When I got my first issue of Alberta Venture (AV) for the New Year, I noticed right away that there was a completely different look and feel to the magazine. Not only has the masthead changed, no longer giving Alberta and Venture equal weight, the cover paper stock is also slicker and glossier.
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| Redesigned January 2012 issue cover |
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| December 2011 issue cover |
Inside, there are new departments including a new front-of-book section called The Briefing, which is short and newsy instead of the former mini profiles. The back page column, This Way Forward, is also new, with its first incarnation written by publisher Ruth Kelly. Here she explores her entrepreneurial roots and introduces AV's theme for the year: An Exploration of our Entrepreneurial Spirit.
This is only the third time that AV has had a major overhaul, since Kelly relaunched it in 1997 after buying the name, mailing list and one issue's worth of paper from the provincial government for a paltry $100. For this redesign to happen in its 15th anniversary year was no coincidence. As stated on the AV website, Kelly says: “While the anniversary is a great reason to do it, every good magazine should go through a self-examination and understand the changing patterns in its readership on a regular basis.”
No doubt this makeover was a huge undertaking by the AV team, not least of all because boss-lady Kelly isn't one to settle for second best. Added to that, they've redesigned the website, set to launch in February.
So it's definitely a fresh start for the AV team for 2012. Congrats for a job well done and happy anniversary!
--- Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence
