Grids: News Archives

Adobe Says Goodbye to CS--Will Be Cloud Only

Adobe has accelerated its shift to the cloud with a major update to Adobe® Creative Cloud™, the company's flagship offering for creatives. The update to Creative Cloud is packed with features, reimagining the creative process through a new set of "CC" desktop applications and enhanced cross-device collaboration and publishing capabilities. With this update, creative files can be stored, synced and shared, via Creative Cloud, on Mac OS, Windows, iOS and Android; and Behance, the world's leading online creative community, is integrated with Creative Cloud, so customers can showcase work, get feedback on projects and gain global exposure.

… MORE

SPD Discount for the Fast Company Design Awards Party!

News 10.09.12 posted by Robert Newman

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.

Smart Money Ends Print Run

News 06.21.12 posted by The Editors

Dow Jones & Co. said Thursday it will stop publishing the print version of SmartMoney, although it will expand the personal-finance magazine's digital platform.

Dow Jones, a unit of News Corp., which also publishes The Wall Street Journal, said it would add six new positions to SmartMoney.com's editorial staff but eliminate 25 jobs related to the print edition production. The last issue of the monthly magazine will be September's.

"It's clear that the volatility of markets and asset classes has increased the need for rapid delivery of personal finance intelligence, so we will be expanding our team and presence on the Web," said Robert Thomson, editor in chief of Dow Jones and managing editor of The Wall Street Journal.

Rodale to Resurrect Best Life

News 05.25.12 posted by The Editors

Brandon Kavulla, you can come home now.

Health and fitness publisher Rodale is bringing back Best Life, the high-end men's lifestyle magazine that it folded in 2009, Adweek has learned.

With well-rounded editorial and big-name contributors like David Mamet and Jay McInerney, Best Life was popular with readers and advertisers, carrying brands like brands like Lexus, Charles Schwab and Yves Saint Laurent. However, it became a victim of its newness (it had only launched five years before) and the luxury ad market, which took a dive in the recession.

… MORE

Top-Selling iPad Magazine? The New Yorker

News 03.28.12 posted by The Editors

According to a report by Distimo, an analytics firm that tracks and compiles app store data, Apple's Newsstand feature has become a significant source of revenue in Apple's app ecosystem. After six months on the market, Newsstand now generates $70,000 a day in sales.

The Daily and The New York Times top the list, but the best-selling print magazine app is The New Yorker's, which came in at number 3. Read the Folio story here.

Fast News for October 6, 2011

News 10.06.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix. In other news today...

>> Spinning Down: After 26 years as the premier monthly magazine for alternative music, SPIN is going bimonthly. Starting in March 2012, SPIN's print edition will be published 6x/year, but in a larger format similar to its original size. Last March the magazine introduced an iPad app, SPIN Play, and it has also been developing various digital features like a remix app for its dance-themed October issue. Budget Travel recently announced a similarly reduced publishing schedule. We asked SPIN Creative Director Devin Pedzwater to tell us a little bit more about going bigger but less often:

We looked at our market very closely and determined that the SPIN brand needed to transition from a magazine to a multi-platform media company with a substantial print offering. People look to SPIN magazine for powerful stories and iconic photography. Frankly, our current format just doesn't deliver on that promise. At 9.5" x 12" with much better paper and more edit pages, we'll have the opportunity to REALLY show what we can do.

The successful launch of SPIN Play showed us that our audience responds well to a user-centric digital experience that's inline with the aesthetic of the magazine. We need to apply that thinking to the overall digital space. My creative dream team: Ian Robinson, Michelle Egiziano and Jennifer Edmondson, and I are working on ways to apply our visual storytelling methods to SPIN.com and SPIN Mobile.

We're fortunate to work for a company that believes in the power of print and the value of photography and design. I'm excited to show what the SPIN brand is capable of.

More news after the jump...
… MORE

Fast News for Ocotober 4, 2011

News 10.04.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Print Booming (A Little): According to Mr. Magazine, Q3 2011 saw the debut of at least 219 new magazine titles on the newsstand. A few well-known publishers are in the new mix, with National Geographic releasing Exploring History in mid-September. Worth publisher Sandow Media also debuted a new offering with Vegas/Rated in mid-August.

>> Shrinkage at Hearst: Harper's Bazaar had a rough first half of 2011. It was the only major fashion magazine to suffer a decrease in ad pages and experienced the biggest decline in newsstand sales. New plans have the mag increasing its trim size, but reducing its frequency (for the second time in two years), according to WWD. The magazine will also upgrade paper and cover stock.

