October 2012 Archives

My SPD: Janet Froelich, Creative Director, Real Simple

My SPD: Janet Froelich, Creative Director, Real Simple

Learn more about MySPD and how to join HERE

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The New Yorker Halloween Covers

The New Yorker Halloween Covers

One of our favorite annual rituals of magazine cover publishing is The New Yorker Halloween cover. Here's a collection of a dozen classics from the 21st Century, all art directed by Francoise Mouly.

(Above): The New Yorker, November 6, 2000. Illustration: Owen Smith.
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Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

The New Yorker, October 29, 2012
Art Editor: Françoise Mouly
Illustrator: Barry Blitt
Monster Magazines for Halloween!

Monster Magazines for Halloween!

Here are some classic monster magazine covers guaranteed to make you forget Frankenstorm (at least for a few minutes)! We know a lot of art directors and illustrators who grew up in the 1960s and 70s used to curl up with monster magazines (and comics) clutched in their sweaty hands. And we're also guessing that they spent a lot of sleepless hours laying in bed wondering if the Creature from the Black Lagoon or the Wolfman was going to crawl out from under the bed or from inside the closet.

Art director Jesse Marinoff Reyes and illustrator David Cowles have been posting a series of classic movie monster graphic memorabilia on their respective social media pages this month, and we've collected our favorites here for SPD. The magazine covers include The Monster Times, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Creepy, and more, and feature illustrations by Jack Davis, Basil Gogos, Frank Frazetta, Norman Mingo, and Steve Ditko. They're guaranteed to warm the hearts of monster nerds of all ages!

Thanks to Jesse Marinoff Reyes for collaborating on this post and collection.

(Above): Famous Monsters of Filmland, June 1961, featuring Curse of the Werewolf. Illustration: Basil Gogos.
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My SPD: Neil Jamieson, Design Director, Money Magazine

My SPD: Neil Jamieson, Design Director, Money Magazine

Learn more about MySPD and how to join HERE

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Cover of the Day: Monday Edition

Cover of the Day: Monday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

Conde Nast Traveler, November 2012
Design Director: Rob Hewitt
POSTPONED: SPD Speaker Series

POSTPONED: SPD Speaker Series "Food for Thought"

Due to weather in New York, the SPD speaker series FOOD FOR THOUGHT this Monday has been postponed.    More information about a new date will be posted online shortly.   
Intermediair, R.I.P.

Intermediair, R.I.P.

A few years ago my friend Ron Reason spent some serious time working (and playing) in Amsterdam. When he came back he posted on his blog a bunch of covers from an amazing weekly Dutch magazine called Intermediair, art directed by Jaap Biemans. They were a brilliant mix of city magazine slickness, Bloomberg Businessweek-style gonzo design, and altweekly up yours! attitude, and you didn't have to be able to read the Dutch headlines to understand that there was something very smart going on there.

Biemans went on to start the very popular magazine cover site Coverjunkie, and has spent time art directing some other cool Dutch magazines, but he continued to create Intermediair covers, 50 times a year, until March of this year (he started at the magazine in 2003). Now, after 47 years of publication, Intermediair is publishing its last issue. We asked Biemans for a collection of some of his favorite covers that he produced for the magazine. You can see many more at Coverjunkie.

(Above): Intermediair. Art director: Jaap Biemans. "Fuck Passion."
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Cover of the Day: Friday Edition

Cover of the Day: Friday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

Playboy, November 2012
Art Director: Mac Lewis

Herb Lubalin Retrospective #3: Avant Garde

Herb Lubalin Retrospective #3: Avant Garde

To celebrate this weekend's Herb Lubalin Then and Now symposium, SPD has been posting a three-day celebration of the magazine cover designs of one of our favorite art directors and typographers. Third in the series is Avant Garde magazine, a square format, perfect-bound magazine that was published from January 1968-July 1971. Herb Lubalin Then and Now will be held Friday and Saturday, October 26 and 27, at Cooper Union in NYC. Check here for free ticket availability.

(Above): Avant Garde #1, January 1968. Art director: Herb Lubalin. Art: Richard L. Lindner
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SPDWest: Unsung Heroes 6 RECAP

SPDWest: Unsung Heroes 6 RECAP

On October 4th, SPDWest had a full-house of stellar talent featuring the Big Unsung Reveal: 
Joe Pugliese, Jason HolleyNick Cope, and Hugh Brown delighted the crowd with videos of their work followed by some great inside stories.

