fashion. Alongside his presence in the Ryerson community, Barry is also the CEO of the Ben Barry Agency, a Toronto-based modelling agency. This agency represents models of all ages, sizes, background and abilities. 

"I think there's also resistance amongst the industry purely for institutionalized beliefs. This idea that a plus-sized woman may not be considered aspirational—even though that's very far from the truth," he said. "I think it's an industry that has followed that belief. They think that consumers all aspire to a size 2 without realizing the diversity among consumers and the diverse aspirations and diverse areas of beauty that consumers hold." 

For the time being, DARE intends to remain a digital-only publication; however, there are talks about it being expanded into a quarterly publication. 

This magazine has one major goal and that is to "show women that style has no size..." 

(via canada.com)

Recognizing Outstanding Industry Achievement

With awards season nearly upon us, it's the perfect time of year to celebrate outstanding individual achievement in our industry. Many publishing associations and awards bodies recognize individual effort from the people whose work in and contributions to Canadian magazines have made publishing an all-around better place to be.

Here are a few of this year's award-winning contributors:


Paul and Audrey Grescoe are the recipients of the Western Magazines Awards Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award. Pioneers in the Western Canadian magazine industry, they are the also first pair to win this award, which celebrates longstanding contributions by an individual to Western Canadian magazines. The award will be presented at the Western Magazines Awards gala in June.

Darlene Storey, Vice President of Consumer Marketing and Production for St. Joseph Media, has been named Magazines Canada's Volunteer of the Year for 2012. The award recognizes an individual whose outstanding volunteer contributions have had a national impact on the Canadian magazine industry, and will be presented at MagNet: Canada's Magazine Conference in June.

Stephen Trumper, editor, teacher and mentor to the Canadian magazine industry for over 35 years, is the recipient of this year's Foundation Award for Outstanding Excellence from the National Magazine Awards Foundation. This is the NMAF's most prestigious individual prize, and recognizes one person's innovation and creativity through contributions to the magazine industry. It will be presented at the National Magazines Awards gala in June.

The Canadian Society of Magazine Editors, Circulation Management Association of Canada, and Professional Writers Association of Canada will also present awards in June, including the CSME Editor of the Year, the CMC Magazine Marketer of the Year and the PWAC Editor of the Year.

The Canadian Women's Foundation Starts Its Own Magazine

The Canadian Women's Foundation recently launched its bi-annual digital publication, SHE magazine. Sharing the personal tales of women everywhere, SHE magazine brings together the female community to amplify the voices of Canadian women.

"People say they want more. I think we've really tapped into something. We've got so many stories of change and we really want to be telling them and presenting a positive, hopeful approach to the work. We want to talk about these issues in a fresh way...and let women and girls speak for themselves," said Diane Hill, editor of SHE magazine.

The Canadian Women's Foundation, a non-profit organization launched in 1991, has found over 1,300 community programs and opportunities that work to move women out of undesirable situations, such as poverty, and help them to build a strong future for themselves.

The organization relies on the help of sponsors and donations in order to produce the publication. All content within the magazine—articles, logos, illustrations—were volunteer contributions or pro bono work. Therefore, in order to acknowledge the generous contributions made by volunteers, SHE magazine profiles their contributors and acknowledges their efforts.

For its first issue, SHE circulated a limited number of print editions, but its core focus is on the digital version of the publication. SHE magazine is all about engaging its readership and making them more aware of specific issues. Topics presented in the magazine are touched upon in such ways due to the lack of knowledge in today's society regarding how to approach them. This is something that the Canadian Women's Foundation hopes to change.

"I think people really care about these issues but it's hard to know what to do," Hill said. "We want the magazine to include clear actions people can take. It can seem like it's everywhere and there is nothing we can do, and it seems sometimes like it's getting worse. We want them to support us and engage with us, but we also want to connect people to ways they can take action in their daily life."

Since the release of its very first issue, Spring 2013, the publication has received overwhelming positive responses from its readership.

Read more!

- via Mastheadonline.com

Twitter's Vine App: Useful for Magazines?

There's Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. Instagram, and many others. And now there's also Vine, the new video recording app-based social network.

Many will ask, "Did we really need another one?" But as it's turning out, there's potential for Vine to become just as popular (if not more) than some of the social networks already widely used. Many magazines have joined the network since it launched in January, and are seeing its success as a tool to engage with dedicated and potential readers.

So what's the key to using Vine for mags?

