IF you live in Edinburgh, look out for Edinburgh Napier’s journalism students’ new publication – Impulse.
It should be hitting cafes, bars and public spaces in the capital around about now.
I’ve been helping the students produce this annual publication, as part of their magazine module – and it is a real triumph.
I wrote, in February, about the early stages, and I stated then that it was going to be a hard slog. (I stopped short at saying it was like herding cats). Well, I wasn’t wrong. It’s been a tough journey, with some students keeping their heads down and doing the minimum amount of work, and others really getting stuck in and staying up all night to get it the magazine out.
It’s those hard-working people who will get jobs in the industry. You need a can-do attitude in the publishing world – especially now, as job boundaries are much less defined. You might get hired as a reporter on a newspaper, yet the interview you do needs to be tweeted, written up for online and print – not to mention you taking a photograph of the subject on your camera phone.
Well, most of the students came up with great feature ideas for the printed publication, using their contacts to help with photography and illustration, and kept the online offering fresh too, incorporating an events calendar to raise the website’s profile.
A strong design was implemented from the start, using bold colours and contemporary fonts. A strong nerve was needed to keep the layouts on track, but it has a fresh feel, and is easy to navigate.
Money was raised to finance the print, and the distribution will reach most parts of central Edinburgh.
It was a pleasure to see the magazine take shape, and when you see a copy, I think you’ll agree that it holds its own against a lot of paid-for publications out there.
With stunning design – plus exclusive interviews with designer Angelpixielove, musician LAW and golfer Colin Montgomerie – these students are looking very employable.
Neil Braidwood is head of CMYK magazine design and publishing company. He is also vice-chair of PPA Scotland.