Huge thanks to LIsa Thackaberry, Carol Leflufy, Heidi Volpe, and of course Charlie Hess.  Special thanks to Rebecca Cabage and staff at Smashbox Studios for the fantastic Big Box Stage.

Check out more after the jump...

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My SPD: Arem Duplessis, Design Director, The New York Times Magazine

My SPD: Arem Duplessis, Design Director, The New York Times Magazine

Learn more about MySPD and how to join HERE

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Herb Lubalin Retrospective #2: Eros

Herb Lubalin Retrospective #2: Eros

To celebrate this weekend's Herb Lubalin Then and Now symposium, SPD will be posting a three-day celebration of the magazine cover designs of one of our favorite art directors and typographers. Second in the series is Eros magazine, a hardcover publication which Lubalin art directed for its four issue run in 1962. Herb Lubalin Then and Now will be held Friday and Saturday, October 26 and 27, at Cooper Union in NYC. Check here for free ticket availability.

(Above): Eros, Spring 1962. Art director: Herb Lubalin
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Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

Sports Illustrated, October 15, 2012
Creative Director: Chris Hercik
Photographer:
Herb Lubalin Retrospective #1: Fact

Herb Lubalin Retrospective #1: Fact

To celebrate this weekend's Herb Lubalin Then and Now symposium, SPD will be posting a three-day celebration of the magazine cover designs of one of our favorite art directors and typographers. First up is Fact magazine, first published in 1964 and running for 25 issues. Lubalin was the art director, and generally hired a different illustrator to do all the art for each issue. It looks like free tickets are still available for this event, at Cooper Union in NYC. The first night features a panel discussion with Louise Fili, Steven Heller, George Lois, and more.

See 10 of our favorite Fact covers on the next page.

(Above): Fact, debut issue, January-February 1964.
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Cover of the Day: Tuesday Edition

Cover of the Day: Tuesday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

Popular Science, October 2012
Creative Director: Sam Syed
Art Director: Todd Detwiler
Pop-Up Portfolio: Matt Willey

Pop-Up Portfolio: Matt Willey

WHO: Matt Willey

AGE: 38

LOCATION: London

DAY JOB: Between things ...

C.V.: Matt graduated from Central St Martins in 1997. Having gained valuable experience at a handful of small design companies, he joined the internationally acclaimed studio Frost Design, later becoming Creative Director. In 2005 he co-founded Studio8 Design with Zoë Bather. In 2011 Matt co-launched Port Magazine and is the co-Creative Director of the title.

See the portfolio...
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My SPD: Gail Anderson

My SPD: Gail Anderson

Learn more about MySPD and how to join HERE

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My SPD

My SPD


MAKE US YOURS! 
You are a dynamic art director. A razor-sharp photo editor. An app developer looking for new opportunities. Or a hungry student. And you are looking to make an impact on the publishing industry. Be a part of a diverse community of creators and leaders. Add your voice to a group of influencers that shape culture. Get inside information about the future of the publishing industry. 

JOIN SPD NOW and get these member benefits:
- 50% off your ticket to the annual gala
- 50% off ALL SPD events, including Speaker Series
- 50% off competition entry fees

Members will also get:
- A free SPD annual mailed to you
- Joseph Caserto's "Designing for the iPad" online course for only $50, (regularly $129)
- Access to members only content on spd.org including job-listings
- Subscription to the InaNet job listing service.
- Full member profile on spd.org including up to 50 portfolio pieces
- Freelancer's Union healthcare benefit- $50 application fee waived
- Reduced prices of SPD merch in our online store (including archive annuals)

Our membership tiers are simpler than ever
(with a special rate for those out of towners who can't come to some of our NY events).

Professional Individual Membership (Tri-State area) $225
Professional Individual Membership (outside Tri-State & International) $150
Corporate Membership (3 or more professionals from the same organization) $200 each
Student Membership (Tri-State area) $50
Student Membership (Non-Tri-State and International) $40

CLICK HERE to join today!

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Calling All Students, Recent Grads and Aspiring Designers and Illustrators

Calling All Students, Recent Grads and Aspiring Designers and Illustrators

SPD-U (our Student Outreach Committee) has been busy this fall with tons of great opportunities from last month's Pub Crawl to Friday's Design Seventeen event. And this coming Wednesday is another chance for you all to get a sneak peek into the real world of magazine design and illustration...

We have an amazing lineup of professionals ready to answer all your job-hunting and career-related questions in our Ask the Pros: Live! event happening Wednesday, 10/24 at 7pm. Sign up now to reserve your spot!

