Artyfacts has been in existence since 1994, and the format has remained unchanged: a four-page monthly arts information leaflet focusing on local events, projects and organisations in Northamptonshire. It is free to anyone who wants it and nobody ever complained. So why did we spend two months undertaking research before re-launching it in June 2001 as a magazine? asks George Longland.
Two reasons really. First, Artyfacts needed a bit of a facelift ? images could rarely be used because of the quality of the print, and ink splodges kept appearing on the final product that were never there prior to print. Second, we needed to connect with the readership. Sure, nobody was complaining, but nobody was saying anything. Did Artyfacts still appeal to readers? Did it even make it out of the envelope it arrived in? A questionnaire was sent to readers and with a 25% response rate (encouraged partly by the free prize draw for a curry night out with the arts team), we discovered some pretty heartening stuff.
In answer to the question ?What is the most useful part??, more than half stated that the snippets of information were important to them, with just over 20% saying that ?all of it? was useful. One of the most interesting findings was that Artyfacts served, as one reader described it, a ?community of interest?. That is, those who don?t necessarily practise or participate in the arts because of financial, geographical or physical circumstances, but who share an interest. Local arts-based media was perceived as weak. As one reader put it, ?I don?t have a clue what is happening in the county arts scene without Artyfacts.? Response indicated strong reader loyalty and a sense of local ownership. In answer to the question ?What is the least useful part??, just over 78% either left a blank space or wrote ?Nothing?.
From this information we could have left well alone and forgotten any fancy ideas for change. However, readers were also offered a menu of features that they might like to see in future issues ? funding information, websites, jobs, artist features, project features, a discussion forum and a letters page were all offered, and every respondent ticked at least one box. So , the message was clear: ?Keep doing what you?re doing, just do more??
Retaining the balance between snippets of information and longer articles was considered vital, and by increasing the number of pages to 12 we were able to introduce two new full-page features: a starting point for interactive debate, engaging our new-found communities of interest and promoting worthy projects or initiatives. We placed images on most pages and gave the design a more professional feel. The language remains informal. Terrible jokes are encouraged based on the possibly ill-founded belief that humour breaks down more barriers than words like ?partnership?, ?sustainability? and ?performance indicator?. We introduced a new contacts list on the back page (which has already been spotted around the county on arts office pin boards) and have a regular ?My Kind of Life? feature on local artists, as well as Neil?s Bedtime Read literary review.
The response has been positive. Altering the style, length, format and content has caused a shift in the overall function of the publication. From being a valuable source of arts information, it has now become a significant tool for promoting the arts and artists of Northamptonshire. However, all makeovers come at a cost and Artyfacts has been no exception: the graphic designer, the publishing package, the high-resolution printing? Tackling this has been thorny.
The first solution has been to reduce the number of issues to four a year and the second is to look towards advertising. The questionnaire told us that 32% of readers would consider purchasing advertising space and, by keeping rates low and offering a wide range of packages, with any luck we?ll recoup enough costs to become a bi-monthly magazine within two years. In the meantime, we are looking towards monthly update emails, but want to tread carefully in the hit (useful nuggets of vital information) and miss (useless essays of crap) arena.
Implications surrounding marketing the product also arose. If Artyfacts is to be promotional, then it needs to be visible. Prior to the research it was only available in libraries or on request to individuals. Now it is available in arts venues throughout Northamptonshire, and since its re-launch we have a further 50 individuals on the mailing list. The issue of charging for Artyfacts keeps cropping up and this may come about if we make moves towards larger retail outlets, but for now this still makes me uncomfortable.
George Longland is Arts Information Officer for Northamptonshire County Council. t: 01604 233122
e: glongland@northamptonshire.gov.uk