Mine magazine arrived this weekend, and while I dug a few of the articles, Mine was less than inspiring. I craved a cohesive piece. Instead, it felt like five magazines hacked down and slapped together with crazy glue. Each section featured different body copy, headline styles and even folios. Not to mention an ugly white line that ran on the lower third of almost every page (clearly no Jozy at Mine press check.)
If I had it my way, “My Magazine > My Way” would have:
- Put headlines on the cover to capture my attention.
- Subbed the Time story on kids and exercise for something more, um, timely.
- Updated travel stats from 2007.
- Not wasted five pages on introducing each magazine section; I want content, not content dividers.
I just hope Time Inc. doesn’t expect the Mine model to be the savior of print. To draw readers and, in turn, advertisers, Mine content would have to be fresh, truly relevant and absent even the slightest hint of recycling. If not, I’ll go find my diverse and timely content online or in a newspaper (God willing, as long as they last).
– Caroline Hatchett