If you're unable to attend, be sure to check out our online version of Ask the Pros ... we've got a new batch of questions and answers about to go live soon.

Our annual Student Design Competition will officially open in the next few weeks, so be sure to watch our blog and Facebook page for those details.

And speaking of Facebook ... in celebration of reaching 200 Likes recently, we'll be giving away more SPD Annuals in the coming weeks, so be sure to keep up with us for your chance to win one!

Thanks to all our wonderful "pros" in all our events, and we hope to see you Wednesday!
-SPD-U
Cover of the Day: Friday Edition

Cover of the Day: Friday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

Vanity Fair, November 2012
Design Director: Chris Dixon
Photographer: Annie Leibovitz
Wired's Next Reel

Wired's Next Reel

Something for the weekend? Check out the reel for Wired's November issue...after the jump


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Newsweek Shutting Down Print Edition

Newsweek Shutting Down Print Edition

After 80 years in print, Newsweek editor-in-chief Tina Brown has announced that the December 31, 2012 issue will be the magazine's last.

Read the full announcement after the jump...


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Priest and Grace's Howler!

Priest and Grace's Howler!

Remember that feeling of genuine excitement you'd get when you were a kid the night before your favorite comic was due to show up in your mail box...for me it was Roy of the Rovers and I was about 7 years old. Yeah it sounds a bit cliche and nostalgic but every Tuesday night I'd wait with baited breath for news on Roy's Melchester Rovers and how they planned on topping the league, avoiding relegation or evading swamp beasts and kidnappers (they'd travel a lot in the off season!)...well guess what, that feeling is back...in a big way! When Priest and Grace's latest offering, the soccer mad magazine Howler showed up at my house last week it blew me away, both as a football fan and a designer...… MORE
Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

Print, October 2012
Art Director: Ben King

Co-chairs for PUB 48 Announced

Co-chairs for PUB 48 Announced

SPD is delighted to announce the co-chairs for PUB 48, the world's most prestigious publication design competition. Taking the reins this year will be Good Housekeeping Creative Director Courtney Murphy and Garden & Gun Art Director Marshall McKinney

We're in safe hands!

Murphy has been at the helm of Hearst's 127 year old Good Housekeeping since 2006 and on her watch the brand has undergone some pretty dramatic changes including a top to bottom redesign due for release at the end of year. Her career has spanned the globe with stints in Budapest, Virginia, London and Washington DC (where she was the design director of AARP magazine from 2002-06.)

Rising star McKinney took over at the Charleston SC based Garden & Gun in 2008 after a award winning year and a half as Art Director of Outside's GO magazine. On his watch Garden & Gun has gone from ambitious start-up to an awards sensation snagging the 2011 General Excellence prize at the National Magazine Awards as well as a haul of others for photo and design.

You'll be hearing a lot from our co-chairs soon enough but for now, get your staple removers and tape at the ready. The call for entries will be in your inboxes soon! 
Flair Resurrected in Italy

Flair Resurrected in Italy

Upon the 1996 release of HarperCollins' The Best of Flair, the New York Times noted "Fleur Cowles' legendary magazine, Flair, was the Visionaire of its day." Published from 1950 to 1951, it was considered decades before its time. "The magazine brought together such far-flung contributors as Jean Cocteau, Gypsy Rose Lee, Margaret Mead and Tallulah Bankhead as it covered art, fashion, interior design travel and literature." Today, collectors scour for the originals, which featured intricate foldouts, detailed die-cuts, and bound-in booklets.

HarperCollins only published a few thousand copies of the retrospective (at $250-a-pop), and they sold out in weeks. You can find rare copies for sale on eBay for much more.

Just recently the Italian publisher Mondadori launched a "new magazine for fashion, arts and culture, for women who love style in all its forms, and with special attention to the creativity of the protagonists of international fashion." The magazine is called Flair and sports a near-duplicate of the original 1950s Flair logo and features a Juergen Teller cover shoot.

The Mondadori release makes no mention of the Fleur Cowles creation.
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Must Read: iPad Design Lab

Must Read: iPad Design Lab

MARIO.PNGHaving spent some time with Mario Garcia's new iBook, the only way to start off this post is... THE TAKEAWAY: If you're working in publishing, iPad Design Lab is a timely and informative must read. 

