This issue of identity was the point behind my new logo for the world’s oldest photography magazine
The cover is critical for all magazines, but merch, now even more so. This is where the audience’s sense of identity is most firmly expressed
The old logo was neither one thing nor the other. The condensed u/lc was trying for the heft of caps as well as a conversational feel. But that fell between two stools. As did making ‘Amateur’ visibly less important than ‘Photographer’
‘Amateur’ is the only thing this brand truly owns, so they may as well get behind it and make its connection to ‘Photographer’ seamless
The goal was to make the new logo feel ‘professional’. Which is why we ended up in a completely neutral Franklin Gothic
Other fonts had more character, but ran the risk of looking too designed, trying too hard, and looking ‘unprofessional’ as a result
The previous strapline said ‘Passionate about photography since 1884’. Which says plenty about the old brand, but nothing about today’s reader
The new line, ‘Love your camera’, turns that on its head
It’s an invitation, as well as something the reader would like to hear said about them. It’s an active voice, explaining what will happen when you buy into the brand
We A/B tested it with ‘Love your pictures’. But a phone can take pictures, so it became clear that owning an actual camera was the door all readers walked through
Here’s editor Nigel Atherton’s welcome letter, which explains very well what ‘Amateur’ means to his brand today
‘Amateur comes from the Latin word for ‘lover’ (amator) and describes someone who pursues a pastime for the love of it
Today, photography has become democratised
Millions earn some income from photography, many through social media, but few make enough to actually earn a living from it
Most pros now need a side hustle to make ends meet
But nobody takes up photography because they have to, they do it because they love it
In that sense, everyone is an amateur, and Amateur Photographer is their natural home, however they pay their mortgage