CK Has a New Look
Friday, November 16, 2007 at 12:57PM Creating Keepsakes What’s Coming For 2008
Well, I’m uncertain of this one. The new cover looks very retro - very 1970s, if you would have asked me to say so, without reading the blurb. The cover layout topspot is gone, and instead there are promises of mini albums and other projects on the front cover - or even (shock, horror!) people. Like this one.
People! Aha, so perhaps that is a clue to my 1970s style opinion. The woman on the front cover has some lovely retro hair - almost Farrah Fawcett like. It turns out this is CK’s Scrapbooker of the Year, Elizabeth Kartchner - who does indeed look like Farrah in her Charlie’s Angels years. She’s even got clothes on to match the lamp and cabinet in her background. Is CK trying to outmode Mode Magazine perhaps. (Sorry, irrelevant Ugly Betty reference there).
Inside, it’s much cleaner and greener (sorry, whiter) with a nice new table of contents styel - so I kinda like that. But I will be intrigued to see how it looks throughout the mag, what with the 70% fullpage advertising pages which has been happening a lot recently, making actually finding an article sometimes pick and miss.
And what’s this about “Your 2008 Life Plan”? on the header. January’s edition seems to promise a lot. A great lot. My entire life, in fact. I have visions of being told exactly what photos and layouts I should be designing day by day, month by month… But I’m sure all will become clearer once the actual new look CK is out and about.
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Reader Comments (3)
I wonder if CK has thought about the precedent they are setting by featuring people on their cover? I don't know too many scrappers who would make hot cover girls (myself included!) - LOL!
So, getting down to the gritty here - if you put a model up on a cover - no matter who it might be - as scrapbookers we deal with reality right? Right? So let's see scrapbookers who's houses and scrap rooms are a blinkin' mess - who haven't been to the hairdressors for ages, because their kids have been home sick with a tummybug, and their husband is doing so much shift work he resents them spending time at home doing scrapbooking when the house is a pigsty for any time he finally gets there. Let's see real scrapbookers - just like Elizabeth, but without the matching backgrounds - and lamps - because if we're going to be presented with cover models, we at least want to know that we can identify a little with them. Let's see the non-perfect teeth but great layouts none-the-less. Let's see the bags under the eyes because of menopause or sleepless nights with a new baby. Let's see a nicely posed shot but real scrapbooking studio backgrounds - ones that the owners have probably spent the best part of a day or so tidying up because they know the photographer is coming around, but which actually look like the places those layouts were created in.
I don't go around magazines - including scrapbooking magazines now - idolising those on the front covers and thinking - wow, I want to be just like them - because of their looks. I am a forty year old woman who long ago learnt there's no point in that. I want to be able to identify my scrapbooking with being real - and the women held up to me as being of interest to me must also be profiled as a real person - allowing me to be able to speak of Farrah Fawcett hairstyles, or comments on other hot cover girls brings more of a reality to the situation than suggesting there is some kind of question around anyone's talent or otherwise. That's not at all suggesting that Elizabeth is unreal either. But you've got to admit - the first cover shot of the new look CK has somehow managed to create a matching woman with lamp approach - which probably benefits nobody.
I received my copy of the actual print mag in the mail this week. And once opened, it actually doesn't noticably - for me - look much different than previous editions. The changes in style and formatting blend in with the many adverts throughout the magazine.
CK is often held up and ridiculed within some circles in scrapbooking as being not "real" or full of layouts that the average Sally Scrappers don't do. With sometimes being out of touch with many scrapbookers. I think, like anything, that some of these opinions of others is true and others aren't. I remain a CK reader, and probably always will be - CK defines the industry in a lot of ways - from longivity to defining trends and the like - often having to do so six months or a year in advance. I wouldn't like to contemplate a scrapbooking world without Creating Keepsakes, and don't think many who spend much time in the industry would. We have suffered from having many closedowns of some decent and inspiring magazines over the last few years, and despite the criticisms of CK, I believe that the editorial panel and publishers really are dedicated towards the industry - even during some hefty times with external comments and the like. Lately, CK has obviously hit a lot of criticism outside of it's environs, obviously with the HOF problems - which I didn't really comment on. This has witnessably brought some more attention when anyone does have something to say about CK and the magazine itself - often with some people taking on a revenging angel role if some person within this appears to be criticised. I am unaware of others out there suggesting things against Elizabeth's win of the Scrapbooker of the Year thing - certainly not around how pretty or otherwise she might be. It is often difficult to extract the people from away from the actual situation at hand, and look at what the general public are actually suggesting. But suffice to say - when I talk about hair or lamps then I really only care about the actual hair and lamps on that front cover. And I also think that Katie's comment has made a great point - if CK does begin to understand it's longstanding audience - like Katie and myself - then it will as an entity, look at it's decision to feature scrapbookers on the cover - and make it a little more real.
We've watched as Primedia flagship people all changed their hairstyles over time. As Lisa and Heidi all went blonde, or streaked, or their teeth got brighter and whiter, and as all-American hollywood sometimes made an appearance on our scrapbook magazines. That happens over time, as people seek new hairstyles or looks. The comments found here, and most probably elsewhere (although I obviously can't say - as I've not witnessed them) are not an indication of negativity towards one particular person who was chosen due to her talent for a competition win and to be featured as CK's first cover model. But Katie's question is actually a good overall one - will they all be hot cover models?
Because if they are to be - then I vote for a nice handsome male scrapbooker on the front cover next time. that will certainly retain my attention. And I still say - leave the matching lamp at home.