Department-Theme Proposals

January 22, 2007

Each quarter POISEfashion devotes two weeks for content brainstorming in the form of departmental theme proposals and story-specific presentations.

Tonight, the first week of the two, was the chance for POISE staffers to propose their department’s theme ideas for our Spring 2007 issue.

This is how proposals work:

Each department (fashion, health, beauty, entertainment, and life&love) has a week to develop five themes for their section in the upcoming issue. Once they have created five themes, they have to develop broad content ideas for each of their five themes. These broad ideas demonstrate the strengths of their themes by providing possible editorial and visual concepts, and sources to be used.

Once the departments brainstorm and package their ideas, they have 10-15 minutes to verbally and visually pitch them to the entire staff. Whether it is through PowerPoint, appropriate dress, posters, etc., staffers are responsible for effectively selling their content to each other.
It's important that they effectively market their ideas, because the entire staff has the opportunity to ask questions, make comments and suggestions, and offer constructive criticism through a five minute open forum.

After thorough discussion, we vote (as a staff) on the three best themes for each department, which turn into the premise for the upcoming week's content presentations.

As always, the Fashion department started our meeting with their proposal, which was fully equipped with visual aids including a fashionable poster-board, layout ideas, and color palettes.

Check out their proposal outline (below):

Fashion, Spring 2007
Melissa, Jessica, Erin
Theme Proposal

1. How to Wear…
The How to Wear theme will be a guide for readers to try new styles and trends. Every fashion magazine features the newest and edgiest trends that leave the average woman wonder, could I wear that? Each section will guide readers to try the new trends from the runway that will look best on them, and how to coordinate the rest of their appearance around the style. We will offer the confidence necessary to try something new, without going overboard!
Page ideas include: Stripes, Bubble skirts, Metallic clothing and accessories,Sundresses, Layering

2. Dressing Up Spring
When the weather warms up, so do most wardrobes. After the sweaters and winter coats are put away, the spring weather encourages most to dress up their everyday attire after months of bulky layering. Our readers will spend most of winter quarter wearing hooded sweatshirts and not worrying about their appearances as much. This theme will bring them out of the winter blues and show them some quick ways to put a new touch on their appearance.
Page ideas include: Dressing up for class, but not over the top, Day to night wear – simple outfit adjustments, Pairing vintage with high fashion piecesUsing jewelry to perk up an outfit, Improving work-wear

3. Shopping Savvy
When most of us head to the mall or our favorite retailer, we are usually “just looking around” and do not have a shopping plan. This theme will give our readers an agenda to make the most of their shopping trips. By keeping this helpful advice in mind, they will be able to add to their wardrobes without adding much debt.
Page ideas include: Splurge vs. scrimp – knowing which pieces are worth the price, Wardrobe planning – making lists of what you “need” and “want”What to wear when shopping, Salesperson EtiquetteTaking notes – following the sales and learning about fabrics and workmanship

4. Sun Wear
With spring and summer not far away, this also means the sun won’t be far away for long either. Proper clothing and accessories for staying out in the sun could make a difference between a bad sunburn and healthy skin. Our tips will help our readers avoid the harsh consequences of the summer sun.
Page ideas include: Sunglasses, Hats, Sundresses, Beach cover-up, Day to night – when the sun
goes down

5. Funky Florals
After the 80s passed, it seemed floral prints were also out. However, New York Fashion Week proved that florals will be making a comeback this spring with a twist. We will be following designers who will be implementing floral patterns into their designs, and inform readers which affordable retailers will be carrying similar items, as well as show them how to wear it.
Page ideas include: Looking feminine, not girly, New ways to wear floral, Designers with floral collections, Floral apparel in Athens, How to put a twist on an old favorite

Staffers voted to see more of #1 (with elements of #2 incorporated throughout), #3 (presented in an original way - this was done in InStyle last month), and #5.