>> Meanwhile, Back on the iPad: Flipboard CEO Mike McCue revealed that his app has hit 3.5 million downloads in just 14 months, and has gone from 250 million up to 550 million flips per month since the summer. The 3.5 million figure is impressive considering Apple has said that it will have sold a total of 35 million iPads in 18 months. McCue said that the peak hours for the app are between 8pm-10pm at night, and then first thing in the morning.

Fast News for September 15, 2011

News 09.15.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Custom Sports: The Sporting News is serious about not looking like just another print magazine app. At the first load of its new iPad app Sporting News for iPad asks the users to fully personalize the experience with their favorite team news as well as local TV listings for programming. The resulting front page of headlines conforms to your preferences as does a nearby "what to watch" page, which lists your local sport programming and even teases out the air times for games involving your favorite teams.

>> Print Redux (1x): The August issue of Print magazine was given a one-off makeover by London agency Spin, the highlight of which was this cover. See more of the issue here.

>> More 9/11: Remarkable daily newspaper front pages commemorating 9/11, via Charles Apple. Smart, original, powerful...this is must viewing (and reading)...

Fast News for September 6, 2011

News 09.06.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Style Files in October: Style.com will unveil its long-awaited print edition in late October, shortly after the spring runway shows. Publisher Fairchild considers it a natural extension of the brand. Former Nylon and Teen Vogue CD--and most recently VP/Advertising at Barney's--Lina Kutsovskaya will serve as creative director.

>> Maxim's iPad Fail: Maxim HD, an iPad-specific version of the print 'lad' magazine, has announced its end, less than a year after launch. Plans exist for a replacement (on the Mag+ platform) to launch "soon," but since it was discontinued with the magazine's June issue--and without a replacement--means it could not have been a bestseller.

>> Fascist Filching: On her design blog Brain Pickings, curator Maria Popova busts a Polish magazine's blatant thievery of Israeli illustrator Noma Bar's wonderful Adolph Hitler portrait.

Fast News for August 30, 2011

News 08.30.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Art director Laura Baer participated in the 50th reunion of the Freedom Rides, taking the place of her deceased father, Byron Baer, one of the original riders. Mother Jones has a moving collection of photos of Freedom Riders that she took on her journey.

>> Designer Mike Dempsey takes a look at the visual history of legendary UK magazine Radio Times and the state of publication design in general. His post stirred up a storm in the UK publication design community, and there's a deep comments section well worth reading, with contributions from a number of folks, including IPC Magazines Editorial Development Director (and former US Rolling Stone art director) Andy Cowles. Thanks to Magculture and Luke Hayman for the tip...

>> Illustrator Tim O'Brien has a revealing "pull-back-the-curtains" story about the creation of the new Time magazine Gaddafi cover. Our favorite part is the self-portrait he used for hair reference for the Gaddafi illustration!...

Fast News for August 23, 2011

News 08.23.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Web Design for the Rest of Us: Print designers: Adobe has heard your cries for help! And their answer is ... Muse. The app, whose beta version is a free download, works much like InDesign or Apple's iWeb--that is almost completely WYSIWYG--and does not require knowledge of HTML coding.

>>Newsstand Woes: Magazine sales at the newsstand continue to suffer, despite otherwise upbeat publishing news recently. The latest numbers show newsstand sales were down nearly 10% in the first half of 2011.

>>c a r s o n Minus Carson: After launching to much ballyhoo last spring, c a r s o n magazine has "imploded." The Venice-based magazine was named for its legendary creative director, David Carson. But word comes that Carson has quit the magazine after a dust up with the editor, Alex Storch. Carson and Storch have carried the feud to Facebook, posting texts, contracts, and emails from each other for everyone to see.

Fast News for August 16, 2011

News 08.16.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Apps round-up, pt 1: if you're still in NYC right now and not on vacation, you may need the new app from The New Yorker, a distillation of just their Goings On About Town editorial listings. Gizmodo says, "I'm Sorry Your Crappy City Doesn't Have Something Like the New Yorker's Goings On App" and from what we've seen so far, they're right. Min App Central gave it an A-, high praise around almost every part of the woods. All Things D details some of the extras involved, including audio recordings from critics and highly detailed search function. Free at iTunes here, for Android here...

>> Apps round-up, pt 2: Bonnier's launching a tablet-only fashion magazine, C-Mode...

>> Bloomberg Businessweek's design team put up a site for the 37-page infographic that is their Popularity Issue: see it here, and more from the making-of here and here...

>> AIGA is taking on the Huffington Post for their request for (surprise!) free design work...

