Getting Started with the North West ID Magazine Idea
Okay, so I had this idea kicking around for a bit. A magazine, yeah? Something focused on the North West region. I kept thinking about a name, and ‘North West ID Magazine’ kinda stuck in my head. Don’t ask me exactly what the ‘ID’ meant at first, maybe ‘identity’ or ‘ideas’, or maybe it just sounded kinda punchy. Anyway, decided to actually try and make something, see where it went.
Gathering the Bits and Pieces
First off, I didn’t have a grand plan. I just started pulling things together. Went through my old photos – you know, shots from around here, the coast, the woods, city streets when it’s raining, that sort of vibe. Grabbed some textures too, pictures of old wood, concrete, stuff like that. I also started ripping pages out of other magazines, things I liked the look of, bits of typography, how they laid out pictures. Just made a big pile of inspiration, really. Didn’t organize it much, just collected.
Trying to Make it Look Like Something
Then came the part where I actually tried to put it together. Fired up some design software I have on my computer. Nothing too fancy, just basic stuff. Started playing around, dropping photos onto blank pages, trying out different headlines. Honestly, the first few attempts were rough. Really rough. Things looked cluttered, or just plain weird. Getting the spacing right, finding fonts that felt right for that ‘North West’ feel – kinda rugged but also a bit modern – took ages. Lots of trial and error. Moved boxes around, resized pictures countless times, changed colours back and forth.
- Tried a few cover ideas first. Big photo, small title? Big title, small photo?
- Worked on an inside spread. How to make text readable over a background image?
- Played with columns, trying to figure out how real magazines make text flow nicely.
Figuring Out the ‘Content’ Vibe
While messing with the visuals, I also started jotting down actual ideas for what could be in this magazine. Needed some substance, right? Focused on stuff you’d find around here.
Things like:
- Profiles of local craftspeople, maybe a brewer or a woodworker.
- Stories about weird local history bits nobody talks about.
- Guides to out-of-the-way spots, not just the usual tourist traps.
- Photo essays showing the real feel of the place, not just postcard views.
This helped solidify the ‘ID’ part more towards the ‘identity’ of the North West. The real character, the stuff underneath the surface.
Hitting Some Walls
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Making something look genuinely professional is harder than it looks. Consistency was a big challenge – making page two feel like it belonged to the same magazine as page ten. Choosing the right photos, not just photos I liked, but ones that fit the story or the mood, was tough. And writing? Man, even writing fake headlines and intro paragraphs took way longer than I expected. Real respect for people who do this for a living.
Where It Ended Up
So, after a fair bit of tinkering, what did I actually end up with? Not a full magazine, obviously. More like a set of concept pages. I got a cover design I kinda liked, a couple of different feature article layouts mocked up with placeholder text and my photos, and a basic table of contents idea. It looks… well, it looks like a decent start. Something you could show someone to explain the idea. It’s sitting on my hard drive now. It was a good exercise, learned a lot just by doing it. Don’t know if I’ll take it further, but that was my process trying to bring that ‘North West ID Magazine’ thought into something more solid.