Design Lab ($9.99, Apple iBook, Amazon Kindle) is chock full of valuable information for anyone working in publishing today, including several interviews with today's top designers working on this new platform. One thing that I appreciated in the book, was the way that Mario related designing for tablets to the basics of storytelling -- as well as reintroducing web design basics that could be overlooked by print print designers forging new territory in a digital sapce. We live and work in a multi-screen world, and I quite enjoyed was the discussion of this topic which Mario call's "Four devices in harmony".

Here's a quick look inside iPad Design Lab:
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Cover of the Day: Monday Edition

Cover of the Day: Monday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

Maui Time, October 11, 2012
Art Director: Darris Hurst
The Art of Political Caricature on Magazine Covers, 1960-76

The Art of Political Caricature on Magazine Covers, 1960-76

If you're as stressed-out as we are from the current political campaign, here's an antidote. Julie Mihaly (Boom Underground) and myself (Newmanology) have collected a big set of images of 1960s-70s politicians, and are posting them daily on our Facebook and Tumblr pages. It's a rich collection of campaign goodies, including comic books, posters, buttons, photographs, and general fun political merchandise (Spiro Agnew mouthwash, JFK bubblegum cards, a Barry Goldwater coloring book). And of course, there are many brilliant vintage magazine covers, featuring illustrated portraits by a great selection of artists. We've collected some of our favorites here, with illustrated portraits by Paul Davis, Ben Shahn, David Levine, David Stone Martin, Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and more.

(Above): Newsweek, November 12, 1973. Illustration of Richard Nixon by Robert V. Engle
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SPD Speaker Series

SPD Speaker Series "Food for Thought" Buy Your tickets NOW!

Are you a foodie?  Or just a food magazine fan? 


Join industry heavyweights: 

Anabel Gondelies, Design Director, Food + Mobile, The Food Network,  

Stephen Scoble, Creative Director at Food&Wine

Tanya Steel, Editor-in-Chief of epicurious.com,

and photographer Melanie Dunea

for a tasty discussion of the state of food publication brands in a multiplatform age. 


Anabel is the CD for all of The Food Network's TV and mobile brands, 

Stephen leads the charge at F&W, and Melanie's latest book, My Last Supper; The Next Course, was published by Rodale in 2011 as a follow up to My Last Supper, where she interviews and photographs celebrity chefs asking them about their last meal. They will take the stage Monday, October 29th, at Helen Mills Theater, to engage in a moderated discussion about the state of food publication brands and to take questions from the audience. And perhaps a few celeb chefs will show as well! Join us after the talk at an afterparty with free wine and treats, natch! 

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Twenty-Four Magazine, Created in 24 Hours!

Twenty-Four Magazine, Created in 24 Hours!

Twenty-Four is a rotating group of people based in New York City who produce a digital and print issue of a magazine in one 24-hour period. Their third issue, organized around the theme of failure, is just out. You can find out more about the project here, and view the digital version of the magazine here. Myself, I like the old school print version, with its oversized pages, thick paper, and stylish cover. What they lack in slickness, the Twenty-Four folks make up with energy and passion and a sense of joy in what they're doing. That's plenty rare these days in publishing, and this is a very cool exercise in contemporary (and maybe futuristic!) indie publishing.
SPD Discount for the Fast Company Design Awards Party!

SPD Discount for the Fast Company Design Awards Party!

Come celebrate with design colleagues from various disciplines ranging from Industrial Design to Consumer Products at the first annual Fast Company Design Awards Party, on Tuesday, October 16 at 6 pm at the IAC Building, 555 W. 18th St., New York City. SPD members will get a $50 discount!

Join the 56 finalists, the judges, and many more design stars. There will be cocktails, awards for the nine categories, and inspirational galleries of work on display. There will also be a series of Pop Up Talks at the event, which they describe as "intimate conversations with international design luminaries, hand-picked by Fast Company, who will share the process behind their best ideas."

You can see the Design Awards finalists in the latest issue of Fast Company, or on their Co.design site.

Register for the Fast Company Design Awards here. Use the code SPD12 to get a $50 SPD member discount.
The New Republic Cover Retrospective, 2001-12

The New Republic Cover Retrospective, 2001-12

For the past 11 years, Joseph Heroun and Christine Car have been art directing and designing The New Republic. Working remotely from New York City and Boston (TNR has been based in Washington, DC), they redesigned the magazine twice, produced it on a weekly, and since 2007, a bi-weekly schedule, and created a series of powerful, provocative, and distinctive covers, featuring a remarkable line-up of illustrators.

