The Big Issue in Scotland has redesigned itself in a bid to mount a 2008 challenge on the readerships of Scotland's publishing big boys.
Featuring a new colour layout, refreshed news section and a palette of fresh columns and features, the street paper sold by a network of homeless vendors has made the move in an attempt to throw off the "dull but worthy" tag which has long dogged it.
"In the past people have bought The Big Issue because they felt they ought to. My aim is for them to buy it because they want to, and we've invested a lot of work into coming up with a modern design that reflects the kind of magazine that we are and makes people feel welcome when they open it," said editor Paul McNamee.
"We have a big responsibility to our vendors, and we want them not only to be happy to sell The Big Issue, but to be proud to do so."
Appointed editor in September, McNamee wants the redesign to mark the beginning of a new stage of the Big Issue in Scotland's development. The street paper's weekly sale has increased year-on-year to 30,000, and with the editorial team confidently expecting to shift 100,000 copies over the festive period, is well placed to embark upon a year of improvements across the board.
New features and columnists are to be introduced as the magazine expands its retinue of freelancers and continues with what McNamee sees as the continued improvement of the publication's content. Looking forward, he also intends to redevelop The Big Issue website, abandoning the long-held viewpoint that publishing online would ultimately harm the homeless vendors upon which the enterprise is founded.
"It's all about moving forward. Our sales are already approaching those of some broadsheets and we'll do our best to overtake them," he said.
"We will not forget our community or the need to give a voice the people that the mainstream media ignores, but we do want to change the way people perceive the magazine. Too many people seem to have read The Big Issue 10 years ago and think that means they know what it is today. We want to shake that up and show people that dealing with serious issues doesn't have to be boring."
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