In 2004 FRANKIE MAGAZINE appeared on newsstands, quietly and without any fanfare. For young women, this fresh-faced publication provided an alternative to the Cleopolitan pap, and they embraced the new magazine with open arms. SUSAN MILANOVIC talks to Frankie co-founder LOUISE BANNISTER, in anticipation of her appearance at Semi-Permanent 2010.

“We felt that nothing on the newsstands spoke to us as 20-something women and we were baffled that men’s mags were funny to read, but women’s rarely were,” says Louise Bannister as she explains what prompted her to start Frankie, “We wanted to create a magazine that was down-to-earth and irreverent. A magazine that was rude and classy at the same time” she says. The limited choice of tabloid trash, fashion-focused mags and expensive overseas imports were seemingly the only options for women looking for reading material. However, before long Frankie magazine was to become a reality and provide an alternative for savvy readers.

Lousie Bannister and Lara Burke were working together on a teen publication under Morrison Media as editor and designer respectively when they decided to create their own magazine. Rather then attempt to bankroll the project themselves, they’d had enough experience in the industry to make an informed decision and decided to launch under Morrison “We realised that if we had a financial backer from the start, we could concentrate on being creative without worrying whether we could pay the rent. We knew we’d have a really good chance of getting the magazine out to our readers more successfully” says Louise.

They developed the project and soon a plan was in motion to bring the dream into reality. “The idea had been with us at the back of our minds for some time, but we developed our proposal over a few months” says Louise. “Most weekends we’d get together over a few bottles of wine and develop our ideas. We then left the proposal with our boss and went on an overseas holiday” she says.

When Louise and Lara got back, they’d received the thumbs up from their boss and the duo found they had a new magazine to create. “We were really lucky in that Morrison Media trusted us. We had worked with them for five years and had a really good relationship with management. They believed in Frankie from the start which allowed the creative side of things to be left up to us,” says Louise.

So in September 2004, there it was. Between the celebrities and fashion models, a huge face and small text promising “bright young things, wine and, politics (!)” Inside the editorial asked readers why they had picked Frankie up; was it because of a dissatisfaction with women’s’ magazines? Boredom? Curiosity? Whatever it was, readers responded positively to Frankie and they continued to buy it, telling their friends who bought it too. By December 2009, Frankie had increased its readership to 38,383 (catching up to Harpers/Vogue, who are at around 55,000). The Audit Bureau of Circulations’ figures for the six months to December 2009 saw Frankie the biggest growing individual title, increasing sales by 31.6 percent in a tough financial climate and in an industry where titles continue to suffer.

Why has Frankie been so successful? “I think Frankie connected with a lot of like-minded people who were searching for a creative magazine that made them feel inspired,” posits Louise. When asked how they greeted the figures published by the Bureau of Circulations, she admits, “The whole team was so stoked. Everyone who works on Frankie gives it their all and to see our hard work paying off was just wonderful.”

With an increasing readership, and extremely loyal fan base, where to now for Frankie?  “The publication is evolving in the sense that we’ve created other projects around the magazine,” says Louise “We’ve just finished our second cookbook and have also published a photo album – full of pictures we love. And we’re working on some other exciting projects too.”
For women, and men everywhere, Louise and Lara’s story of how they created a publication born from frustrations and made reality by hard work is an inspiring one.  Frankie Magazine is one of eight guests speaking at the 2010 Semi-Permanent conference held at the Brisbane Convention centre on Friday next week. “I’ll be chatting about how we started Frankie – the challenges, our design ethos, lessons learned, where to next,” confirms Louise. “We’ve never really told the full story before and so this is an opportunity to share our experience with others.”

SEMI-PERMANENT is an important date on Brisbane’s creative calender, so be sure to pick up a ticket (available online and at The Outpost) and secure a place at the day-long conference. The event will also feature talks from guests Alexia Sinclair, Frost Design, Mymo, Iloura, Toben, Jasper Goodall and Stephen Dupont. It all kicks off at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) in South Brisbane from 9:45am and will run until 6:00pm, with the official afterparty taking place at Nine Lives Gallery in Fortitude Valley from 7pm. An event not to be missed. For more info visit www.semipermanent.com/brisbane.

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