Grids: New+Notable Archives

Life And Style magazine's London issue debuts

New+Notable 10.21.14 posted by The Editors

SPD Board member Francesca Messina met with Roberto Hernandez in Mexico City to discuss his new role as Art Director of Life And Style magazine, a monthly men's fashion magazine published by Grupo Expansion.

See what Roberto and his team have been up to...

… MORE

Four Seasons Unveils Posh Redesign

New+Notable 05.07.13 posted by Patrick Mitchell

With the opportunity to help lead the evolution of a new Four Seasons brand identity by creating a more engaging, dynamic, and robust magazine experience, Pace has recently published the first issue of newly redesigned Four Seasons Magazine, the quarterly publication for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

Key to the creation of the new look and feel was a partnership with British designer Matt Willey, co-founder of Port and Studio8 Design.

… MORE

Better with Age? An Icon Reinvents at 60

New+Notable 03.12.13 posted by Patrick Mitchell

Last month, 60 years after its founding, Aperture Foundation relaunched its flagship publication Aperture, one of the world's leading photography magazines. Conceived by Executive Director Chris Boot, and editors Michael Famighetti and Melissa Harris to offer a more focused experience of great photography in print, the new Aperture sports a bold, new redesign, with more pages, new columns, even more inspiring images, and insightful thinkers on the key themes and ideas in photography today, all written with a broader audience in mind.

The award-winning London designers A2/SW/HK have re-envisioned the magazine as a luxurious print object defined by its tactile presence, dynamic typography unique to Aperture, and high-quality reproductions.

… MORE

A New Brand of Magazine

New+Notable 02.13.13 posted by Patrick Mitchell

We just came across this pub while trolling Claudio Franco's great cover blog Nascapas. After further research, we found that B (for Brand Balance--we think) is the brainchild of Sean Joh, the chief director of Joh, a creative agency based in Seoul, South Korea.

… MORE

Scott Dadich Returns to Wired--As Editor in Chief

New+Notable 11.16.12 posted by The Editors

Scott Dadich has been named editor in chief of Wired, Condé Nast announced today.

Dadich, who is replacing Chris Anderson, comes from the corporate side at Condé Nast -- most recently as VP, editorial platforms and design since 2010. Dadich was the CD of Wired from 2006-2010.

… MORE

Flair Resurrected in Italy

New+Notable 10.16.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

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.

… MORE

Twenty-Four Magazine, Created in 24 Hours!

New+Notable 10.10.12 posted by Robert Newman

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.

An Olympic Feat

New+Notable 10.08.12 posted by The Editors

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

M Magazine Returns!

New+Notable 10.02.12 posted by Robert Newman

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.
… MORE

Rip Georges Kickstarts a New Mag

New+Notable 09.07.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

Former LA Times Magazine EIC Nancie Clare and former CD Rip Georges, fresh from having the magazine ripped out from under them, have teamed up to launch a new iPad-only magazine called Noir. The LA-based pub, for "the mystery, thriller and true crime genres in all mediums: books, movies, TV, graphic novels and video games," is in fund-raising mode via Kickstarter.

… MORE

O.R.D. - Outdoor Retailer Daily Magazine

New+Notable 08.25.12 posted by Robert Newman

Twice a year, Active Interest Media creative director Matthew Bates and his team produce a daily magazine at the Outdoor Retailer trade show, called O.R.D.. The show, which attracts over 21,000 attendees, takes place in Salt Lake City. This August, Bates and crew produced four daily magazines. Here are the covers and some background on how they came together.

Day 1:
Matthew Bates: We set up a makeshift photo studio out in one of the back hallways at the convention center, so it's easy for us to shoot subjects. But for this first cover, our editors wanted it to be about how Outdoor Retailer is getting too big for Salt Lake City. The show has grown so much over recent years that it's maxing out the city's ability to host it.

… MORE

Scientific American Comes to the iPad

New+Notable 07.26.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

Scientific American, the longest continuously published magazine in the U.S., has unveiled its monthly tablet edition available for iPad. The tablet edition is designed in-house by DD Michael Mrak and his team.

… MORE

A Dark Night at the Movies

New+Notable 07.25.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

The Hollywood Reporter dedicated their latest issue to last week's tragic events at an opening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. Noted illustrator Edel Rodriguez created the issue's somber and dramatic cover.

See the work in progress after the jump ...

