Outlook Traveller gets a revamp

The travel magazine undergoes a change in its design; dons new look

The travel magazine from the stable of the Outlook group has undergone a revamp. Outlook Traveller now dons a new look with a few editorial refinements.

The magazine, which is in its 10th year, has been redesigned by Mumbai based Harsh Man Rai. Rai is also the creative director of Man's World and managing editor of Rolling Stone, India.

Talking about the decision to change the look and feel of the magazine, Kai Friese, editor, Outlook Traveller, says, "The decision was taken a couple of years ago and we had spoken to a couple of designers. It took a while to implement because it is a complex interaction and I needed to take some time off to think it through myself.

"It was necessary because we saw things we wanted to change or improve as time went by. I like to think that it's a redesign that respects the established character of what was already there, while bringing a certain freshness to it, too."

He adds that though it's not a reaction, the publication always keeps an eye on potential competition. "However, our focus was on our own priorities in terms of editorial and visual quality," he affirms. Outlook Traveller will complete 10 years of its existence in June 2011.

The cover story of the revamped issue has more usage of typographical elements highlighting its contents. Every section of the new issue has been tweaked or treated differently. There are new elements in many sections of the magazine. Also, some of the sections which had fallen by the wayside - such as the travel book essays - have been reintroduced.

The integrated revamp will have many editorial refinements. The magazine has expanded its readers' advice column, Marco Polo, and created a page for readers' photographs. The magazine commands Rs 1.65 lakh for a full page colour advertisement.

Alok Srivastava, associate publisher, Outlook Traveller, says, "We did this not because of the competition but because we wanted to change a few things and bring back certain elements (sections) which had to be scrapped due to some reason or the other over a period of time." He claims that the magazine has a circulation of about 80,000 copies, out of which 50 per cent are subscription based.

Srivastava adds, "The international titles coming to India need to create a buzz - not us. For us, marketing is an ongoing process."