Grids: Controversy Archives

The End of Awesomeness

Controversy 06.17.14 posted by Patrick Mitchell

If you're not friends with David Carson or Armin Vit on Facebook, you're probably missing one of the great multi-generational graphic design throw-downs in recent history. Representing the '90s is Carson, former designer of iconic magazines like Beach Culture and Raygun. In the other corner, representing this millennium, is Vit, co-creator of UnderConsideration and Brand New.

What's at the center of this tussle is a poster Vit commissioned Carson to create for an event called the Austin Initiative for Graphic Awesomeness (pictured above). What has ensued is both entertaining and epic (and petty and revealing).

Here's a summary of the squabble.

Hoefler Abruptly Changes Company Name

Controversy 01.17.14 posted by The Editors

[Reposted from Typography.com]

For Immediate Release

17 January 2014

Last week, designer Tobias Frere-Jones, a longtime employee of The Hoefler Type Foundry, Inc. (d/b/a "Hoefler & Frere-Jones"), decided to leave the company. With Tobias's departure, the company founded by Jonathan Hoefler in 1989 will become known as Hoefler & Co.

Following his departure, Tobias filed a claim against company founder Jonathan Hoefler. Its allegations are not the facts, and they profoundly misrepresent Tobias's relationship with both the company and Jonathan. Whether as The Hoefler Type Foundry, Hoefler & Frere-Jones, or Hoefler & Co., our company has always been a great place for designers, which is why it's always been and will continue to be a great place for design.

It goes without saying that all of us are disappointed by Tobias's actions. The company will vigorously defend itself against these allegations, which are false and without legal merit. In the meantime, we're all hard at work, continuing to create the kinds of typefaces that designers have come to expect from us for more than 25 years.

Contact:

Michael Burke

General Counsel

burke@typography.com

"Sustained Exploitation:" Frere-Jones to File Suit against Hoefler

Controversy 01.17.14 posted by The Editors

[Reposted from Quartz.com]

Hoefler & Frere-Jones, the preeminent digital type foundry, has broken out into civil war.

Type designer Tobias Frere-Jones claims he has been cheated out of his half of the company by his business partner, Jonathan Hoefler. In a blistering lawsuit filed today in New York City, Frere-Jones says he was duped into transferring ownership of several fonts, including the world-famous Whitney, to Hoefler & Frere-Jones (HFJ) on the understanding that he would own 50% of the company.

"In the most profound treachery and sustained exploitation of friendship, trust and confidence, Hoefler accepted all of the benefits provided by Frere-Jones while repeatedly promising Frere-Jones that he would give him the agreed equity, only to refuse to do so when finally demanded," the suit claims. See the full complaint, and read the rest of the story here.

Also: The Industry website has more.

Poll: Is Businessweek's Cover "Offensive"?

Controversy 03.01.13 posted by The Editors

Controversy has been brewing all week over a cover created by Richard Turley and his team at Bloomberg Businessweek. The February 25, 2013 cover, titled "The Great American Housing Rebound" features an illustration by Andres Guzman depicting an African-American family celebrating in a house stuffed with piles of cash.

The NAACP's Dedrick Muhammad told New York the cover was "racist and a mischaracterization. They are clearly racializing the issue by having mostly Blacks and Latinos--possibly only Blacks and Latinos--benefitting."

According to the New York article, the dust up first erupted this morning after Matthew Yglesias at Slate wrote about the cover (in an article titled "Businessweek Warns that Minorities May Be Buying Houses Again") and suggested that the magazine "ought to be ashamed."

Soon after that post went up, the Twittersphere was in an outcry over the offending image, with thousands of tweets calling for an explanation of just how the cover made it to print. By this afternoon, even Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley was calling the cover art "racist" and "outrageous."

Bloomberg Businessweek editor Josh Tyrangiel has since offered an apology.

Now it's your turn to weigh in. How do you feel about this cover?

poll by twiigs.com

Overworked Intern Sues Hearst

Controversy 02.02.12 posted by The Editors

The way we use interns may soon change pending the outcome of an upcoming lawsuit. Xuedan Wang, who interned last Fall at Harper's Bazaar, is suing Hearst for "violating federal and state wage and hour laws by not paying her even though she often worked there full time."

The lawsuit could become a class-action suit on behalf of the hundreds of unpaid interns Wang and her attorneys say Hearst Magazines--publishers of Cosmo, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, O The Oprah Magazine, and Marie Claire, among others--consistently employ.