Health went next, presenting general ideas rather than themes, as health is a theme inside itself. Health's “themes” included “How to combat the common cold,” “Plan B/Birth Control,” “Alternate Forms of Exercise,” “Bad Spring Break Dieting Techniques,” “How to be Healthy on Spring Break,” “Myth v. Fact,” and “Fashions for a Healthy Lifestyle.” We chose to combine elements of “Myth v. Fact” with the health controversies of “Plan B/ Birth Control.”



After Health went Beauty. They created a wonderful PowerPoint presentation, which after much frustration, wasn't workable (due to technical difficulties with the projector). Alanna improvised by drawing content diagrams on the board - not as effective, but we've learned to work with what we can in times of need.



Beauty pitched ideas about “Braving the Weather,” in which different hair-styles and makeup tips for different types of weather would be presented, a “Hair IQ” theme that would provide a pictorial step by step of different hair styles that a lot of people don’t know how to do that have never tried, an exciting “Beauty Spread” that was florally focused, a “Word on the Street” survey of beauty essentials from OU ladies, and a theme that focused on “Getting Ready for Spring/ Summer break.”

The Hair IQ ideas impressed us so much that we wanted to see them as an entire Beauty IQ theme. The Spread was an obvious do.

Entertainment was next, and had the task of presenting the regulars (Eyes Off and the Quarter Calendar) in a new way, along with other original theme ideas, including “Music Features;” “Celebrity Look-a-likes;” “Reviews” of Latitude 39, Noir, Fig Leaf, The Other Place, CDs (March), DVDs (March), Books v. Movies, and/or Outer Glow; summer/spring “Travel;” an interactive Quiz; a survey of “10 Things POISE Couldn’t Live Without This Quarter;” and an introduction to the Creative Writing Contest.

Staffers enjoyed the ideas of reviews, and combined many of the themes together. We also really enjoyed the staff survey. We look forward to next week's in-depth presentations.
Finally, Life&Love presented a new and much improved proposal.

This was the staff's favorite pitch, as it really gets to the point of what POISE is about. We had a tough time eliminating any of the theme ideas because they were all absolutely fabulous. We tweaked them slightly, and came up with the following for next week:

“The New Socialite, which will focus on the fall in popularity of crazy party girls (Paris, Lindsay, etc.) and why the classic POISEd girl never goes out of style.”

“The Game of Life, based on the board game, discusses issues we will be dealing with in the very near future. These are topics that all POISEd girls are already thinking about, or should be. Page ideas include:Financial Know How, Gender Roles, and How to land the internship of your dreams.”
and the final theme was:“The Party Theme incorporates all aspects of love, life and relationship by using a party setting. Everyone loves a good party.”

We have such great content presentations to look forward to. Next week we'll get a deeper look into what POISE will hold next quarter.

Finishing School
Take another look at the proposals, and then look at what we chose.
-What is your favorite theme?
-Did we cut something you would have liked to have seen? What?

Board Meeting

January 12, 2007

Jen and I met for a very professional “Board Meeting” today at Perks. This is our self-proclaimed office, which works out nicely because I love smoothies and pastries, and Jen needs a bit of a pick-me-up between class and practice.

It’s crazy how Jen and I connect when it comes to POISE. We share the same goals, both current and future, and the overall vision of what POISE should be. Of all the staffers, I trust Jen without a doubt to lead POISE in the direction I envisioned two years ago when I started it. I wish she could actually take over for me, but unfortunately, she’s also a junior, which poses a question we talk about frequently: Who will take my place when I graduate next year?

We always discus this with hesitation, as we both have a deep connection to POISE, a connection and enterprise that we hope to continue together after graduation – with the help of my fabulously professional Uncle Mark. Both Jen and I have two very talented ladies in mind. Combined, they form our ideal Editor-in-Chief, as they share both the editorial expertise and leadership capabilities, along with the vision of and passion for POISEfashion. Individually, though, they are simply exceptional staff members, lacking one of the two components needed to carry on the POISE legacy.

