December 2014 Archives

Real Simple's redesign: The Backstory

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SPD Board member Francesca Messina recently interviewed Abbey Kuster-Prokell, Design Director of Real Simple and Claudia de Almeida, Design Consultant, about their collaborative effort to reshape Real Simple's identity in print and online.

See the work and read about the process...

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Cover of the Day: The Infamous, Issue #8

Cover of the Day: The Infamous, Issue #8

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

The Infamous,  Issue #8
Art Director: Shaun Baron
Cover Illustration: Phetus and Rolo Ledsema

Want to submit your cover to be considered for our Cover of the Day? Send us a jpeg of your cover with credit info to SPDsubmissions@gmail.com

Cover of the Day: Mother Jones, January/February 2015

Cover of the Day: Mother Jones, January/February 2015

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

Mother Jones January/February 2015
Creative Director: Ivylise Simones
Illustrator: Oliver Munday

Want to submit your cover to be considered for our Cover of the Day? Send us a jpeg of your cover with credit info to SPDsubmissions@gmail.com
The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 7)

The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 7)

We've partnered with Coverjunkie for his annual cover of the year poll and will be featuring the 50+ finalists all week long on the site.  
Click HERE and vote on your top 3 favorite creative covers of 2014  
Winner will be announced on Sunday, December 28th.  

And don't forget to enter your best work from 2014 in our 
Cover of the Day: Fiera, issue one

Cover of the Day: Fiera, issue one

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

Fiera Issue 1
Creative Director: Jeremy Leslie
Photograph: Katie Tregidden
Editor: Kate Tregidden


Want to submit your cover to be considered for our Cover of the Day? Send us a jpeg of your cover with credit info to SPDsubmissions@gmail.com
The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 6)

The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 6)

We've partnered with Coverjunkie for his annual cover of the year poll and will be featuring the 50+ finalists all week long on the site.  
Click HERE and vote on your top 3 favorite creative covers of 2014  
Winner will be announced on Sunday, December 28th.  

And don't forget to enter your best work from 2014 in our 
Happy Xmas Magazine Covers

Happy Xmas Magazine Covers

Here's one of SPD's annual Best Xmas Magazine Covers collection, first published in 2010. Here are some of our favorite Xmas covers from over the years.

Special thanks to David Keeps, Stephen Kroninger, and Linda Rubes for their help in compiling these covers.

(Above): Evergreen, December 1969. Art director: Ken Deardoff, illustrator: Bill Lee.
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The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 5)

The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 5)

We've partnered with Coverjunkie for his annual cover of the year poll and will be featuring the 50+ finalists all week long on the site.  
Click HERE and vote on your top 3 favorite creative covers of 2014  
Winner will be announced on Sunday, December 28th.  

And don't forget to enter your best work from 2014 in our 
The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 4)

The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 4)

We've partnered with Coverjunkie for his annual cover of the year poll and will be featuring the 50+ finalists all week long on the site.  
Click HERE and vote on your top 3 favorite creative covers of 2014  
Winner will be announced on Sunday, December 28th.  

And don't forget to enter your best work from 2014 in our 
From the SPD Archives: Buttons from the 39th SPD Gala, 2004

From the SPD Archives: Buttons from the 39th SPD Gala, 2004

SPD50n.jpgThe 39th SPD Gala, held on May 7, 2004 at the New York Public Library, featured a rock 'n' roll theme. The co-chairs for Pub 30 were Carla Frank, design director of O, The Oprah Magazine, Luke Hayman, recently hired design director of New York, and Mitch Shostak, principal of Shostak Studios. A highlight of the event was the presentation of the Herb Lubalin Lifetime Achievement Award to George Lois, and the presenting speech by Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich.

Pictured above is the program brochure from the 39th SPD Gala, along with buttons that were distributed at the event. The brochure was designed by Kristin Fitzpatrick, Kristen Rayner, Jill Rosenberg, and Chloe Weiss of O, The Oprah Magazine, with a cover photograph by Charles Peterson.