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

Facebook Likes Indie App Publisher Push Pop Press

News 08.03.11 posted by Josh Klenert

Facebook--Market value: $80B, Est revenue: $2B (Fortune, 7/25/11)--has aquired one of the hottest iPad book publishers on the market, Push Pop Press. The publisher made a splash recently with its highly acclaimed app Our Choice by Al Gore.

This is further evidence--as discussed recently at SPD's Indie App Night--that its still the wild, wild west in App Town. But, what are the immediate ramifications? Joe Zeff shares a few theory's of his own on his blog. Among them: A Flipboard-style Facebook and growth for WoodWing and Adobe DPS?

What do you think is around the corner.

Fast News for August 2, 2011

News 08.02.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> ESPN Picks Fortune's Pockets: ESPN announced that John Korpics, most recently the Creative Director of Fortune magazine, has been named Vice President/Creative Director for Print & Digital Media, beginning in September.

>> 'Fear' is Major Theme at Yale Publishing Conference: "While not as easily palpable in the speakers, both lecturers and audience members rippled with it. The message was clear: get onboard or get out, because there are plenty of others to take your seat at the publishing table. This, along with the residue of the receding economic downturn and ominous phrases like 'Print is dead' and 'The Web is dead,' seem to be the publishing world's equivalent to the Rapture."

>> Atlantic Debuts Mag App 2.0: The Atlantic debuts a new app that puts a twist on the model other companies have been using. In the works for close to a year, the app shows how publishers have changed in their thinking about charging for content on tablets.

>> On the Cover of the Rolling Stone: An unsigned band from Saskatoon is the big winner of Rolling Stone's "Do You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star" contest. The Sheepdogs beat out 15 other bands in online voting to win the chance to be featured on the magazine's cover.

Fast News for July 27, 2011

News 07.27.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Conde iPad Situation a "Snake Pit": The New York Observer says the "knives are out" for Conde Nast's Executive Editor of Digital Magazine Development Scott Dadich over the lackluster performance of the company's iPad applications.

>> Time Is a Digital Genius: Time took top honors in a new ranking of magazines' "digital intelligence" (which is meant to reflect the quality of magazines' websites, digital marketing, social-media efforts and mobile presences) from New York University Stern School of Business. The rest of the top 10 all scored in the "gifted" range, from No. 2 People to No. 10 Cosmopolitan. Seven magazines at the bottom of the list were branded "feeble": Traditional Home, Muscle & Fitness, Elle Decor, Star, Men's Journal, Town & Country, and In Touch Weekly.

>> Uh-O: Oprah Winfrey hasn't had the same zing behind her name since she left her show. Her new network, OWN, has taken a ratings beating. Now it appears that Oprah's decline is impacting O, The Oprah Magazine as well. According to the New York Post, ad pages for its August issue are down 31 percent and pages for its September issue are down 18 percent.

Fast News for July 19, 2011

News 07.19.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Books without Borders: After trying and failing to find a buyer, Borders Books & Music will close its remaining 400 stores across the country. At its peak, the chain operated over 1200 stores.

>> Rolling Stone Rolling? According to a report, Wenner Media, publishers of Rolling Stone, Us, and Men's Journal, is on the block and has been talking to a "major publisher" about acquiring the magazines for several months. In addition, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Readers Digest Association is for sale.

>> Return of El Sid: After nearly 4 years of editing the Southern lifestyle magazine, Garden & Gun, out of Charleston, South Carolina, Sid Evans is returning to his publishing roots as the Group Editor of Time Inc.'s Lifestyle Group (Cooking Light, Southern Living, Coastal Living, Sunset and This Old House). He will be based in Birmingham, Alabama.

Fast News for July 14, 2011

News 07.14.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Creem Rises: An iconic rock magazine with Detroit roots that ceased regular print publication more than 20 years ago is planning a comeback. The team behind Creem said it's restarting in September and envision a quarterly publication as part of a broader music network that includes mobile apps and streaming music videos -- all with the aim of attracting old and new readers. Editorial offices will be in Los Angeles.

>> What He Really Wants: Hearst is entering new territory in the digital realm with Cosmo For Guys, exclusively on the iPad. Kate White, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, is also at the helm of the new app, and is confident she has a unique offering with Cosmo For Guys (dubbed CFG). Aimed at the male demographic of 25 and up, White says, "It's advice from women for guys, straight from the source. Men circulate the same myths about women to one another; this is women telling guys what they really want."

Fast News for July 12, 2011

News 07.12.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> So Long, Newsweek.com: New York magazine's Daily Intel is reporting that starting July 19, newsweek.com will no longer exist. Instead users will be redirected to a channel on the Daily Beast site, which will hold all the archived magazine content from before, and it will be edited and updated once a day to rotate features. Newsweek/Daily Beast editor Tina Brown decided it made the most sense to have all-new non-magazine content appear on the Beast homepage.

