Püff Magazine
Chief Editor
Managed a team of creatives
Reached to 30k annual subscribers
60 issues in two years
Context
In the wake of digitalization in the media landscape in the early 2010s, reaching out to younger generations has become a necessity for traditional newspapers. I had been working for one of the largest print newspaper companies in Turkey back then. The management approached me to create a weekly satirical section with political cartoons, daily life commentary, and humoristic prose.
The newspaper company had a solid reputation for delivering serious news to a conservative readership.
Turkey has a longstanding tradition of satirical publications rooted back to imperial times.
The fans of humor and wit are swift in punishing mediocrity.
Challenges
I teamed up with the art director of the newspaper to create a brand identity first. We held meetings with graphic designers, writers, and editors to sculpt the backbone. Then I started to hunt down talents. The final squad consisted of experienced cartoonists and young creatives, who were feeding each other’s work on account of advancing our game.
Team and process
Initially, we created a 4-broadsheet section inside the newspaper and due to the overachievement in the first year, it became a 16-page magazine with more than 30K annual subscribers. The publication also gained media attention and nationwide acceptance as an alternative to the long-established satire magazines of the country. I run the magazine for 60 volumes.
At the end…
Read my interview here
What I failed to do:
I didn’t push for more digital-only content.
I missed the opportunity of a profound engagement with the audience.
I overlooked the creative advertisement potential of the publication.