Co-chair Carla Frank has some background on one of the Gala's most distinctive items, a series of magazine art direction-themed buttons that were distributed to event goers. And there's a slideshow with 20 of our favorite buttons from the Gala.
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Cover of the Day: Hour Detroit, December 2014

Cover of the Day: Hour Detroit, December 2014

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

Hour Detroit December 2014
Creative Director: Valerie Morgan
Photographer: Jenny Risher
Fashion Editor: Rebecca Voigt

Want to submit your cover to be considered for our Cover of the Day? Send us a jpeg of your cover with credit info to SPDsubmissions@gmail.com
The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 3)

The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 3)

We've partnered with Coverjunkie for his annual cover of the year poll and will be featuring the 50+ finalists all week long on the site.  
Click HERE and vote on your top 3 favorite creative covers of 2014  
Winner will be announced on Sunday, December 28th.  

And don't forget to enter your best work from 2014 in our 
Don't miss the SPD Holiday Party!

Don't miss the SPD Holiday Party!

TOMMOROW, Wed. Dec 17th
7 - 10pm  â€¢  FC GOTHAM
409 West 13th Street, NYC 10014
(Btwn Washington and 9th, in the Meatpacking District)

Come drink and be merry with SPD!   Buy tickets after the jump...

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From the SPD Archives: The 16 and 17th Publication Design Annual, 1983

From the SPD Archives: The 16 and 17th Publication Design Annual, 1983

SPD50n.jpgThe 16 and 17th SPD Publication Design competition winners were published together in one book, in 1983. The 16 and 17th Publication Design Annual was designed by Dennis Di Vincenzo and Rea Ackerman. The book featured magazine design produced in 1980-81. Medal winners were printed on 16 pages of color, but the rest of the book was reproduced in black and white. In his brief introduction, SPD President Myles Ludwig described the book as a "volume of dazzling and inspiring design solutions...that delineate the day-to-day creative challenges of publication design."

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Related Stories:
From the SPD Archives: The 15th Call for Entries, 1979
From the SPD Archives: Publication Design 12, 1978
From the SPD Archives: Publication Design 39 Cover, 2004
From the SPD Archives: Society of Publication Designers News, 1966
From the SPD Archives: Call for Entries Poster, 1972
From the SPD Archives: The First Issue of Grids, 1982
From the SPD Archives: Publication Design News, 1975
From the SPD Archives: Call for Entries 20, 1984
From the SPD Archives: 1973 Call for Entries, Designed by Massimo Vignelli
From the SPD Archives: Publication Design Annual #2, 1976
From the SPD Archives: Publication Design 13, 14 & 15 Annual, 1982
From the SPD Archives: 25th Anniversary Call for Entries, 1989
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The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 2)

The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 2)

We've partnered with Coverjunkie for his annual cover of the year poll and will be featuring the 50+ finalists all week long on the site.  
Click HERE and vote on your top 3 favorite creative covers of 2014  
Winner will be announced on Sunday, December 28th.  

And don't forget to enter your best work from 2014 in our 
SPD's 2014 Holiday Gift Guide

SPD's 2014 Holiday Gift Guide

The elves at SPD have been busy gathering a swell set of holiday gift books that will make the perfect present for your favorite art director, photo editor, illustrator, photographer, or other visual person. We've got books big and small, in all shapes and sizes. We've created an Amazon store for one stop shopping on all these great gifts, and a portion of the sales will go directly to SPD!

Plus, check out our SPD store at shop-spd.org to purchase any of our yearly Design Annuals and posters from the 50th Anniversary Poster Series
See the full guide after the jump...
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The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 1)

The Finalists for CoverJunkie's Cover of the Year Competition (part 1)

We've partnered with Coverjunkie for his annual cover of the year poll and will be featuring the 50+ finalists all week long on the site.  
Click HERE and vote on your top 3 favorite creative covers of 2014  
Winner will be announced on Sunday, December 28th.  

And don't forget to enter your best work from 2014 in our 
Join us for the SPD Holiday Party on Wed, December 17th

Join us for the SPD Holiday Party on Wed, December 17th

7 - 10pm  â€¢  FC GOTHAM
409 West 13th Street,  NY NY 10014

Members $15 Advance, $20 at the door  (log-in to get the member discount)

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Non-Members $30 Advance, $40 at the door (want 50% off tickets, plus more? Join now!)

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Bring an unwrapped children's toy (2-4 year old educational preferred) 
for half off admission. Gifts will be donated to The Educational Alliance.

An American in Milano at Vanity Fair Italia

An American in Milano at Vanity Fair Italia

Devin Pedzwater - best known Stateside for his work at SPIN, Rolling Stone and Sports Illustrated magazines - has been the Creative Director at Vanity Fair Italia for two years. Gym Class's Steven Gregor caught up with Devin, and got the low-down on what it's like to work on Vanity Fair's 250+ page weekly (yes, weekly!) Italian cousin. 