… MORE

Time Covers the Olympics

New+Notable 07.24.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

Ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, TIME releases an Olympics preview issue with five separate covers -- three domestic and two international -- each featuring a top athlete. Gymnast Gabby Douglas, swimmer Ryan Lochte, and hurdler Lolo Jones -- all American athletes -- each appear solo on the three domestic split covers. The two international covers feature English heptathlete Jessica Ennis and Japanese soccer player Homare Sawa.

… MORE

Body of Work

New+Notable 07.17.12 posted by The Editors

ESPN's answer to Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue is their annual "Body Issue"--a "celebration of the athletic form." Read an interview with ESPN The Magazine Deputy Editor Neely Lohmann all about the behind-the-scenes of the issue, and what it was like to work with CD John Korpics, and PEs Karen Frank and Freyda Tavin here

See all of the covers after the jump...

… MORE

Ad Age Assigns Cover Art Worldwide

New+Notable 06.26.12 posted by The Editors

For its annual "global issue," Advertising Age and its editor, Abbey Klaassen and AD Jesper Goransson decided to have a competition for artists and designers around the world to create the cover.

The winning cover was created by Rohit Dhamija and Udayan Chakravarty, an AD and copywriter (respectively) at the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson (JWT) in New Delhi, India.

See the finalists after the jump.

… MORE

NYT Magazine Redesigns Four Times in One Day. Sort of.

New+Notable 06.01.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

From the Unbeige blog:

The New York Times Magazine's annual innovations issue arrives this Sunday, stuffed with big ideas ranging from planet-saving bugs to futuristic family reunions. The magazine's crack design team took the theme to heart with an innovation of its own: an ambitious split run of four covers, each featuring a (gasp!) reimagined version of the Gray Lady's famed blackletter logo. Design director Arem Duplessis graciously provided us with an advance look at the bold cover quartet, pictured here. Working with art director Gail Bichler and designer Sara Cwynar, Duplessis tapped a selection of design firms and individuals to overhaul The New York Times Magazine logo and matched them with Chris Nosenzo's illustrations of four of the 32 "innovations that will change your tomorrow" featured in the issue. The "smart teeth" cover has a rinse-and-spit spirit, with a blurred-ink logo by Christopher Clark, while "power shirt" is partnered with the jaunty geometry of Non-Format. For "Cuddlebot," Nosenzo's robo-cat plays nice with Magpie Studio's fractal-shrouded caps, and "perilous play" finds its match in a playfully pixellated logo by Alex Trochut. Read on for our Q&A with Duplessis about this innovative cover project.

Read the interview with Duplessis here.

Snuggle Up with Your Work

New+Notable 05.14.12 posted by The Editors

If you love your job so much you hate to leave it at the office, well, now you can take it home and sleep with it (Provided you work at Time, Esquire, Vogue, or Playboy). These 100% cotton pillowcases put you on the cover the minute you hit the sack.

Get them at Infmetry. See the collection after the jump.

Newman Named to Folio 40

New+Notable 04.05.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

Bob Newman, CD at Reader's Digest, has been named to the 2012 FOLIO: 40, the publication's annual list of the industry's most innovative and distinguished professionals. The list represents every facet of magazine publishing, from every corner of the industry. Not reserved exclusively for seasoned executives, "The 40" honors individuals from the corner office to the corner cubicle, where new ideas drive meaningful change.

Newman was brought on board with the formidable task of shattering RD's stereotypical 'grandmother's magazine' image to recast it as a magazine for the 21st century. His design work for the Reader's Digest tablet magazine has helped it approach 100,000 subscriptions, and has influenced the print edition as well.

Congratulations, Bob!

After a 55-Year Break, Collier's Returns

New+Notable 03.14.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

The new issue of Collier's magazine hits the newsstand this month and it brings some big changes. Readers may not remember last issue's cover--which featured Princess Grace of Monaco talking about her pregnancy--because it likely came out before you (and perhaps even your parents) were born: January 1957.

From to a story on Folio's website: "Despite a perilous publishing environment, Pennsylvania publisher John Elduff purchased the rights to Collier's at an auction two years ago for a reported $2,000. 55 years after Collier's final issue printed, the magazine returns with a February/March 2012 edition. The first issue of the renewed Collier's had a print run of 25,000; Elduff, who acts as publisher and editor, says the magazine has already gained up to 20,000 paying subscribers."

