G&G- Gadgets & Gizmos for the mass!

I remember just a decade ago when we had a very few magazines on technology & gear and those used to categorized specifically as ‘niche’ magazines. Now scenario is completely changed and gadgets & gizmos are reached from a geek’s hands to a layman’s pocket! This wider reach of technology has forced the publishers to tweak their existing ‘technology’ magazines towards mass or they are launching new magazines in this space.

The India Today Group has launched recently a monthly magazine – G&G (Gadgets & Gizmos) for mass… or ‘focused’ larger audience in the same space after testing the water by putting special editions with the same title in the past. Now, launch of this title as a regular monthly magazines clearly shows that India Today Group has gauged the scope of this product.

Content
G&G is clearly a gadget magazine which talks about tech products ranging from mobiles to music systems, cameras, computers, laptops, projectors, TVs and fans-refrigerators-watches also. In fact, the broad range of products deviates G&G for being ‘focused’ on its subject. Number of reviews, promotions, press releases give it a look of little bigger product catalogue of any electronic retail outlet at first glance.

G&G has a minimal of information on gadgets’ usage & applications, everything is product information only (as oppose to its positioning of telling ins and outs of gadgets & getting the most out of gadgets).

Editorially G&G is structured poorly and that thoughtless skeleton is visible throughout the magazine.

Design
Layout & Design alone as it is can’t do much if content is not structured properly, and in G&G it is even worse. Same ‘thought’(lessness) is visible in the design of this magazine. Typefaces & basic design elements chosen are aged which are looking out of the place along with the latest gadgets. Design elements are created unnecessarily that could be removed to make it simple & neat layout.

Inconsistency is the only thread which starts right from the cover itself and goes ‘consistently’ up to the last page of the magazine.

In the entire magazine, the ‘human’ connect is missing though G&G is made to attract every single consumer. G&G seems like a product made by using online image banks only.

Printing
Since G&G is carrying most of the product shots (probably sourced by the companies) only, pictures are looking good but absolutely lifeless. Printing is OK on most of pages but looking very bad in some pictures because of lower LPI.

Product
G&G is priced at Rs.50 as a monthly magazine of approximately 120 pages of information on gadgets. If it is compared with its other ‘near’ competitors, it’s a good product in tech space that gives you a wide range of consumer buying information at one stop. Low price can be a great advantage for ‘no-frill’ G&G to compete with others magazines in the same segment.

Looking at the quantity of information G&G is a good value for money if you can compromise on the presentation of content.

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Livingetc: It’s for style but it’s not stylish!

Britain’s best selling homes magazine, Livingetc is launched last month in India. This Indian edition is launched by Images group (also publishers of ‘m’, ‘BoF’, ‘FnL’, FnL Central, Images Retail-Hindi & English, Progressive Grocer, Salon etc.) via a licensing agreement with IPC media.

Though Indian market has already a couple of magazines in this space, Livingetc has its own vertical of ‘fashionable & stylish homes’. Editor-in-Chief Amitabh Taneja believes that India is now ready to have a magazine with this positioning. Indian edition of livingetc is edited by Executive Editor, Mridula Sharma who had an association with ‘Design Today’, ‘Better Homes & Gardens’ and ‘Inside Outside’ magazines.

Content
As it is claimed to be fashionable & stylish, Livingetc is divided into major sections- shopping, inspirational homes & ideas for decorations. Apart from these food & travel articles also there in the magazine to make it complete relaxed living magazine.

Launch issue of Indian Livingetc is carrying a balanced mix of UK & local content. Though for the stylish factor it hardly matters, but poor photography of local stories increases the gap between the both. To showcase the fashionable & stylish homes, it becomes essential to have more number of photographs. And that’s where writers get confused to write text & structure of an article gets messed up. Same happened in most of the articles in Livingetc, despite of putting useful information; it is become difficult to navigate the article.

Design
Because of poor structure of article, it becomes problematic to create a scribble for that article. In Livingetc, designers & layout artists must have juggled a lot to put a complete article- words, illustrations & photographs all together on pages. That is why it has lot of inconsistencies & silly mistakes in design. There are lots of fonts, styles and effects are used in layouts which are only creating clutter on the pages instead of leading readers. And because of too many things it leaves scope of errors (that too on cover itself).

Colors used on the cover for launch issue are good but the photograph is not reflecting the ‘positioning’ of Livingetc. Even the layout for cover stories is not impressive. It has lot of variations in styles, effects, typo, sizes which shows lack of discipline in design. Yes, Master Head is looking good on the cover.

Printing
Like other magazines from Images Group, Livingetc also has excellent printing. Its just flawless, from cover to cover everything is printed perfect. Color reproduction is brilliant. Prepress work is also good, all the photographs are printed well (despite the fact that few of photographs themselves are poor).

Product
If I look at paper quality of Livingetc, it is OK but this product is not justifying its positioning. Size of magazine might have international constraint but it could be better product by taking little bit better paper. Livingetc is perfect bound magazine of around 150 pages and it is priced at Rs.100.

If photography, design & presentation of Livingetc can be improved, then its content is just fine to create its own niche in Indian market space. The product (the magazine) itself should be as stylish as its readers profile is who prefer to buy premium products for their homes.

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Design & Layout ........: ●●◐○○
Printing ......................: ●●●●○
Product ......................: ●●●○○
Value for Money .........: ●●●○○
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‘VIRDI’CT ....................: ●●●○○
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How to use ‘VIRDI’CT..??
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●●●○○ Buy it occasionally
●●●●○ Buy regularly
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