“What if we just combine them?” Jen suggested.

After a bit of deliberation, we decided it wouldn’t hurt to try, but, we also decided that before we inform either of our staffers, we want to observe them from an interviewer’s perspective. So over the next few weeks we’ll be taking inventory as to how well they develop content and handle situations. Come mid-term time, we’ll have our answer.

We hope to have a lot accomplished (or at least started) by mid-terms. Our biggest (and what I consider to be the most exciting) venture is to expand the POISEfashion network. This is the first step (of many, I assume) to making POISEfashion a world-wide student-based Webzine, and professional print publication.

Jen and I decided that it would be best to target universities with accredited journalism and/or visual communication schools, as these would be the places students would a.) show the most interest, and b.) need the experience and portfolio opportunities. So we decided our first assignment is to compile a list of accredited comms schools and go from there.

Planning for Spring Training is also another major task we hope to prepare by mid-quarter. Because I'm leaving, I want to make sure that Jen isn't completely overwhelmed with managing POISE, so it's important that we organize next quarter's events. Assignment #2: create a list of workshops, speakers, and activities for Spring Training.

After light planning, we concluded that in order for Spring Training to really be effective, we'd need to make a general style guide for staffers to familiarize themselves with while preparing to work for POISE. We would like this workbook to function like a style-guide/ media kit, which will include our mission statement and dynamic; a general overview of what POISE is, how it started, and what it hopes to provide; editorial formulas and content guidelines; staff responsibilities and standards; and common grammatical mistakes and ethical considerations, among other things. Fortunately, both of us have already begun doing this, as we've spent countless hours planning for a future with POISE, and editing the work of our fellow staffers. Our final assignment is to create a style guide, along with a “how-to” book with examples and helpful tips.

We spent nearly an hour and a half discussing where we'd like to take POISE in the future. We have a ton of work to do, but with the help of one another, and a devoted staff, we're confident that it will be worth it in the end.

We ended our meeting with anticipation of what's to come - especially because our next staff meeting is when each section presents its content proposals for our upcoming issue. The fun (and work) begin from there - the amount of both is up to our staffers.

FINISHING SCHOOL
Jen and I hope to make POISE's network global.
-What do you think would encourage students to start an edition on their campus?
-How do you think we could spread the word about POISE and strengthen its popularity?

Proposals are when our staffers really show us what they're made of.
-If you were a POISEfashion staffer, in which section would you want to propose an idea (fashion; health; beauty; entertainment; life&love)? What would you propose?
-As a POISEfashion reader, what would you like to see in our next issue?

Back to Work, Back to School

January 8, 2007

We (the 20+ POISEfashion staffers) held our first meeting tonight after a much needed six-week winter holiday. I say much needed because the publication of our third issue was absolutely exhausting – but for good reason, as it was by far our most professional, interactive, and successful issue thus far. Take a look at our archives to see for yourself.

Our first issue, Fall 2005, was our test issue. It barely had a contents page, let alone the intricate photo shoots and interactive options we started experimenting with in later issues.

We overloaded visual elements in our second publication, Spring 2006, with much-improved photos, graphically-created images, and head-banners that experimented with fonts, colors, and design. We also included 31 stories, an impressive increase from just 21 in our first issue, an actual Contents page, an easier, more recognizable navigation bar, and ads incorporated through Google AdSense, which has to date made us a $31.76 profit (hey, we’re still beginners).

What we were lacking, though, even with all of these improvements, was dynamic. Who were we? What set us apart from the rest - both as a magazine and as a magazine staff? In order to establish our dynamic, we raised our standards by creating a Staff Agreement Contract, an intensive Spring Training Program, and a rigorous application process. In doing this, both current and potential POISE staffers were essentially weeded out, leaving the remaining to create what we, as a staff, wanted to world to associate with POISE. We developed a finely-crafted mission statement, but more importantly, we established our content dynamic, though the use of online fundamentals, including site unity, hierarchy, contrast, and consistency, as well as important audience features, such as increased interactivity, and better audience control.