… MORE

Fred Woodward Spoofs George Lois Spoofing Andy Warhol

New+Notable 03.14.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

The Oxford American describes the itself as "a national magazine dedicated to featuring the very best in Southern writing while documenting the complexity and vitality of the American South." At times it can also be pretty funny--especially when they do things like this spoof cover (above), created by GQ DD Fred Woodward.

OA founder & editor Marc Smirnoff tells the story ...

… MORE

Happy Birthday, Pop Mech

New+Notable 02.09.12 posted by The Editors

Popular Mechanics, one of the oldest continuously-published magazines in existence, celebrates its 110th anniversary in March. DD Michael Lawton gives the background on their cover concept.

… MORE

Bazaar's Got a New Look

New+Notable 02.02.12 posted by The Editors

In the works since November, the eagerly anticipated Harper's Bazaar redesign hits newsstands soon. The cover (subscriber version, above) features a Terry Richardson photo of Gwyneth Paltrow. Former British Vogue CD Robin Derrick consulted on the new look.

See the newsstand version after the jump.

… MORE

Newsweek's New iPad App

New+Notable 02.02.12 posted by The Editors

Newsweek's newly re-launched iPad app "may represent what magazine apps will be like in 2012," says García Media's Mario García. "Moderation rules, reading mode is king, photos shine, and, well, you will find one bell and one whistle, not a dozen."

Read the rest of the review here. See some images and an interview clip with the app's designers, the Brothers Mueller after the jump...

… MORE

Seattle Re-Celebrates Its 1962 World Fair

New+Notable 02.01.12 posted by Patrick Mitchell

In October 1962, President John F. Kennedy was scheduled to be in Seattle to attend the closing ceremony of the Century 21 Exposition (also known as the Seattle World's Fair). But Kennedy had to cancel abruptly due to what the White House called a "heavy cold." That cold turned out to be the Cold War's ultimate showdown: The Cuban Missile Crisis. The world was on alert.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest was focused on the future. The fair spawned a building boom for Seattle that included the iconic Space Needle, the Monorail, Key Arena, Seattle Center, and the Pacific Science Center, among many others. It was even used as the setting for one of Elvis Presley's finest films, It Happened at the World's Fair.

With that background--and maybe a little Mad Men inspiration thrown in on the side--Seattle Met recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Seattle World's Fair by creating a commemorative series of covers. Design Director André Mora has the details after the jump.

… MORE

O.R.D.: Outdoor Retailer Daily

New+Notable 01.24.12 posted by Robert Newman

Matthew Bates, creative director of the Outdoor Group (which includes Backpacker magazine, among others), took a team of smart visual folks to the Outdoor Retailer trade convention in Salt Lake City to create a daily magazine/newsletter. Along with senior art director Bryan Nanista and photographer Ben Fullerton, Matthew designed and published four daily issues, complete with photo shoots done in a convention hallway on seamless. The first day's cover is pictured above, and the other three are after the jump.
… MORE

The Coverjunkie Covers Magazine

New+Notable 01.02.12 posted by Robert Newman

Coverjunkie, the cool website that features daily updates of magazine covers from around the world, has published a pop-up magazine devoted to the best covers of 2011. It's filled with almost 250 covers, plus interviews with noted publication designers like Arem Duplessis of The New York Times Magazine, Richard Turley of Bloomberg Businessweek, Matt Wiley of Port, Rodrigo Sanchez of Metropoli, and legendary Esquire cover art director George Lois (somehow an interview with me slipped in there, too....they must have needed to fill space.) Coverjunkie mastermind (and talented art director in his own right) Jaap Biemans has created one of the most exciting, brilliantly-conceived, and collectible publications of the year, one well-worth getting your hands on ASAP (and it's only $12).

… MORE

On the Ground: New Book Collection of 60s Underground Press

New+Notable 11.23.11 posted by Robert Newman

On the Ground is a great new book about the 1960s (and early 70s) underground press, edited by Sean Stewart, the mastermind behind Tumblr site Babylon Falling. The book is packed with reproductions of underground newspaper front pages, comics, graphics, and much more, all in color, and most not seen publicly in over 40 years. Represented are newspapers like the Berkeley Barb, Los Angeles Free Press, East Village Other, the Black Panther, and many more. And there's a healthy dose of underground comics and comic book covers, too. In addition to the wonderful imagery, Stewart has collected an oral history of the time, interviewing former underground press editors, artists, and scene makers. On the Ground is a pure visual treat, and is our choice as our #1 holiday gift for friends and family.