Are you settled in Milan? What do you love most about living in Italy; and what do you miss most about New York?
I'm lucky to have an office in both Milan and New York, so I can keep a foot in both worlds. When I'm in Milan, which I love, my colleagues and friends embrace me as one of the family, which helps me embrace the Italian lifestyle. I now have an intimate understanding of their day-to-day culture, which influences the work I do for the magazine, as well as all of the brand extensions. Oh, and the food...it's fantastic. 
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From the SPD Archives: Photographs from the Mag2000 Conference, Part 2, 1996

From the SPD Archives: Photographs from the Mag2000 Conference, Part 2, 1996

SPD50m.jpgFrom the SPD Archives recently highlighted the photographs of Steven Freeman taken at SPD's Mag2000 conference in Monterey, California, in early April 1996.

Organized by co-chairs Tom Bentkowski, design director of Life, and Roger Black of Roger Black, Inc., Mag2000 was an historic gathering of close to 300 art directors, designers, editors, and industry professionals. They gathered to hear an all-star collection of presentations from the likes of James Burke, Henry Wolf, Sam Antupit, Martha Stewart, Brendan Gill, Nigel Holmes, and an array of art directors including Gary Koepke, Fred Woodward, Will Hopkins, Mary K. Baumann, David Carson, and many other media luminaries.

Steven Freeman spent several days photographing participants in an improvised studio. The results include sparkling portraits of the cream of magazine art directors and other media mavens, circa 1996. There were so many great portraits that we've decided to run a second collection, this one featuring images of Lloyd Ziff, Mike Salisbury, John Plunkett, Jill Armus, Mary Kay Baumann, Will Hopkins, and more.

(Picture above: Mike Salisbury, creative director)
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Cover of the Day: Houstonia January 2015

Cover of the Day: Houstonia January 2015

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

Houstonia January 2015
Design Director: Chris Skiles
Photography: Todd Spoth
Lettering: Joel Holland

Want to submit your cover to be considered for our Cover of the Day? Send us a jpeg of your cover with credit info to SPDsubmissions@gmail.com
Cover of the Day: MoFo Tech

Cover of the Day: MoFo Tech

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

MoFo Tech Fall/Winter 2014
Creative Director: Patrick Mitchell
Illustrator: Rob Wilson



Want to submit your cover to be considered for our Cover of the Day? Send us a jpeg of your cover with credit info to SPDsubmissions@gmail.com
From the SPD Archives: 25th Anniversary Call for Entries, 1989

From the SPD Archives: 25th Anniversary Call for Entries, 1989

SPD50k.jpgThe Call for Entries for the SPD 25th anniversary competition was a major piece of work (and art). It was a mini magazine, filled with stories, lists, and charts, that celebrated 25 years of publication art direction. Co-chairs for the competition were Walter Bernard of WBMG and Phyllis Richmond Cox, the art director of Bride's magazine. The call for entries was designed by Bernard and Milton Glaser of WBMG, with assistance from Karen Trittipo, and owed quite a bit of inspiration to the pages of Spy magazine. It was edited by Killian Jordan.

The call was a 16-page masterpiece of content and design, that contained not only the usual entry information, forms, and lists of judges, but also had a brilliant mix of rich detail and stories on art directing magazines, both contemporary and historical, including contributions from Dugald Stermer, Sam Antupit, Rip Georges, Fred Woodward, Steve Heller, Lloyd Ziff, Roger Black, Bob Ciano, and Tom Bentkowski. The stories include a list of art directors who are married to each other, a brief history of Fortune redesigns, a remembrance by Vincent Winter of arm wrestling Jann Wenner to keep a Rolling Stone layout intact, and much more. This is one of the best and most entertaining collections of publication art direction information that SPD has ever compiled. And most impressive is that the complex design and production was all done pre-desktop.

You can click on the pages to blow them up to readable size!

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"An Extraordinary Collision Between P.G. Wodehouse and Spinal Tap"

NEWCOWLESSIGNER.jpgBy Andy Cowles
andycowles.com

This is my last post of the week; it's been great fun and I hope you've enjoyed it, so if you'll indulge me, here's a story about some of my own Back Pages.

