Behind the Shop: Insights from Graham Hiemstra of Field Mag on Building a Design-Driven Brand and the Power of Newsletters

Welcome to Behind the Shop, where standout sellers in the Big Cartel community share their insights and experiences. In our Behind the Shop series, our resident artist and Big Cartel team member Ana Armengod brings you candid interviews with artists and creatives who balance making beautiful things with running their online businesses.

In this edition, we talk to Graham Hiemstra, designer and owner of Field Mag, a magazine for lovers of good design and the great outdoors. He discusses the story behind his brand and shop and how newsletters have been absolutely essential in building the Field Mag community.

We were captivated by Field Mag’s shop because of the wonderful balance they achieve in their design. They showcase unique perspectives on breathtaking landscapes, innovative gear, and compelling narratives. Their creative and original approach truly stood out to us, and we felt confident that our Big Cartel community would find it inspiring.

Shop Highlights

Site: https://shop.fieldmag.com/

Sells: Zines and accessories geared towards lovers of great design and the great outdoors

Location: NYC

Selling on Big Cartel since: 2019

Plan: Platinum

Template: Luna

Integrations: Shipstation and Mailchimp

Interview With Graham of Field Mag

First, tell our sellers about Field Mag, how it started, and where you are now.

Field Mag is a magazine for lovers of good design and the great outdoors. We publish film photo essays, gear news and reviews, interviews with designers and athletes online, and seasonally release limited-edition print zines. Field Mag was founded in 2015 by myself, Graham Hiemstra, and Chris Stillitano in a tiny NYC apartment where it's still run by a skeleton crew today. Our core topics of interest are camping, hiking, backpacking, cabins, film photography, and outdoor style.

Graham (left) and the cover of the Field Mag's third film photo zine (right). Credit: Graham Hiemstra

For many people, having a successful independent business feels unattainable. What are some things you’ve found helpful in doing what you do?

Celebrating the small wins is certainly helpful. Keeping focused and not letting perfection get in the way of progress is important, too. But it is not easy running a small business, especially when other people depend on you, but this morning, I decided to go surfing, and I didn’t have to ask anyone’s permission. So, you know, the pros outweigh the cons for sure.

End sheet of Field Mag's third film photo zine (left) and a peek at what's inside (right). Credit: Graham Hiemstra

One of our favorite things about Field Mag is that you can join the outdoors and nature with design. Please tell us a bit about this. Were these just two interests you have, or did one come after the other? Can you walk us through your stylistic choices?

Thank you! Prior to founding Field Mag, I spent a handful of years as a magazine writer covering men’s style, furniture design, and architecture. And for many years before that, in my youth, I was obsessed with being outdoors—hiking, camping, snowboarding, skateboarding, riding bikes, etc. In the years leading up to Field Mag, I noticed a cultural shift where more city folks were interested in the outdoors, and none of the outdoor publications at the time were speaking to folks outside tiny mountain towns. So, I saw an opportunity to blend my interest in design and love for nature in a way that makes getting outdoors feel more accessible and more approachable.

Do you think having a solid “brand” design style can help shops/artists who feel lost on how to get their work noticed? If so, could you share some tips and tricks for people just starting? Finding your voice is definitely important, but it takes time. But more important than aligning yourself with a logo, color, or typeface, I think, is figuring out your niche and really just going hard on that, meeting other folks doing similar work, and connecting with them. Doing everything alone, isolated in your space, can be helpful and detrimental to growth. I know from experience. So making an effort to meet folks in the space you want to be in, ask them for favors or their thoughts, and collaborate. Rising tides lift all ships!

What bumps have you encountered with Field Mag, and how have you overcome them?

I often feel like folks only see the successful aspects of a business, and hearing what can go wrong can inspire them to push through! Navigating the “core updates” to Google’s algorithm in the past year has been brutal. And the continued loss of control over content distribution via Meta platforms is very frustrating. But in the end, these are free services, and it was inevitable that the internet would change, so we gotta change along with it! Rather than trying to grow at all costs, now I’m trying to hone our brand, message, and content to ensure we’re creating content, products, etc, for the folks who really dig what we do. As cliche as it sounds, it’s all about community building for us right now.

"The best time to start a newsletter, brand, etc., was five years ago; the next best time is today. Just start! And then keep going. Results will follow."

- Graham Hiemstra, designer and owner of Field Mag

For our sellers just starting out, what Big Cartel feature or tool would you tell them to use for their marketing efforts?

Shipstation is crucial. We don’t sell a ton of merch, and our zine projects are seasonal, but when a few hundred orders come in in a matter of days, having organized, easy-to-use platforms is so important. Mailchimp integration helps sign up new newsletter subscribers, too.

Pro tip: Tease your releases a few times across your channels before dropping something new. Build up interest and turn that energy into excitement at launch.

Do you have any marketing tips for folks that are getting started? The best time to start a newsletter, brand, etc., was five years ago; the next best time is today. Just start! And then keep going. Results will follow.

Have you found having a newsletter helpful in keeping folks informed about what's going on with Field Mag and your shop? Is it a good alternative to only using Social Media?

Absolutely. Whether you have 10 people on your mailing list or 100,000, email is the last communication channel, not at the whims of an algorithm trying to maximize profit for someone else. Though filters are changing email, and the number of newsletters folks subscribe to now is more than ever, a newsletter is still an essential tool every writer, photographer, artist, etc., should use and put effort into building.

How has the newsletter directly influenced sales and customer acquisition for your store?

We use the Field Report newsletter to tease and launch special projects and products, like our Zines. We support our most loyal audience with early access and/or free shipping codes, and in turn, they get exclusive deals and support us with a nice sales foundation right from launch. It's a win-win.

You do an exceptional job leveraging newsletters for your brand; we want to highlight that. Any final tips on your newsletter strategy you can share that would benefit a seller just starting out?

Thank you! But we can definitely improve. In the coming 6 months, I want to bring more personal voice and perspective into our newsletters to create immediate in-inbox value for busy readers. I suggest finding an email cadence that is doable with your energy/output and meets demand. Whether that's twice a week or once a month is up to you. Either way, experiment and stay consistent by reminding folks you're there and that you make good stuff! Have you received feedback from subscribers that has helped shape your product offerings or marketing strategies?

We hang a "gone fishing" sign on the site each holiday and pause publishing for a week or two. During this time, we encourage website visitors to fill out a survey in exchange for being entered into a gear giveaway. We also send this survey to newsletter readers. It's a great way to support subscribers and readers while gaining valuable insight.

Can you tell us about what's new with Field Mag? Are there any cool things on the horizon? We just released our third limited-edition photo zine, FM03: HIKE, this week. I'm excited about that. Better yet, if I can get my act together, we'll be releasing a proper, full-size editorial magazine next year—a big, beautiful, glossy print magazine—and a website design update. Stay tuned!