It’s not all sitting in front of a screen laying out pages here at CMYK Towers. Sometimes we have to get involved in photo shoots, gathering together props, finding locations and standing in as models!

A couple of weeks ago it was Christmas at my house, as we recreated a festive “gifts under the tree” scene for the forthcoming Scotland in Trust.

Then just the other day, we went to our photographer’s back garden and set up a cover shoot (harvesting apples). Shannon Tofts, our friendly photographer, needed an old fashioned looking bellows to see the screen of his laptop. Thanks too, to Tattie Shaws for the Discovery apples – delicious!

Here at CMYK Towers we have been busy. And I mean really busy. Over the past week 4 magazines have gone to press and the biggest of these is Surgeons’ News magazine, which we have redesigned for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.The magazine weighs in at 100 pages and so is one of the largest publications we produce. Consequently, it takes up a fair amount of time. I went to press pass it down at Acorn Web Offset near Wakefield.

The press there just eats this job up – I started press passing the job at 10.30am, and the whole magazine was printed by 4.30pm. See some of the pics below.

cover is sheetfed

Text section printed web. This is the paper reel.

Photograph: Tina Norris

Last night the team from CMYK were celebrating in style after winning Member Magazine of the Year at the PPA Scotland Awards 2009.

Scotland in Trust, which we publish on behalf of the National Trust for Scotland, beat off the competition to win the award for the third time in six years. Photograph above shows Neil Braidwood (centre) collecting the award for CMYK. On his right is Roger Pitt from Headley Brothers, sponsors of the award, and to his left is broadcaster Cathy MacDonald, compère on the night. Photo credit: Tina Norris

Needless to say we allowed ourselves a glass or two of champagne.

The prizes just kept coming though – another of our clients, Big Bend Publishing won Best Small Publisher with Scotland Outdoors magazine – which has been going for just over a year. CMYK do all the design and production work on the title.

Listen to the podcast interview with Neil before the awards at allmediascotland.com

With all this talk of magazines closing, it’s about time we told you about our new (glossy) project, which launches today. Aurora – the inflight magazine for Highland Airways – is now officially out and available on scheduled and charter flights from the company.

CMYK Design create editorial content, commission photography and illustrations, sell advertising space in the title and handle print and distribution. It’s fantastic to be involved in a magazine like this – and we expect the magazine to go from strength to strength.

Highland Airways has asked CMYK Design to publish a new quarterly inflight magazine for their passenger routes, starting in spring 2009. CMYK will create all editorial content and also sell advertising space for the magazine which will go under the name aurora. At 52 pages, the magazine will cover lifestyle, city focus features, wealth management, sport and health matters, along with profiles and Highland Airways news content.

Highland Airways carried 28,000 passengers last year over a variety of scheduled routes, including Stornoway to Inverness, Anglesey to Cardiff and Tiree to Oban. In addition, the company run frequent business-related charter flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow to destinations in the south and north of England. Projected passenger numbers for 2009 are approximately 56,000. With the unique positioning of the magazine in aircraft seat backs, aurora magazine has a potential readership of 200,000, making it not only an exciting commercial opportunity, but also a valuable marketing device.

Edinburgh-based CMYK Design helped launch Caledonia magazine in 1999, and currently publish the award-winning membership magazine Scotland in Trust on behalf of the National Trust for Scotland. They are shortlisted for Best Small Publisher at the PPA Scotland Awards later this month.

Highland Airways Commercial Manager Colin Munro said: “We chose CMYK Design due to their vast experience of the magazine industry and we are very excited by this new launch. Hopefully this will grow in to a profitable and long-term arrangement for both companies.”

Neil Braidwood, Creative Director at CMYK Design said “we are delighted to be working with Highland Airways on this new development, and look forward to building a strong working partnership.”

More details:

Highland Airways, 01667 462 664. www.highlandairways.co.uk

CMYK Design, 0131 556 2220. www.cmyk-design.co.uk

aurora in flight magazine