Before you get started you need to be able to boil your project down to a single sentence. This objective will help you focus your design and keep you on track as a designer.
The objective of my publication is to {HELP, EDUCATE, INFORM} {WHO or WHAT}, {WHERE} {DO WHAT} by {WHEN}.
Sample:
The objective of the publication it to help stay-at-home Mom’s in the Midwest find simple activities to do with their children that are low budget and fun for the summer months.
If we take it apart we can see how it works:
Sample Deconstructed:
The objective of the publication it to help – stay-at-home Mom’s {WHO} in the Midwest {WHERE} find simple activities to do with their children that are low budget and fun {DO WHAT} for the summer months {WHEN}.
Why do you need this?
- WHO helps you define your audience – everyone in the world is not your audience, you need to narrow it down.
- WHERE helps you determine what area you are going to cover geographically. This can help you limit your content as the entire planet is a bit much for a single issue of a publication.
- DO WHAT helps you narrow the activities and stories for your publication.
- WHEN helps you define the scope. For example, if you are choosing to create a summer publication you won’t have an article about winter sports.
Planning Your Publication Project 