After rigorous preparation, Fall 2006 illustrated all of these elements. We maintained unity and consistency through the use of color, type font and size, and primary and secondary nav bars. Pages were designed with our audience in mind – an avid magazine reader and Internet user - meaning we’d have to combine basic print and Web layout concepts. Each page provided contrast and hierarchy through the use of placement, graphics, popups, and outside information.

We even implemented a “next page” element, which gave POISE readers the option of either reading the Webzine as it would appear in print, or clicking and choosing where they’d like to go, as they would do on a normal Web page. We also added a mast, and an “About Us” page to really get our dynamic across.

As I infamously do during our meetings, I seem to have gotten off track. Where was I? Oh, yes – the meeting. As I was saying, we had our first meeting since publishing our Fall 2006 issue, and what pleasure it was to meet again as a staff. I think we were all very proud of what we’d created, and how far we’ve come thus far.

In hopes of continuing our progress, we discussed our strengths, weaknesses, and future goals. A reoccurring topic seemed to center around two of our departments: Entertainment and Life. They have been our less-emphasized pages, thus contributing to the biggest source of weakness. In an attempt to showcase the huge story and audience appeal potential they encompass, we decided to focus on them more by redesigning and revamping each their page’s content.

We continued by looking at our upcoming agenda, and what it holds for Spring 2007. Each quarter, I create a syllabus-like document for POISE staffers that has important dates, deadlines, and general staff should-knows. I refer to this (usually with hesitation, as things frequently change) regularly during meetings and staff communications. In addition this document, I require staffers to send me a copy of their schedules so I know when they are available for POISE functions, and a copy of their grades, as it is in the Staff Agreement Contract that staffers must maintain above a 2.5GPA to participate in POISE production and publication.

I concluded our meeting by assigning staffers to departmental sections, and announcing Deputy and Photo Editors. Because I recently was accepted into the Avignon study-abroad program during spring quarter (and because Jen has been absolutely fabulous throughout POISE’s existence), I also announced that former Deputy Editor Jen Ator would be taking my place while in France, and would permanently be taking on the responsibility of Vice President and Senior/Assistant Editor. Jen and I plan to meet every Friday in our very posh office – Perks.

FINISHING SCHOOL:
Compare our first three issues for yourself.
- What do you think is our biggest improvement?
- What are we still missing – what can we do to spark your continued readership?

Although it is a large part of our Webzine, POISEfashion isn’t just about fashion. Our mission states that the name implies living in a POISEd fashion, not that have a sense of fashion is POISEd.
- Do you think our name restricts our audience capabilities?
- Would POISE be more effective if it were standing alone? Why or why not?

Welcome to A POISEd Life.

Hello, and welcome to the only insider's guide to creating and publishing a student-run fashion magazine.

As founder and current President and Editor-in-Chief of POISEfashion, Ohio University's first and only fashion magazine (www.poisefashion.com), I am thrilled to present you with the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Join us in our journey toward publication through the presentation of behind-the-scenes photos, official POISEfashion documents, and interviews with POISE staffers, models, and professional contacts. This sneak-peak of POISE will help you to feel like a real staffer, and will give you a better understanding of what it means to live A POISEd Life.

While I start this blog as an independent assignment for an online journalism class, it will continue to be a work-in-progress for as long as I continue to work with POISEfashion. Because it is a journalistic blog, I will possess complete control over editorial content and judgment, and thus promise to uphold the ethical standards and integrity applied to all journalists. In addition, I will present my blog in a fashion that both maintains the high standards of being associated with POISEfashion, and adheres to the rules and regulations that appear in the POISEfashion Staff Agreement Contract.

Because your questions and comments will help the POISEfashion enterprise grow and improve its content and workings, your feedback (both negative and positive) is not only welcomed, but encouraged as well.

Without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce you to A POISEd life. I hope you enjoy.