Use the power of video to bring life to your magazine. Be it behind-the-scenes footage, sneak peaks at upcoming issues, or completely original content, Vine can give your mag a boost in 6 seconds.

"No matter what industry you're in, there's an opportunity for you to give a sneak peak into the great stuff you're working on behind the scenes. It helps build anticipation, and you might find showing people instead of telling them builds a greater sense of excitement," writes Rachael Sprung at Hubspot.com, along with several other tips.

Also, PR Daily reports on 15 brands to emulate on Vine—including Wired, Rolling Stone and Lucky magazines.

Boston Magazine: From Tragedy Stems Inspiration

You likely know exactly what happened on Monday, April 15, 2013 in Boston. Escaping the news about the Boston Marathon bombings was close to impossible. Boston magazine, however, found inspiration within the tragic tale and came up with the creative cover shown below for their May issue. The story about how this cover concept came to be, after the image.

With the issue deadline fast approaching and production almost complete, tragedy struck as explosions went off mere blocks away from the Boston magazine offices. Production came to a halt as staff knew changes had to be made to the magazine, and quick. Not to mention they now needed a completely redesigned cover focusing on the marathon.

Figuring out content? That was easy.

"We initially settled on the idea of commissioning Marathon-related essays from a number of Boston writers, and then set about brainstorming ideas for illustrating that package of stories."

Now trying to figure out what to do for the cover was nothing short of a mind buster. But lo and behold, they pulled it off. But how you ask?

"...[O]ur design director, Brian Struble, and deputy design director, Liz Noftle, came up with the concept of taking shoes worn during the marathon and arranging them so that the negative space is in the shape of a heart."

This concept not only shaped their cover, but the entire package of stories related to the bombings. In the three days prior to their dead date, staff interviewed individuals from the marathon that donated their shoes for this photo. The interviews, their perceptions, their stories about what happened, about what they saw/felt/experienced...this is what gives the cover its appeal.

"To me the cover is about two things: perseverance and unity. By itself, each shoe in the photograph is tiny, battered, and ordinary. Together, though, they create something beautiful, powerful, and inspirational. Remove just one shoe and you begin to diminish, in some small way, the overall effect. Collectively, they are the perfect symbol for Boston, and for our response to the bombings," says Editor-in-Chief of Boston magazine, John Wolfson.

The first thought that comes to mind with this cover is "If shoes could talk..."

And with this issue...they can.

Read more.

*The magazine only had room for 15 interviews. The remaining stories and photographs can be found here (the page goes live Tuesday, April 30, 2013).

(via bostonmagazine.com)

Haute Time Magazine: From Digital to Print; The Best of Both Worlds

In comparison to some magazines that move from printed editions to digital copies, Haute Time magazine did the opposite. This past Monday, April 22, Haute Time launched their magazine's first printed edition.

In order to guarantee success with their print product, the company has tapped into various social platform tactics to get the word out. For example, "the brand’s first cover mogul and business strategist Tony Robbins linked the magazine to his 3 million followers and Carmelo Anthony linked to his 5 million followers." Anthony has truly helped to get the word out and make the magazine the success it is today through the use of social tools such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

So how did this NBA renowned athlete get involved with the magazine? And why?

"Carmelo came to us and told us he wanted to get involved in the media business and that he'd love to be an investor in Haute Time magazine," says co-publisher Seth Semilof. "He wanted to do a magazine for people like himself—athletes and celebrities that like to buy watches—because most watch books are very technical and boring. He's become a partner and investor."

The magazine is showing an increased amount of exclusivity. The biannual publication will be "distributed to NBA, NHL and MLB locker rooms, as well as private jets. It will also be mailed to about 14,000 homes with incomes over $5 million, in addition to over 500 luxury watch boutiques worldwide."

A word of advice from the magazine: "Online isn't just the way to go—you have to do both. If you're not strong in both you're not going to be successful..."

Read more.

(via FOLIOMag.com)

Overheard in Publishing: The 420 Times Brings New Meaning to the Term "3D Print"

"This month's issue comes with a pair of 3D glasses and features much more than just the above 3D cover. There are also photos inside that look best when wearing the specs...Even some of the issue's advertisers took advantage of the theme to also incorporate 3D into their ads."

"And fair warning to the LA Press Club. We will be submitting this issue for their awards show next year. We think it’s probably the most creative thing for a “home-grown” publication to do."

–Publishing Executive reports on the release of the 3D issue of 420 Times magazine