Jane Cameron, Fête Press x Flaunter
Offering the solution to a simple, meaningful, well-designed life through curated interiors, fashion, well-being, travel and design features, Fête Press gives their readers so much more than a stunning addition to the coffee table. We caught up with co-founder and creative director Jane Cameron, to hear more about the Fete/Life journey, the importance of aesthetics and how Flaunter saves her sanity.
All about Fête Press
We publish a printed lifestyle magazine, Fête/Life – our byline says it all – it’s the solution to a simple, meaningful and well-designed life. We’re a small team – my business partner, Annabelle Kerslake and I started the business five years ago with our own laptops and a camera. We launched a digital version of the magazine to build up readership before releasing a printed magazine 24 issues ago!
Now, we have an accounts manager, two editorial assistants and a photographer on the team – not a lot of people but it seems big to Annabelle and me given it was just us a few years ago. There is a lot of cross-over as we are dab hands at all aspects of the business but Annabelle and I both work on editorial content, we plan our own shoots together then she looks after advertising and grand plans while I work on the design and digital side of the business.
Our goal is to produce a magazine that will add value to our readers’ lives. We’re all about a controlled, refined aesthetic, but everything has to have a purpose or a meaning rather than just being decorative. Fête/Life includes helpful stories relating to well-being, health, finances and travel as well as a curated collection of homewares, food and fashion-focused products.
On finding the perfect picture
Our editorial assistant, Jessica Smith and I work on the product pages in the magazine. I’m a graphic designer so I’m primarily focused on bringing together a range of products that fit the brief while still working well together on the page. Sometimes these pages come together easily but others take more thought and research. I can’t give up until I’m totally happy with a page and am often swapping out products the night before we go to print in an effort to make the page look as good as it possibly can. It’s hard to explain but sometimes products should work together but when they’re put on the page next to one another, they don’t.
Jess and I spend a lot of time searching through websites, looking at new collections and stockpiling possible image choices for future editorial use. Flaunter is great when we are struggling to find an ideal pic and have exhausted our normal resources. It is like a smorgasbord of products all in the one spot. Flaunter has saved our sanity on more than one occasion!
On the importance of aesthetics
We have a very controlled aesthetic in the magazine. It took us a while to develop and refine it to a place that suits our style. It’s very important to us that we maintain the integrity of the design and style we have established so we will work within that criteria when searching for images.
What part of your job takes you the most time?
Developing and producing shoots. The layers that go into working on a shoot takes time, thought and care. However when the final outcome has fulfilled the brief, it’s always so rewarding.
What’s the most ‘painful’ part of your job?
I’m fortunate enough to wholeheartedly love what I do, so nothing is entirely “painful”. But I don’t like wasting time (who does?). So, I’d say when the day has passed and you realise you haven’t used up your time as you had intended, that can be the most “painful” part of any job.
How does Flaunter make your job easier?
“Everything and everyone has become that little bit busier, urgent and fast paced. We have moved into a period where everything can be consumed instantaneously. Luckily, I have Flaunter.”
It’s a wonderful resource for me and my team. The assets are print ready, with the advantage of having a breadth of images.
What do you like most about Flaunter?
It’s efficient and progressive.
IMAGE BY FENTON & FENTON, SOURCED FROM FLAUNTER