On the Ground is now out and available at bookstores and at Amazon.com, or online here.

On the follow page, a collection of underground newspaper front pages, from On the Ground.

(Above): cover design by Simon Benjamin

… MORE

Magazines on Fire

New+Notable 11.14.11 posted by Josh Klenert

The Kindle Fire is set to debut on Tuesday with Facebook, Twitter, Netflix and "several thousand other apps including over 400 magazine and newspaper titles. With nine magazines (below), Conde Nast appears to have the largest collection ready for launch day. Other big titles include Reader's Digest, Hearst's Elle and Oprah, Time Inc's Fortune, People, and Time. Here's a rundown of magazines we've seen available on the Kindle Fire Newsstand in sync with the launch.… MORE

Boston magazine

New+Notable 11.03.11 posted by Robert Newman

The Boston Globe newspaper has been a fertile breeding ground for magazine designers. Richard Baker, Gail Anderson, Lynn Staley, and current Fortune design director Emily Kehe, among others, all cut their teeth in the Globe's newsroom. The latest Globe veteran to move to magazine design is Chin Wang, who has been the design director at Boston magazine since early 2010. Wang spent eight years at the Globe, designing everything from the weekend Metro section to the Sunday magazine. Since moving to Boston, Wang has given the magazine a sparkling new look, filled with powerful photos and illustrations and lots of graphic surprise and delight. Wang describes the magazine's look as "clean and elegant, inventive but not precious, clever but not too insider-y," and says about her staff that "what we don't have in budget, we make up for with enthusiasm and resourcefulness!"

After the jump, we've got a bright selection of some of the best recent work from Boston magazine, and Chin Wang and her team.

Boston magazine:

Design director: Chin Wang

Deputy art director: Alyce Jones

Senior designer: Liz Noftle

Photo editor: Scott M. Lacey

(Above): August 2010. Illustration: Lorenzo Petrantoni

… MORE

New iPad Social Magazines from Yahoo and Google Expected Soon

New+Notable 10.28.11 posted by Josh Klenert

Yahoo's Livestand and Google's Propeller are expected to enter a crowded digital tablet newsstand next week--joining scial magazine apps, like Flipboard, TweetMag, CNN's Zite, and Editions by AOL.

These apps are another vision of what magazines could be for tablets: great utilities, updated frequently, with easy navigation and social media in their DNA -- all with beautiful magazine-like interfaces. For traditional print publications, the magic will be a combination of this type utility and interface, with the bespoke design and content of a printed publication. Once this happens, we will have truly reinvented magazines for tablets.

Yahoo Livestand video after the jump...

… MORE

Celebrating The Times Magazine's Most Iconic Images

New+Notable 08.30.11 posted by Gail Bichler

When you work for a magazine that produces 52 issues a year, there is not a lot of time for reflecting on the past. But that's exactly what Kathy Ryan, the longtime photo editor of The New York Times Magazine, was asked to do for The New York Times Magazine Photographs, a revealing new book to be published by Aperture this October.
… MORE

Behind the scenes with Editions designer David Robinson

Websites & Apps 08.04.11 posted by Jeremy LaCroix

Editions, the highly anticipated magazine App produced by AOL, Mobile has just hit the App store boasting the tag line "The Magazine that Reads You". It's the first digital magazine I know of that integrates tagging of a user's interests and maps content to those choices offering up a unique personalized magazine every day. Recently I got to sit down with David Robinson, Head of UX & Mobile Design for AOL to ask him a few questions about the process from a designers point of view.… MORE

The SPD 45 iPad App Reviewed: Part 2

New+Notable 07.18.11 posted by Robert Newman

SPD has been getting more nice notices for its new Pub 45 iPad app.

Here's what people are saying:

Magculture.com: "A beautiful resource...like a mega-portfolio of the best editorial work. A great record of a golden era of US editorial design."

The Magaziner: "An affordable and indexed compilation of amazing magazine design."

Folio: "SPD 45 looks gorgeous." There's also a good interview with SPD 45 app designer Josh Klenert on the making of the app and plans for future editions.

The SPD 45 iPad app is available here.

