A blink. That’s all it takes for a reader to decide whether it’s worth the effort. And sadly, more and more readers are deciding it’s not. As Malcolm Gladwell points out in Blink (a book that millions of people did read), we subconsciously use our life experience and perception to decide in an instant whether something is irresistible or boring.

Most communication today fails because it is highly resistible — it fails to connect on a subconscious level. We live in an incredibly visual society, so it’s ironic that many publishers think they are purely in a words game.

Sometimes we meet clients who are prepared to put their trust in a visual partner, to help their language communicate on a deeper level. David Clark, the editor of Vogue Living, is one of these people.
 

Vogue Living: Strengthening a style icon

David approached us to help retain and build on the strength of Vogue Living magazine, an iconic interiors style bible. Paramount to the brief was the need for the magazine to more successfully connect with readers through its design.

Initially our discussions centred around the relationship between the Editor and Art Director (a subject dear to our hearts). We proposed flexible, creative ways of working with the editorial and art teams and demonstrated our approach by embedding de Luxe designers with Vogue Living for two months. To coach, mentor and train staff in more harmonious ways of working together, and to push the visual language of the magazine to be more coherent with the verbal. Since our engagement, Vogue Living has continued to grow in circulation and is still a bright spot for the publishers in a tough market place.