In the late 80's and early 90's Q Magazine was the biggest music magazine in the UK. It's success led directly to the launch of Mojo, still going strong, but Q is now sadly a shadow of its' former self. It fell victim to changing habits as well a lack of focus on the reader and their aspirations.

But at launch, if tone is everything, then Q Magazine had it all. Created to give the regular Englishman an alternative to the tribal rock press of the day, it became a publishing phenomenon within its first year. Bitingly funny, beautifully written and with a presentation to match, the brand gave English readers in particular a sense of identity that few contemporary music magazines have equaled. It won innumerable awards, sold by the bucketload and made the careers of many of its contributors.

I drew the Q, designed the first 29 issues, and over the next 10 years designed 30-odd more covers along with several major redesigns.

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Cover of the Day: Lucky Peach Winter 2014

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

Lucky Peach  Winter 2014
Art Director: Walter Green 
Cover Photo: Gabriele Stabile & Hannah Clark
Cover Cookies By: Amelia Coulter (Sugarbuilt)

 
Want to submit your cover to be considered for our Cover of the Day? Send us a jpeg of your cover with credit info to SPDsubmissions@gmail.com
Is Your Content Going Down the Toilet? Here Are Three Things You Can Do About It

Is Your Content Going Down the Toilet? Here Are Three Things You Can Do About It

NEWCOWLESSIGNER.jpgBy Andy Cowles
andycowles.com

Crap. That's the word that begins content marketing agency Velocity's slideshare, now downloaded over half a million times. Their argument is that so much content is now being produced by marketers, social media agencies, production companies and PR's that it's inevitable we're all going to drown in a flood of content that's just plain rubbish. (Brilliantly skewered by Clickhole, logo above.)

It's a good looking dek, but at the end, when I was expecting there to be an antidote to this tide of garbage swilling around my ankles, I discovered that their answer was... "Raise your game."

So what does this platitude actually mean? It's an important question, because unless we work it out, trust in journalism, publishing and the brands we serve will just melt away. And without trust we have nothing.

Storytelling may be the basis of human experience, but it means diddly-squit if the source is untrustworthy.

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From the SPD Archives: Rolling Stone Staff at SPD Gala 30, 1995

From the SPD Archives: Rolling Stone Staff at SPD Gala 30, 1995

SPD50k.jpg1995 was a great year for Rolling Stone and its staff at the 30th SPD Awards Gala. They dominated the awards like few magazines have done before or since, winning 6 gold medals out of 17 awarded, including a gold medal in a new category, Best in Show. And Rolling Stone's medals were won in every major category: design, photography, and illustration.

This was one of many golden eras of design at Rolling Stone, and that was reflected in the talents of their small but very potent staff. Pictured clockwise from top left are: Denise Sfraga, associate photography editor; Fiona McDonagh, photography staff; Geraldine Hessler, assistant art director; Jodi Peckman, photography director; Sid Holt, managing editor; Lee Bearson, assistant art director; Fred Woodward, art director; Janice Woodward (Fred's wife); unidentified staffer; Gail Anderson, deputy art director. [Staff titles taken from a Rolling Stone masthead circa June 1995. If you can ID the staff member in front, please contact SPD!].

The co-chairs of SPD Gala 30 were Scott Yardley, art director of Good Housekeeping, and Maya Kaimal MacMillan, photo director of Good Housekeeping.

(Photograph by Kevin Mazur)




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How Media Brands Explain Who We Are, and More Importantly, Who We Want to Be

How Media Brands Explain Who We Are, and More Importantly, Who We Want to Be

NEWCOWLESSIGNER.jpgBy Andy Cowles
andycowles.com

Last weekend I witnessed a couple of friends in London discussing the nature of their relationship by which shelter title they preferred. For the record, Richard was Elle Deco, Annie was Living Etc. Whatever you may think, both these brands are so well drawn that readers can use them as a shorthand to express deep seated feelings that otherwise might take weeks to uncover.

This exchange goes to the heart of the modern media conundrum. More so than ever before, the content is nothing compared to the point of view that surrounds it. Values, beliefs and tone of voice are the things that a reader values, and is prepared to pay for.

Living Etc and Elle Deco's content is different, but only by degree. Many of the houses and ideas in one title could appear in the other, the key is the code used to present them.


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How Do You Compete With a Billion Dollar Logo?

How Do You Compete With a Billion Dollar Logo?

