Bassmaster Magazine’s New Allure
OutdoorHub 06.20.12
The editors of Bassmaster Magazine, the world’s largest vertical fishing publication with a circulation of 520,000, today announced that readers will experience an all new design and content focus starting with the July/August issue.
“It has been six years since we redesigned the magazine, and we felt it was time to freshen up not only the look, but the content, as well,” said James Hall, editor of the publication.
The last redesign was rolled out in the November 2006 issue.
“The most obvious change will be how we are treating the cover, with a single-line nameplate and an overline plugging multiple stories. However, the internal alterations are what I’m most excited about,” Hall continued.
The internal changes include an expanded B.A.S.S. member-generated content focus, with six departments now including member questions, comments, tips and polls; four all-new departments; as well as improvements and modifications to the magazine’s most popular features and regular departments.
“We are really excited about the new departments. I think the ‘10 Minute Angler’ is going to become a reader favorite, as it focuses on serving how-to information for fishermen on the run. And the new ‘Triple Threat’ department may be even better received, as it identifies a common scenario anglers will run into during the month of publication and gives them three very specific ways to angle the situation,” Hall said.
The other two new departments are “Pattern of the Month” and “Destinations Quarterly.”
As for the rest of the content, the editorial team has decided to add more long-form features to the mix, as well as even shorter, bite-size stories.
“Many outdoor publications have strayed away from long features because they believe that readers will not dedicate the time to consume this sort of content. We think this is a mistake. Our goal is to not only teach anglers how to be more productive while fishing, but also to entertain fishermen. So, we are bringing the art of storytelling back to the outdoor genre. These longer features will remind us why we fish, and the ‘why’ is becoming increasingly important,” Hall continued.
The new supershort pieces will live in the magazine’s “Short Casts” section, which will mostly consist of lighthearted stories, as well as conservation news.
As for the new look, readers can expect a very clean but rich experience with the revamped use of photography, illustrations, headline treatments and overall color palette.
“Our goal was to make the magazine even more readable while enriching the experience with photos, illustrations and colors that anglers will appreciate,” said Hall. “Our audience fishes 20 times more than the average American and wants to be taken on a fishing trip, of sorts, when they open the pages of Bassmaster. With this redesign, readers need to pack their bags … we are going on some really great trips.”
A membership to B.A.S.S., which includes a subscription to Bassmaster Magazine, is available at Bassmaster.com. Bassmaster Magazine is also available on newsstands.
For images of the redesigned magazine, visit www.bassmaster.com/redesign.
