STUDIO83

Lerato Matsaneng

ONLINE magazines have become the ideal way to get mags to reach bigger audiences — and South Africa’s own  Studio 83  is no exception.

studio83 is an online quarterly magazine that covers creative lifestyle trends and is the brainchild of designer George Matsheke. The idea started as a once-off, to release one publication, but it has since released seven copies and will be celebrating its second birthday next month. The magazine is viewed in over 80 countries and has contributors from across the globe including the US, Germany and Indonesia. Photographers and contributors use the magazine to share their experiences and expertise.

To view the magazine, you access the site, where you can download it for free. Matsheke said their target market was the 24 to 36 year age group. “This is not a gossip magazine, it’s the kind that makes you think,” he said. Their latest figures indicate that the magazine had 5700 page views and 1161 browsers in the last month.

“Unlike other magazines, we don’t highlight what is popular at the moment, but rather, we predict what is going to be hot,” said Matsheke. Each copy has its own theme, but still maintains consistency in terms of the magazine’s style throughout. Matsheke says he uses a Mac for design, and his most trusted programs include In Design, Free Hand and Photoshop.

It’s the same as designing and putting together any magazine, we just don’t go to print,” said Matsheke. The magazine does not have any advertising as yet, but Matsheke said advertising would come when the magazine expanded — in print and online — but people would need to become subscribers. “However, the aim of the magazine is not just to make money but to share creative experiences,” he said.