The New Republic recently went through a change of ownership and a move to New York City, and with that they've hired Dirk Barnett as their first full-time, on-site art director. Heroun and Car will be working on The New Republic through the end of the year, while Dirk Barnett cooks up some coolness of his own behind the scenes. It seems like a good time to look back at the amazing body of work created over the past decade by Heroun and Car.

(Above): The New Republic, December 30, 2010. Illustration: Sean McCabe
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An Olympic Feat

An Olympic Feat

28 issues in just over a month. Over 1500 pages. For Art Director Chris Barker and the team who designed the official Olympic and Paralympic daily,it was a long, rewarding summer. Not all of us were lucky enough to make it to London this year, but we were able to get some issues to share with everyone. Check out some of the great programs after the break.… MORE

A Toast to Pub Crawl 2012!

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SPD-U, our Student Outreach Committee, hosted its annual Pub(lications) Crawl event on Friday, September 28. The day was a huge success, with tours to the offices of Bloomberg Businessweek, The Huffington Post, Inked, Men's Health, People en Español, and Seventeen. Our Pub Crawl students were given their very own first-hand peek at how magazines are made, by the pros who make them. 


There are two more exciting offerings for students coming up this month from SPD-U: Design Seventeen, which is a partnership with one of our Pub Crawl hosts, and an Ask The Pros Live panel discussion. Space is very limited, so be sure to register ASAP. Meanwhile, check out some some more of our Pub Crawl tour pictures after the jump. 




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'ARGO' as Visualized by WIRED, A Week of Wired BONUS!

'ARGO' as Visualized by WIRED, A Week of Wired BONUS!

How WIRED magazine helped visualize the movie Argo

The first time I heard Argo pitched as a magazine story was back around March 2007 in WIRED's monthly pitch meeting on the 3rd floor of our swanky SOMA offices in San Francisco. These meetings would take place towards the back of the open floored offices in a large conference room with a gigantic fluorescent pink rolling door. There was never enough seats so people would be crowded around the conference table, standing along the perimeter, calling in etc.

Nick Thompson, who was pitching this story, was calling in through a VTC from the Condé offices in NYC. I genarally loved when Nick pitched because he would always just go for it and the stories and writers he sourced were often fringe, his enthusiasm palpable.

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The Hollywood Reporter's Snoopadelic Cover

The Hollywood Reporter's Snoopadelic Cover

Snoop Dogg or Snoop Lion?  The Hollywood Reporter gives us a look of a Snoop in transition.

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A week of Wired! The Design Issue...Part 3

A week of Wired! The Design Issue...Part 3

Over the last couple of days we've brought you some behind the scenes insight of the huge production that is a Wired U.S. Design Issue. In this third and final installment C.D. Brandon Kavulla walks us through the October feature well and introduces us to a host of ambitious collaborators!...read on...there will be doilies!....

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A week of Wired, The Design Issue...Part 2

A week of Wired, The Design Issue...Part 2

Yesterday we gave you a sneak peak behind the scenes into Wired's October Design Issue, for more from CD Brandon Kavulla and his team in SFO, read on...hint: there will be nerf! [And your bit of trivia for the bar tonight...Non Expanding Recreational Foam...thanks Brandon!]

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Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

The Build Network, Fall 2012
Creative Director: Patrick Mitchell
Art Director: Ashley Bond O'Brion
Design Studio: PlutoMedia
Photograph: Eric Kulin
A week of Wired! The Design Issue...Part 1

A week of Wired! The Design Issue...Part 1

Last week Brandon Kavulla, CD of Wired US gave SPD.org a great little reel previewing their October Design Issue. Seems it was a hit and this week by popular demand Kavulla and his team have gone the extra mile to give us even more behind the scenes insight into how this landmark issue was put together...Brace yourself...for a week of Wired! 

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M Magazine Returns!

M Magazine Returns!

The first issue of M magazine, the luxury men's magazine last seen in 1992, came out last week. According to M creative director Nancy Butkus, the cover design was influenced both by European men's magazines like Port and Hutch, as well as vintage issues of Fortune. "We had a stunning 1930s Fortune as our cover inspiration, and in some way we just updated what they were doing--they had borders on the cover and so do we, but ours are asymmetrical."

The cover features a nifty logo design by Jim Parkinson, and a bright, smiley photograph of Bradley Cooper, by Jason McDonald.
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Cover of the Day: Monday Edition

Cover of the Day: Monday Edition

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Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper cover design from around the world.

Chicago Reader, August 16, 2012
Art Director: Paul John Higgins
Illustration: Peter Thomas Ryan

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