>> New Man at Reader's Digest: Bob Newman, a veteran of Fortune, Real Simple, Details, and so many other publications, recently moved from consultant to full-time creative director at Reader's Digest. Mario Garcia talked to Newman about his new gig.

>> 2wice/Merce: Pentagram partner Abbott Miller has created an app for 2wice, the dance-focused magazine for which he has won seemingly every design award possible. The app, entitled "Merce Cunningham Event," is a tribute to the legendary choreographer (1919-2009) that combines live-action video, interviews, and historic dance photography originally developed in collaboration with Cunningham.

>> Alternative Awards: Over a thousand entries from 88 publications across the U.S. and Canada have been narrowed down to this list of finalists, which show the best and most provocative work to appear on the pages and websites of the alternative media in 2010. The winners will be revealed on July 22 at a reception in New Orleans during AAN's 34th Annual Convention. Newmanology pulled together the best cover designs here and here.

Fast News for July 1, 2011

News 07.01.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> More Mags, Fewer Fails: As the publishing industry continues to recover from the economic recession, 138 magazines launched in the first half of 2011. In the first half of 2010, only 90 new titles came to fruition. The food and regional interest sectors boast the most launches, category-wise, in the first half of 2011, with new titles like Plum Hamptons hitting the market. A total of 74 publications have bitten the dust so far in 2011.

>> Meredith's Latest Meal: Meredith Corp. has acquired the EatingWell Media Group and launched Recipe.com, the company announced this week--less than two weeks after it shut down do-it-yourself magazine ReadyMade and eliminated 75 positions.

>> Harry Potter Releases EW from Spell: Entertainment Weekly is releasing its "Thank You, Harry!" double issue that charts the series dating back to the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which debuted in November 2001. This marks EW's 16th Harry Potter cover, and the film is just one short of the lead held by Julia Roberts, because her fame--starting with Pretty Woman in 1990--coincided with the magazine's launch 21 years ago. See all of EW's HP covers here.

Fast News for June 23, 2011

News 06.23.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Momofuku Media? Next month, the good people behind McSweeney's will bring us Lucky Peach, an iPad app AND a printed quarterly magazine. The pubs, which debut this week, feature a menu of interactive articles, recipes, interviews and videos. David Chang, founder of Momofuku, is the brains behind it all.

>> Larry Reigns: People magazine managing editor Larry Hackett has been re-elected president of the American Society of Magazine Editors this week at its annual meeting.

>> Abstract Wrap: "When the iPad came along, for designers, suddenly they had a future." That was Bloomberg BusinessWeek's Richard Turley talking about the genesis of last week's Abstract conference in Maine. Read a wrap-up of the event here.

>> From the Believe It, Or Not Files: Can't get enough of the ink + newsprint smell? The new "Times of New York" candle has "a 'newsy' scent meant to mimic the aroma of black ink on newsprint." You can pick it up at Project 8 the next time you're meeting someone at The Ace (you know you are) or online.

Fast News for June 16, 2011

News 06.16.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> ReadyMade Folds: As part of a spate of cost-cutting measures, Meredith Corporation has shuttered ReadyMade, the trendy DIY magazine which they purchased in 2006 from founders Shoshana Berger and Grace Hawthorne. "These actions will allow us to devote resources to key strategic growth initiatives, including digital platform expansion," said the CEO.

>> SI: Twice as Nice: Sports Illustrated will publish tablet editions twice this week. Due to the rare occurrence of 2 major sports championships in the same week (NBA's Dallas Mavericks surprising victory over the Miami Heat, and the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup win in Vancouver) -- which editor Terry McDonell referred to as "Venus and Jupiter aligning" -- the opportunity to test the limits of staff and resources appeared. He adds: "Being able to react to news [on a tablet] is something we were looking forward to being able to do."

Fast News for June 14, 2011

News 06.14.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> What's Cooking at Conde: Condé Nast is spending upwards of $1 million to create a huge ventilation shaft for the publishers' cafeteria (about one story high and 25 feet wide) that will extend out of the north face of the new 1 WTC tower. Not everyone is happy about it, namely the Port Authority, who originally balked at Condé's special requests -- until Chairman S.I. Newhouse, Jr. threatened to walk away from the building. The concern is that other tenants may also begin requesting additional building modifications. "Hopefully, it won't evolve into multiple acne spots all over the building's façade," said one anonymous source.