Related Stories:
SPD 45: The Design Annual for iPad

SPD 45: FAQs
The SPD 45 iPad App Reviewed: Part 1

Open Skies, Emirate Airlines In-Flight Magazine

New+Notable 06.08.11 posted by Robert Newman

Open Skies is the in-flight magazine for Emirate Airlines, based in Dubai. It launched in its new design format in March, and since then they've created some outstanding covers. Editor Conor Purcell assigns the cover art and design to an outside artist each issue. Here are the first four covers of the Open Skies redesign. Open Skies is produced by Motivate Publishing.

(Above): June 2011, illustration and design by Noma Bar.
… MORE

Letter to Jane App

New+Notable 05.27.11 posted by Robert Newman

One of our favorite new magazine apps is the latest issue (it's their third) of Letter to Jane. Self-produced and published in Portland, Oregon, by Tim Moore, Letter to Jane strives to "combine pop culture and film history together to make a unique narrative." The quarterly arts and culture app features clean, simple design and easy navigation that highlights a wonderful collection of original photography, videos, and interviews. The images are very cinematic, the overall look and feel is very cool, and reading and looking through the app is a rich, fun experience. This is app creation at its finest. Letter to Jane is a perfect roadmap for the future (or at least one future) of magazine app design, especially for indie publishers. And it's a bargain at only $1.99!

See a selection of Letter to Jane app pages after the jump.

… MORE

The SPD 45 iPad App: Reviewed

New+Notable 05.23.11 posted by Robert Newman

SPD has been getting some nice notices for its new design annual iPad app, which was released last week. Here's what folks have said:

Steven Heller: "The first of its kind: the hardcover design annual re-invented for the iPad."

Joe Zeff: "An incredible new iPad app that sets a new standard...the digital version far surpasses the traditional version."

Mario Garcia: "An outstanding first effort...solid, attractive, easy to navigate." There's also a nice interview with app designer (and SPD co-vice president) Josh Klenert, with lots of behind-the-scenes info on its creation.

The SPD 45 iPad app is available here.

Related Stories:
SPD 45: The Design Annual for iPad

SPD 45: FAQs

SPD 45: The Design Annual For iPad

New+Notable 05.18.11 posted by The Editors

The Society of Publication Designers is proud to announce the debut of its first iPad app: SPD 45. This utility-based app is a enhanced companion to our 45th annual hardcover annual featuring the best in editorial design, photography and illustration in print and digital. Selected by a jury of more than 40 exemplary visual journalists, the award winning work showcased in SPD 45 received merit awards for achievement, Silver awards for distinctive achievement, or Gold awards for Excellence. Also included in the app are the Magazine of the Year winner and finalists, the winners of the 2009 SPOTS illustration competition, and the winners of the SPD Student Design and Photo Competition. Download the iPad app here in iTunes.

… MORE

Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time

New+Notable 04.29.11 posted by Robert Newman

Rolling Stone has just published The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, a high-quality rock 'n' roll bookazine packed with high-quality portrait illustration.

Most of the illustrations in the bookazine previously appeared in two special issues of the magazine called "The Immortals," that were published in 2004 and 2005, and were art directed by then-Rolling Stone AD Amid Capeci. The book features famous pop and rock stars writing about their favorite performers (Jackson Brown on Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello on The Beatles, etc.)

The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time features a murderer's row of illustrators, including Daniel Adel, Dan Brown, Marc Burckhardt, Christian Clayton, Paul Davis, Rob Day, Gerard Dubois, Nathan Fox, Olaf Hajek, Jody Hewgill, Anita Kunz, Tim O'Brien, Roberto Parada, Owen Smith, Dale Stephanos, Mark Summers, Andrea Ventura, Marco Ventura, and many more. This is a one-stop catalog of fine portrait illustration; one of the best resources of its type.

Current Rolling Stone art director Joseph Hutchinson explains how the project came together: "The editors updated the list of artists and we commissioned eight new illustrations that we added to the ones from The Immortals issues. We made the decision to go back to the illustrators that Amid had used before, so there was a continuity through the whole book. The only exception is Nathan Fox, who didn't have a piece in the original issues."

Above and on the next page are seven of the new illustrations commissioned for The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Art director: Joseph Hutchinson, deputy art director: Steven Charny.

Above: Jay-Z, by Owen Smith.

