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| What has the Sunday Times Magazine and the Ikea Catalogue got in common. Well, they arrived at about the same time and I felt that they both needed to be reviewed. And why, well I have been working for over thirty years with Magazines this kind (weekly women's fashion and interior magazine Damernas Värld and VeckoRevyn and Elle and Elle Decoration, all in Sweden) and I worked with the Ikea Catalogues worldwide for over ten years. I think I know what I am talking about. Normally I love them both but this time I really felt I wanted to review them and give some feedback. I will start with the Ikea Catalogue. Well, is it a catalogue or a magazine, or an inspiration book for interiors made by Ikea? Well, it´s like they cannot make up their mind about this. As if there has been no editor in chief or an art director in charge of the whole issue. The impression I get is that there has been to many chefs to spoil the broth. The idea of home stories by different families and with the same amount of different tastes and expressions are good. But they need to feel more authentic and mixed up with more "non Ikea products". In a magazine you would quite often add pages with similar products that has been inspired by the homes. In some way Ikea has tried to do that but has resulted in follow up pages that does not correspond with the homes. The catalogue also has stillife pages themed in colours. Having and being an expert on this kind of pages I find them very unprofessional and I also wonder what they are doing in the catalogue. Trying to add inspiration? When it comes to more product specific pages, again, why not let these pages flow, use the same home/background/colourway. I also find that the whole catalogue lack continuity, from style to colours and way of shooting. Where is the AD in charge... |
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| One of the homes lived in by this middle aged couple without names. I would have wanted to get to know them a little better. |
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| The textile pages has room settings that do not come together, they could have been part of the same interior which would have made it look more homogeneous. And just to add to it - the layout is all over the place. |
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| I do wonder what this stillife is doing in the catalogue. Appalling styling and what are they trying to tell you? Strong and bold colours and too much copy writing. There has and are so much knowledge and experience around, and in Ikea to know how you get the right flow. From stylists and interior designers that has been working with the big players in this field, both in the world of magazines and advertising. Why not let them have more influence. Perhaps a advisory group including specialists within these fields, from designers to editors and art directors. |
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| Then we come to the "ad pages". Somebody came up with an idea of "Hand" ( The Adams Family) having a part here. Some ideas are better on the table than executed. This is one of them. Should have stayed on the table. |
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| Another "Hand". |
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| With Sunday Times Magazine it is another story. Kind of turning into a catalogue that could have been for Harrods or Harvey Nicols. Luxury gifts for Christmas. This year I thought was the year when the gift of the year is "nothing" or "vintage". Since I in my early career was employed by a big magazine group and know how important the ads are, there is a hidden agenda here. I remember being told on occasions during my time in the magazine world to pick products to satisfy the big buyers of the ad pages. I spy with my little eye that that is what is going on here. They have tried to fit in a couple of pages of "affordable gift" but unfortunately it just looks like a way of getting rid of some bad conscience. |
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| The week after the luxurious issue I was expecting something more adaptable to all of us but this time the theme was jewellery, expensive jewellery. I would have wanted to see gifts that you can make yourself, or the best second hand shops, and/or a story about why we should try to minimise our spending, etc, etc. I am not saying that you cannot give somebody something luxurious for Christmas but two whole magazines with the same message? That is hidden advertising to me! |
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