NEWCOWLESSIGNER.jpgBy Andy Cowles
andycowles.com

Buzzfeed
is now considered one of the world's most innovative news organizations. It's value is currently over $1b, getting close to the likes of The New York Times ($1.28b), and dwarfing other digital news sites. So it's no surprise that more start-ups want a slice of the pie.

American news site Vox is early out of the blocks, launched just three months after founder Ezra Klein left the Washington Post. He claims that Vox will "Explain the world" but the site is already creating a stir, as evidenced by this rant from a senior Facebook executive complaining that "Someone should fix this shit."

He was referring to Vox's story about how you should "Wash your jeans instead of freezing them," with the complaint was that they were not delivering  "A new home for serious journalism in a format that felt Internet-native."

When it comes to content, you have to make your intentions very clear. Which is why design is central to a users understanding of what to expect. Can Vox persuade readers that it's a real heavyweight political commentator? Can Buzzfeed change horses midstream and let us believe that they too should be taken seriously?

In short, what does the design of these two sites say about trust?


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The Genius That Is Carla Frank

The Genius That Is Carla Frank

NEWCOWLESSIGNER.jpgBy Andy Cowles
andycowles.com

I have only ever subscribed to three magazines in my life. When I was eleven it was Military Modeling because I couldn't get in my village newsagent. Now it's The New Yorker, but for many years it was O, the Oprah Magazine, because I just loved the design.

Carla Frank was the launch creative director, and remained on the title for ten years, during which she produced some of the greatest and most moving editorial design I've ever seen.

oprah-joy-cover.pngAfter she left Oprah, Carla spent time on Cooking Light, but not so long ago she upped and went off to Italy, becoming the Creative Director of Italian Glamour for six issues. And what a stunning job she made of it. If you look at her site today it looks and feels completely reinvented.


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Type Size Is Your Friend

Type Size Is Your Friend

NEWCOWLESSIGNER.jpgBy Andy Cowles
andycowles.com

Most people never read more than 25% of even their favourite magazine. However, many editors are totally blind to this fact, insisting on getting every single word of their deathless prose wedged into the page. Invoking higher authority, this often produces nothing more than a sophisticated internal memo that no one will ever read.

As designers, we're culpable in this, as it's we who set the size of the type in the first place. Not only that, many designers seem to think that readers have 20/20 vision, and are perfectly willing to read large tracts of text across super wide columns in sizes that would strain the eyesight of fighter pilots.

Among many other reasons, this is a reason why I love The New Yorker so much.  Their text is beautifully set, 10/12, I believe, across the correct measure and with perfect kerning.

(Image courtesy Streets of Salem)



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A New Indie Mag for TV Lovers

A New Indie Mag for TV Lovers

Love magazines? Tick. Love television? Tick. Then new indie television magazine sixteenbynine might be perfect for you (plus, it looks ace). Gym Class's Steven Gregor spoke with the editor Cal King for SPD.

Congrats on the magazine, Cal. Why start a magazine about television?
Thanks! I've always had a slightly obsessive passion for both independent magazines and television (I've been known to demolish six-season boxsets in an obscenely short time), so it seemed like a fairly inevitable coming-together. I'd been watching the blossoming indie mag scene and waiting patiently for one about television to come along, but when that didn't happen I thought I'd test the waters with sixteenbynine 
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From the SPD Archives: Publication Design 13, 14 & 15 Annual, 1982

From the SPD Archives: Publication Design 13, 14 & 15 Annual, 1982

SPD50k.jpgIn 1982, SPD published its second hard cover annual, and its fourth collection of design competition winners overall. The 13, 14 & 15th Publication Design Annual featured over 800 gold, silver, and merit winning images from SPD Publication Design competitions held between 1978-80.

President Tom Lennon said in his introduction, "The overwhelming beauty of the material contained within these pages is only a reflection of the abounding creativity and just a hint of the direction the design industry is headed for in the very near future." He goes on to describe the annual as something for "all those who enjoy viewing uniqueness and genius in its purest form, a book which will astound the eyes for years to come."

The 13, 14 & 15th Publication Design Annual was designed by: The Midnight Oil Design Studio; cover design: Dennis Di Vincenzo; layout and typesetting: The Scarlett Letter; typesetting: The Type Set.

