Michael Goesele: Midsummer and Magazines

It's been a busy few weeks since my last blog posting, from the magazine design to Midsummer festivities. Evita's development team is on track to produce a stunning product, which will definitely become a heavy-hitter in the Finnish publishing market. It's been great following the ins and outs of a magazine launch in another country.

One fact which has been very intriguing to me is the structure of the actual magazine itself. The traditional U.S. "standard" is front-of-book sections with partial ads followed by a robust feature well (four features back-to-back) with no ads and then finishing off with back of the book pages. Here, on the other hand, there are various sections throughout the book, and within each section there is a feature. I must say this structuring gives a much nicer and more even pacing to the overall magazine experience. Also, I am sure advertisers in the States would love to be throughout the entire book and not just relegated to the FOB or BOB.  Over the years in the States, the feature well has gotten pushed back further and further... I mean look at Vogue, where in some cases you don't even reach the masthead till past page 100. Comparing apples to oranges you may say, but regardless it's always great to view something in a completely different light.

On to Juhannus, where a recession and surging unemployment could not dampen the Finnish spirits for the annual rite of summer. Juhannus marks the beginning of the summer holidays (always on the Saturday between June 20 - 26) when most Finns take off of work (up to 5 weeks) and head to their countryside cottages. It is a day filled with ancient traditions, bonfires, copious amounts of alcohol and a never-setting sun. The day started with heavy rain, which subsided by the time Tuomas, Henna and I headed out to Seurasaari Island where the Finnish traditions came to light all around us. From various cabins showing the construction styles over the centuries to traditional food and folk dancing, it was great to see.

But I'm not going to lie—I was super stoked about the bonfires! There were numerous "smaller" fires lit along the coastline with one main pile which was still unlit. As Midsummer night is known as a very potent and magical night, it has become the biggest wedding day of the entire year. So one couple was chosen to get married on the island and was then rowed out to the bonfire rig to light the largest ceremonial fire. The banks were filled with hundreds of onlookers cheering while the flames and smoke rose into the "midnight sun" sky. Drank champagne, met a ton of cool people, had great conversations and then headed back into town to hop amongst a number of different bars and clubs to finish the night off.

More adventures soon...with Evita's continued creation to heading to Berlin this weekend followed by hosting a fellow Floridian Bonnier employee, Zach (the staff photographer for Caribbean Travel + Life magazine), next week...it will be packed as usual.

Slide show: Midsummer and magazines