Background
Founded in 1882, Brighton Grammar School (BGS) is an Anglican school for boys with approximately 1270 students, based in the suburb of Brighton in the south east of Melbourne, Australia. The community journal is direct mailed to current parents, old students and local community members. The previous magazine was printed in a landscape A4 format which was a cumbersome experience, forcing a visual upgrade to better reflect the School's values.
Solution
The switch was made to portrait A5 which that was easier to use. The binding was switched to perfect binding rather than saddle stitching to create a spine and improve the chance of the user keeping the magazine for reference. Paper selection was crucial to the success of this project, with textured paper being used for the cover. The paper stock was a commodity stock which made it just as cost effective as higher end "linen" paper with a similar result. A simple yet memorable style was designed throughout. The latin words of the School "Meliora Sequamur" were used as a typographic feature on the cover, large paper spreads were interspersed with text pages. Using the A5 smaller magazine format allowed stories to be broken up into lengths that were engaging to the readers.
Results
The journal was mailed out with an invitation to the Hall of Fame dinner (see here), the dinner RSVP card and a custom flysheet using the Meliora Sequamur typographical elements. The refreshed journal has become not only an important communication tool to the local community, but a valuable promotional tool to showcase the School's new strategy and goals.
Previous magazine cover before the refresh
Previous spread before the refresh