As the economy has struggled, magazines have relied on unpaid interns for getting much of their work done, especially for over-taxed staffs churning out multiple versions of magazines for multiple formats.

Jon Stewart on Michele Bachmann Newsweek cover

Controversy 08.10.11 posted by Josh Klenert

Jon Stewart dove into this week's controversial Newsweek cover, blasting the magazine for its cover photo. We've seen this story before with their Sarah Palin covers (see also: The Closeup Cover, The Flag Cover)--not to mention the recent stir surrounding their Diana cover.

Check out this clip, and let us know what you think of the cover.

… MORE

Newsweek's 'Diana at 50' Cover Stirs Up Controversy...

Controversy 06.29.11 posted by The Editors

...and isn't that what they hired Tina Brown for? The cover for this week's double issue features a photoshopped picture of Princess Diana, aged to imagine what she would have looked like, were she alive, at her upcoming 50th birthday, next to her daughter-in-law, Catherine Middleton. Photoshopping a cover isn't new to Newsweek, and a newsweekly, making news, sounds like a good plan, but this might not be the response they hoped for. The Atlantic Wire asks, "How creepy is Princess Diana's ghost on the cover of Newsweek?" and Fishbowl NY echoes the "creepy" tag, while New York Magazine's The Cut wonders if "reverse retouching" is about to become a thing. CJR thinks there must be a gas leak at the Newsweek office. The Los Angeles Times asks, "Shocking, brilliant or just plain cheap?"

What do YOU think?

Above: Newsweek, July 4 & 11, 2011; Creative Director, Dirk Barnett, Director of Photography, Scott Hall, Photography, R. Mutt Studios (Michael Elins)

Roger Black on Ready-Media

Controversy 07.23.10 posted by Robert Newman

The post earlier this week on the SPD site about the new Ready-Media project started by Roger Black, Sam and David Berlow, Robb Rice, and Eduardo Danilo, was the most controversial item we've ever published. It attracted passionate and articulate comments, both pro and con, from a huge cross-section of publication designers and art directors. The arc of the comments seemed to go through the classic five steps of grieving, although they skipped the first one, denial, and went straight to number two, anger, followed by bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance.

The discussion over the implications of Ready-Media's "just add content" strategy were picked up on a lot of publication and design websites, including comments by Steven Heller of Print magazine, Jeremy Leslie at Magculture, Andrew Losowsky at Magtastic Blogsplosion, and an interview with Roger Black at the Society of News Design site.

We contacted Roger Black, and asked him to answer some questions about Ready-Media, as well as addressing some of the criticisms that were raised by SPD members. Here's what he had to say:

… MORE

No Makeup, No Retouching? No, Really?

Controversy 04.26.10 posted by Josh Klenert

No disrespect to J. Simps, but who does Marie Claire think their fooling with their "No makeup, No retouching" headline.… MORE

Overzealous with Photoshop?

Controversy 03.18.10 posted by Josh Klenert

Did Vogue get a little carried away with Photoshop with their Tina Fey cover? Check out the full story from the Daily News.

… MORE

Creatives Under Siege!

Controversy 01.29.10 posted by Jeremy LaCroix

The LA TIMES published this article last week painting a bleak outlook for Creatives in general.

Take a look at the artwork they utilize, an April 2009 cover of TIME magazine in which they report the main image of a mason jar containing change only cost TIME $30 dollars to license illustrating how high end photographers are getting crowdsourced...… MORE

Designers and Units and Polls, Oh My

Controversy 04.02.09 posted by Christy Sheppard

There's a war brewing in the SPD community, and it isn't pretty. (Well, actually, it is kinda pretty. Because that's how we roll.) It's between the Picas and the Points, and neither side looks like it's going to concede any time soon. Let's settle the battle once and for all--WITH A POLL. (continue ...)

… MORE

Recently in Controversy Category

The End of Awesomeness

Hoefler Abruptly Changes Company Name

"Sustained Exploitation:" Frere-Jones to File Suit against Hoefler

Poll: Is Businessweek's Cover "Offensive"?

Overworked Intern Sues Hearst

Jon Stewart on Michele Bachmann Newsweek cover

Newsweek's 'Diana at 50' Cover Stirs Up Controversy...

Roger Black on Ready-Media

No Makeup, No Retouching? No, Really?

Overzealous with Photoshop?

Creatives Under Siege!

Designers and Units and Polls, Oh My

Ready For Its Closeup

Atlantic Editor Apologizes for Jill Greenberg Images

Church? State? L.A. Times Mag Launch Plays With the Paradigm

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