Tatler Asia redesign
With Joe Zee recently appointed as artistic director, Tatler Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia took the Carine/Bazaar model one step further by unifying not only their main editorial but also the covers and content. Apparently each month a theme will be selected and local teams will work towards that while each edition will select a cover from Joe's main edit. Basically Joe would oversee all 8 editions, with a deputy editor in each country reporting directly to him.
The publisher went to great lengths to bang on about how the new Tatler is much more understated and how they're targeting a new consumer and moving away from the crass excess of the previous Tatler which was based on the UK edition, and how great it is for the region to be unified. But most of us on TFS would know that it's really just a way to trim operating costs above all else. Instead of shooting 2 edits per issue you would now only need to shoot maybe 4 and spread it across.
Regarding the 'moving away from the excess in favour of a new inclusive Tatler' bit... articles like 'Tatler's Guide to Building Your Own Museum' seem plucked straight out of US Town & Country.....
HK cover, before and after,
...which is really the strongest part of their redesign. It no longer looks like a free airline magazine with outdated fonts, and the minimalist direction works for both full-body and portrait shots.
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Table of Contents
Before
After
Editor's Letter (Before) vs Publisher's Letter (After)
Amazed Joe Zee didn't get the opportunity to introduce the issue, his direction and the plan ahead, but then the publisher seems like one of those suits who are desperate to be in the spotlight. The very first article in the issue is one of those party scene type photo stories featuring this publisher and his wife hosting a party at a swanky eatery for a bunch of heavy hitters.
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Main Features Intro
Before (this particular issue was themed around wellness)
After (themed after the new Asian establishment)
Cover Feature
Before
After
Fashion Editorial intro
Before
After
This issue came with a ridiculous amount of jewellery, watches and accessories but hardly an actual fashion editorial. which is unseemly for the month of March.
Main Feature Intro
Before
After
Final feature before vs after
Hong Kong Tatler Digital Edition