… MORE

From 15,000-word Manuscript To Interactive iPad App

New+Notable 04.22.11 posted by Josh Klenert

Today, at the top of the iPad Paid News chart, you will find The Final Hours of Portal 2 -- a behind the scenes look at Valve Software, to reveal the people and processes that come together to make the Portal 2 video game. Joe Zeff Design, creator of the app, has a nice post on the making of the app which was produced using WoodWing's Digital Magazine Tools. and based on a concept by Geoff Keighley, videogame journalist Geoff Keighley, host of Spike TV's GTTV.

This well designed state-of-the-art app is a window to what publications could do on the iPad. Download the $1.99 app here.

Above: An still from an animated cartoon by Eddie Guy

of writers Chet Faliszek and Erik Wolpaw.

Importing style: Port hits U.S. ports

New+Notable 04.06.11 posted by Gail Bichler

Port's lavish production values belie its shoestring budget. The founders of this sharp new style/culture magazine for men--British creative directors Matt Willey and Kuchar Swara and editor Dan Crowe--chose independent financing over backing from a big-name publisher in a desire to showcase content that's "engaging, different, and beautiful," rather than PR-driven fodder.
… MORE

Roger Black on the iPad and his Next Enterprise

New+Notable 03.30.11 posted by Josh Klenert

Design studio? check.

Font foundry? check.

Off the shelf magazine templates? check.

Fonts for digital platforms? check.

Up next in the Roger Black enterprise: Treesaver, a browser-based digital publishing system for multiple screen sizes. A very interesting endeavor considering all the new platforms we need to deliver content to.

So, what about that old iPad? Out promoting this new venture, Roger tells New York Observer blog Beta Beat: that "I got one the first week, but I don't use it much anymore."

He went on to say:

"I am flabbergasted by how many people went out and bought an iPad," he added, "and even more so how the publishing industry thought it was some kind of magic pony that would save them."

Above, courtesy of BetaBeat: Roger Black and Filipe Fortes

… MORE

From SXSW: SPIN Play App for iPad

New+Notable 03.15.11 posted by Josh Klenert

Falling under the category of "reinvent," SPIN debuts a killer new app for iPad called SPIN Play here in Austin, TX.

CD Devin Pedzwater and DD Ian Robinson worked with development shop Bottle Rocket to create the app which leverages the printed magazine, but also adds live news & reviews feeds and what you would expect the most out of a music magazine: music. With a downloaded issue, users can stream 60+ songs mentioned in the magazine, making it a unique immersive experience. The app is "free," which gives you access to news & reviews, but each issue is an in app purchase (March is free, and April is $1.99)

… MORE

Reinventing your Publication for the Tablet

New+Notable 03.10.11 posted by Josh Klenert

Reformat or Reinvent your publication for the iPad? That was the question Joe Zeff answered yesterday in San Francisco at The WoodWing World Tour as WoodWing showed off its latest additions, including a set of HTML5 widgets that provides publishers with a way to add custom programming to their magazine apps. All of the presentations are available for download at WoodWing's community site, including Roger Black's take on where tablet publishing may be headed and Rebecca McPheters' statistical analysis of the marketplace.

Visit Joe's blog for his smart and concise abridged version of his presentation. It's a good read!

… MORE

First Look: The Newsweek Redesign

New+Notable 03.07.11 posted by Josh Klenert

We have an EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK at Dirk Barnett's redesign of Newsweek which hits newsstands on Monday. It's been a quick three months since Dirk left Maxim for Lucky, and then got the call 5 days (thank you, Keith Kelly) later from Tina Brown to relaunch a merged Daily Beast/Newsweek publication. Here, Dirk answers questions on the process and bringing back the swagger that Newsweek once had.

Newsweek, featuring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, March 14, 2011 (above, top).

Photograph by Stephanie Sinclair.

… MORE

Must Download App: The Cut

New+Notable 02.10.11 posted by Josh Klenert

New York Magazine quietly launched a sharp new app called The Cut on the Runway late last month. It's a must download! Already live with a print-based app, New York has created an elegant and robust app based on one of their well-know franchises. The App is another great example of reinventing magazine content on a tablet device (see also: EW's Must List)

The Cut app expands their franchise on the iPad by leveraging the strengths of the platform. Users can see collections from New York, London, Paris, Milan, watch videos of shows, browse/search catwalk photos, rate the latest looks, and enjoy up-to-the-minute fashion news. The Cut taps the power of search functionality with "Lookfinder", which allows users to search by clothing type, color, trend, designer, season, and model. They have also integrated Facebook to allow users to share runway looks with friends.