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Related Stories:
From the SPD Archives: The 15th Call for Entries, 1979
From the SPD Archives: Publication Design 12, 1978
From the SPD Archives: Publication Design 39 Cover, 2004
From the SPD Archives: Society of Publication Designers News, 1966
From the SPD Archives: Call for Entries Poster, 1972
From the SPD Archives: The First Issue of Grids, 1982
From the SPD Archives: Publication Design News, 1975
From the SPD Archives: Call for Entries 20, 1984
From the SPD Archives: 1973 Call for Entries, Designed by Massimo Vignelli
From the SPD Archives: Publication Design Annual #2, 1976
Insanely Beautiful

Insanely Beautiful

NEWCOWLESSIGNER.jpgBy Andy Cowles
andycowles.com

Whilst on vacation in NYC this summer I met with Time Out's sparkling new editor Terri White and her top notch new art director Chris Deacon. And like many media expats before we gathered at the Ear Inn on Spring Street to drink Mexican beer and gossip about our friends in the media.

Which was all great fun, but for a while we were sorely distracted by a copy of The Wall Street Journal's magazine, WSJ., which I had been "loaned" earlier that day by Christos Hannides, the Creative Director of Ink Global Media's Rhapsody and Hemispheres.

Dear God what a beautiful magazine this is. Page after page of effortless class. Amazing photography, perfectly judged layout, and top-notch writing. It's completely old school, large format, black and white images to the fore, resolutely not glossy. The WSJ. creative team includes Magnus Berger, creative director; Pierre Tardif, design director; and Jennifer Pastore, photography director.

You've got great taste Christos. And you're not getting it back.

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Related Stories:

OH NO! Who's Taken Our Car?
"Elitist, Narrow-minded, and With An Aesthetic Corridor No Wider Than My Middle Finger"
Possibly the Best Airline Magazine in the World
Possibly the Best Airline Magazine in the World

Possibly the Best Airline Magazine in the World

NEWCOWLESSIGNER.jpgBy Andy Cowles
andycowles.com

I'm currently consulting with Ink Global Media, the world's largest publisher of airline magazines. My own projects for them are still in the mixer, but we'll do well to get halfway close to N, the magazine Ink produces for the smart, increasingly global carrier Norwegian Airlines.

N was narrowly robbed of the UK's top publishing award this year, coming second to Slimming World at the PPA Award for Customer Magazine of the Year although it did win Launch of the Year in the BSMEs (British Society of Magazine Editors Awards) in 2013. But such is the consistency of quality; I can't see it being overlooked in 2015.

N-stinking fish-thumb-550x690-22365.jpg

Art director Rickard Westin has built a modern, easy-to-read but visually distinctive template that carries some pretty powerful journalism. Together with editor Toby Skinner and deputy editor Mandy Keighran they've published a ton of world-class covers, along with a bunch of smart, clever ideas.
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"Elitist, Narrow-minded, And With An Aesthetic Corridor No Wider Than My Middle Finger"

NEWCOWLESSIGNER.jpgBy Andy Cowles
andycowles.com

These were my considered reasons for not joining the Society of Publication Designers when I first moved to New York. Clearly this was the mindset of a post-punk tabloid-esque European Idiot; when I finally joined a year later I discovered just what a fine resource the SPD really is.

Apart from the world-class work skillfully documented in the SPD annuals, the biggest gift is the community of like-minded souls. It sounds cheesy, but to an Englishman this is another representation of America at its best. The industry here is big enough and inclusive enough to make a group like this work, with it apparently running on nothing more than pure passion, iron resolve and an acceptable level of self-interest.

Editorial design has changed. In fact it's changed so far and so fast that none of us really know what we're meant to be doing anymore. Are we now selling ads, managing reader feedback, incorporating native, generating commercial content, or just becoming the primary brand champion?

(Image via Jim Marshall Photography)

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Cover of the Day: The New York Times Magazine, November 30, 2014

Cover of the Day: The New York Times Magazine, November 30, 2014

Thumbnail image for coverofthedayicon-thumb-55x78-19105-thumb-53x75-19107-thumb-50x70-19108-1.jpg
Welcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper covers from around the world.

The New York Times Magazine November 30, 2014
Design Director: Gail Bichler
Director of Photography: Kathy Ryan
Photographer: Alec Soth

 
Want to submit your cover to be considered for our Cover of the Day? Send us a jpeg of your cover with credit info to SPDsubmissions@gmail.com

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