Now shows off its cleaner, fresher look

Media brand Now
Owner IPC Media
What's happened? Magazine has relaunched

The new look includes a redesigned front cover with a white-out-of-blue masthead, (as opposed to a blue-out-of-white masthead - presumably the reported £1.5m marketing budget wasn't totally blown on this revision alone) and the magazine has a bigger focus on celebrity news, as well as existing core areas of fashion, real life and beauty as before. So far, no big changes.

What definitely hasn't altered is the price - £1.30 with no plans to change in the short term. Presumably IPC is going to have to recoup the marketing costs somehow though, so it's a case of watch this space on price.

The magazine is cleaner and it does look fresher. When compared to the old version, it's clear just how much a makeover was required.

While regular front-half sections remain - Now Newsflash and Now News for example - these sections have been improved.  IPC says every page has been redesigned using colour coordination and signposting to make the magazine easier to navigate, but I'm not sure to what extent even the most loyal Now reader would notice this. There are, however, new regular features and this is where the improvements really hit you.

New sections include The Week in Trends, focusing on celebrity fashion; Face Up To offering fashion advice for readers; Cocktail Confessions, gossip from celebrity events, and Come Dine With..., revealing where celebrities have been dining and how readers can recreate what they were eating, at home.

The back half of the magazine is still fairly crowded, with more changes in layout having been made to the front half. Given that new sections are appearing in the back, I would like to see a bit more consistency in the overall layout of the magazine.

In addition, the online platform has not been overhauled and although IPC has said there are plans for additional marketing spend from September, it seems a strange decision to delay this aspect of the relaunch.

What's good?
The magazine looks cleaner.

What could be better?
More consistency in the layout.

Would I book my clients into this?
Yes.

Jessica Evans, media manager, Carat