… MORE

Mag App: Project magazine

New+Notable 12.01.10 posted by Josh Klenert

Engadget sat down with Sir Richard Branson to discuss the launch of his iPad-only Project magazine ($2.99 per issue). Sir Engaget reports that Branson had "no f**king idea why" Project was only on the iPad and not on the web -- although he did say Project was a "proper magazine" and not "just thrown together for the web."

Project launches ahead of News Corp.'s new iPad newspaper The Daily, which is expected to launch in the next few weeks.

Watch their interview with Sir Richard after the jump...

… MORE

The Economist Meets the iPad

New+Notable 11.20.10 posted by Josh Klenert

The Economist debuted their iPad app this week--a weekly version of their print pub along with an audio edition so users can "listen to every article, read by professional newscasters, with easy switching between reading and listening."

Print subscribers will receive free access to the Economist's online, iPhone, and iPad editions.

… MORE

Stranded Instant Magazine Project

New+Notable 09.14.10 posted by Robert Newman

When Andrew Losowsky of Magtastic Blogsplosion was stuck in Dublin during the Iceland volcano crisis earlier this spring, he decided to use the situation to produce an instant magazine, using stories and images from fellow stranded travelers. The result is Stranded, a cool, one-shot magazine printed by Magcloud, and now available for sale.

Designed by Matt McArthur of CMYK Design (from Edinburgh, who was stuck in NYC), Stranded is 88 pages, perfect bound, filled with smart, original visuals, photos, graphics and typography.

You can see the whole magazine in small form here, but better yet, buy a copy and support this very unique and original project. SPD talked with Andrew Losowsky, who gave us some background on how Stranded was produced. On the following page you can see some nifty inside pages from the magazine as well.
… MORE

GreenSource Magazine: Forward-Thinking Design

New+Notable 08.10.10 posted by Robert Newman

GreenSource is a building trade magazine that is producing amazingly bright, intelligent, original design, filled with spectacular imagery, cutting-edge graphics, and sparkling typography. It's the work of Francesca Messina, Senior Group Art Director at the McGraw-Hill Construction group, and GreenSource art director Ted Keller. This is state-of-the-art magazine design, smartly produced with a small staff and a limited budget.

Ted Keller was hired as the GreenSource art director in March 2009, and he and Messina quickly began work on a redesign. Says Messina, "Our goal was to create a design that communicated the authoritative and inspirational message of the magazine--that sustainable architecture, and living, can be practiced on every level." The result is a design that Messina describes as "forward thinking and authoritative, but also cool."

GreenSource, "The Magazine of Sustainable Design," is a bi-monthly, primarily controlled circulation magazine. Copies go to members of the U.S. Green Building Council, and additional subscriptions are sold. It's produced in New York City by the McGraw Hill Construction magazine group, with editorial partners Building Green, based in Brattleboro, Vermont.

(Above): "Curves Over Chicago" cover, January/February 2010.

… MORE

Mag App: Gourmet Live

New+Notable 06.23.10 posted by Josh Klenert

Gourmet is getting a new lease on life with Gourmet Live--a highly interactive app for all the foodies out there. This app looks like its coming in on the "reinvention" side of the reformat vs. reinvent question.

They also have a new blog up and running for this new "Live" brand extension.

Watch the teaser video after the jump.

… MORE

Mag App: TIME Magazine v2.0

New+Notable 06.15.10 posted by Josh Klenert

Min online is reporting on TIME magazine's upcoming update to their current fairly straightforward print-to-tablet reformat iPad app. Min's post is worth a read, and after the jump watch an updated SPD-exclusive video demo of their new app which is to include a video enabled cover, more imaginative use of interfaces, photos, videos plus links to live Web media.

… MORE

Mag App: Popular Mechanics (Beta Edition)

New+Notable 06.01.10 posted by Josh Klenert

Coming right in the heels of Wired's successful release last week (24,000 copies sold in its first 24 hours), Popular Mechanics is set to launch their iPad app next month (Watch this Gizmodo video). Their in-house developed app continues the trend of reformatting a print magazine vs reinventing the format. Further out on the horizon: Sports Illustrated.

… MORE

Must Have App: EW's Must List

New+Notable 04.15.10 posted by Josh Klenert

One of the best apps from a magazine to date is Entertainment Weekly's Must List. It excels where others have stumbled: it does not try to be a "multi-media" magazine. The Must List, like their web site, expands on a concept born in print, but utilizes its unique platform.

In the app if you like an item on the List, you can view related videos or read related articles within a few clicks. Users can sort items by the traditional EW color coding system (great nod to the print brand!), and there are plenty of contextual commerce links via iTunes. Plus, make you're own Must List by setting your favorites--which uses some nice interactions like tap-and-drag. Like the print version, the Must List is a fun, fast read with great spot illustrations.

Have you had a chance to play with it? What do you think? Lets us know.

… MORE

iPad: What's Your Review?

New+Notable 04.04.10 posted by Josh Klenert

At first you notice the small things: how fast it really is; how the logo on the back helps you hold it with one hand; how intuitive it is to use. After playing with the iPad for a few days now, dissing it for being a big iPod touch is like dissing a convertible because the roof folds down.

Its not a perfect device--there's a lot it does not do. It is a great one to consume content--its definitely a sofa-based device. While I found it a little uncomfortable trying to type a long email on your lap, I did find the iPad to be very easy to lean back with to surf and read with in the living room (anyone tested bathroom reading with it yet?).

… MORE

Nazis, Alcoholics and Potty-mouthed Rats: It's the Best Comics of 2008!

New+Notable 01.05.09 posted by Amid Capeci

The timeless power of black ink on white paper to graphically present great stories, characters and humor has been compiled in a great new anthology "The Best Comics of 2008" edited by Lynda Barry. Recent work from Chris Ware, Jason Lutes, Seth and Kaz and 25 other talents is presented as they appeared in the NYT mag, The New Yorker and other mags and alternative weeklies. As comics continue their decades-long struggle for respect and exposure, this year's artists create a varied portfolio of visual styles from raunchy depression era pen-and-ink to impressionist sketchbook.

… MORE

SPD PUB 43 Design Annual Has (Almost) Arrived

Awards 11.25.08 posted by Dirk Barnett

Yep, that's right. The hotly anticipated SPD PUB 43 Design Annual will be reaching our shores from Singapore come mid/late December 2008! As it's chock full of the most innovative, exciting editorial design work from 2007--including the Magazine of the Year Winners and the Members' Choice winner--you will definitely want to get your hands on this one as soon as it hits the SPD offices!

Stay tuned to http://spd.org in the coming weeks for more information on how to get your copy, along with an in-depth Q&A from this year's annual designers, Weapon of Choice (Tom Brown and Todd Albertson), as they discuss their concepts behind the design, and why debossing isn't really as easy as it looks.

Digital Paper: Closer than You Think

Technology 10.30.08 posted by Paul Schrynemakers

Wired has posted an article, "Flexible Displays Closer to Reality", that reports on how quickly the technology for thin flexible (paper-like) digital displays is progressing, possibly available as soon as 2010! The surprise news to me is that this speed-to-market is thanks in large part to the U.S. Army and the nearly $44 million they've invested in the technology since 2004. U.S. troops will be the first to get their hands on it, but the goal is to make flexible displays commercially available.
… MORE

Great Minds...

New+Notable 10.10.08 posted by The Editors

Maybe it's just us, but there seems to be something similar between this Sunday's New York Times Magazine and next week's WIRED covers. Can't quite put our finger on it quite yet...

NYT AD Arem Duplessis and WIRED CD Scott Dadich assure us it's a total coincidence, though the two were seen carousing togther at the SPD West event last Sunday night. The Times' image is one in a series of three photographs by Martin Klimas and WIRED's shot is a construction by Stephen Doyle, photographed by Zachary Zavislak.

Eyes of the Hurricane

New+Notable 09.04.08 posted by Michael Grossman

Even as New Orleans mops up from the pummeling of Gustav, the story of Katrina still echoes. What must it be like to live through the most deadly natural disaster in American history? We've seen it covered in words and photographs and statistics and infographics, but check out an amazing telling in comic form: the just-completed A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge. … MORE

Great News! From Texas!

New+Notable 08.20.08 posted by Scott Dadich

Today, we found some great news on the interwebs! There's a new magazine launching in Texas! And it's all about good news! Not any of that "if it's negative, it's news" nonsense from those cynical downers at Texas Monthly! … MORE

Recently in New+Notable Category