>> Enquiring Minds for Sale? The New York Post has reported that National Enquirer/Shape/Star/Men's Fitness/Muscle & Fitness parent American Media Inc. "has been shopping itself in recent months". So far no takers, the paper says, though investor Apollo Management had expressed an interest that apparently cooled because of the "[weak] state of the publishing industry". (Apollo is the parent of CKX Relations, which owns the American Idol/So You Think You Can Dance TV series, among others].)

Fast News for June 9, 2011

News 06.09.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Hearst Gets All App-y: Hearst unveiled its fabled App Lab to members of the press today. The plush, windowless, gadget-filled room is designed as a "think tank" for app development and advertising across the company's many brands. Advertisers can expect a lot of meetings in this room.

>> But Will They Also Sell iCigars? At its annual developers conference, Apple introduced Newsstand, a virtual set of shelves that display users' subscriptions with the latest issues of magazine titles. Also new? An app that features only magazine and newspapers titles that offer a subscription model to customers. These features will be available in iOS 5, which arrives this Fall.

>> Plum Beach Read: Plum Hamptons magazine fittingly launched during the Memorial Day weekend. The glossy covers one of the most storied summer vacation spots in America. Tailored to the exclusive community and unique atmosphere in the Hamptons, the new publication features local arts and artists, profiles of the area's famous creative talents, interviews, events, food, philanthropy, design, sports and more.

Fast News for June 2, 2011

News 06.02.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Tag Sale at Martha's: Martha Stewart Living (which includes the namesake magazine and TV show, as well as Everyday Food, and licensing agreements) is officially for sale. Shares of Martha Stewart Living shot up on news the company is in play, but the company still has a market value of just a shade under $280 million. At its peak, the company was worth $1.9 billion in February 2005, just before the lifestyle guru emerged from a West Virginia prison.

>> Shelter Category @ Home: The shelter magazine category, which has gone through a major pruning over the past 10 years, has found new life in the digital world. No less than 4 interior design magazines now exist online, lead by Lonny, created by staffers from the shuttered Domino magazine.

>> A Playboy Goes Mental: James Kaminsky, an industry veteran who's held top editorial slots at Playboy, Rolling Stone, Men's Journal and Maxim has been named editor-in-chief of the newest Dennis acquisition, Mental Floss, a bi-monthly compendium of factoids, listicles and esoterica.

>> Swinging the Axe at Hachette: Just a day after completing their deal to buy Hachette Filipacchi Media, Hearst has begun handing out pink slips. The expected body count should reach over 100 by year's end.

Fast News for May 24, 2011

News 05.24.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Top Ad Gainers: Competitor - a magazine for elite athletes - is leading all monthlies for first-half ad page gains, with an almost 50 percent increase in ad pages from January through June 2011, compared to 2010. Competitor is also the biggest gainer over last June's numbers, up 76% over June 2010. Number 2? Trailer Life at 64%. What does this mean?

>> Mr. Magazine Now a Magazine: Go-to quote guy for the magazine industry Samir Husni, has launched The Samir Husni Daily Magazine, using the paper.li platform. Updated twice daily, TSHDM will give you "an insider's tour of [Mr. Magazine's] daily reading habits."

>> Face-ing the 80s: If you find yourself needing an acute 80s fix, the blog Test Pressing has an inspiring collection of the Neville Brody-designed The Face, the standard-bearer of 80s cool.

>> Caffeinating Print: In an attempt to bring the success of the energy drink to their media branch, Red Bull is taking branded content to another level. The Red Bulletin, a monthly periodical of original content based on the "Red Bull lifestyle", includes features on Red Bull-sponsored athletes, as well as other extreme sport and musical coverage.

Fast News for May 12, 2011

News 05.12.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Has the "Jesus Tablet" Risen? Despite recently making iPad app deals with Apple, Condé Nast and Hearst executives "aren't exactly doing backflips" about their iPad business. After months of heated negotiations, the publishers finally threw in the towel and will see if they could make a go of it the Steve Jobs way. In other words, it's not exactly the deal publishers were hoping for. Meanwhile, Time Inc. continues to sit it out and observe.

>> Adweak? After being welcomed with glowing reviews, the newly reimagined Adweek has begun to fade on the advertising front.

>> How Now: Megan Lane Patrick, has been named content director and editor at How magazine. She replaces long-time editor Bryn Mooth, who has decided to follow her passion.

>> Golden Gatefolds: Another sign of the slow, steady advertising recovery is the incredible jump in advertisers buying gatefold ads in magazines. Gatefold ads jumped 50 percent in the first quarter of 2011.

Fast News for May 10, 2011

News 05.10.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARDS SPECIAL
>> The winners of the 2011 National Magazine Awards were announced last night at the annual awards presentation at the spectacular 583 Park Avenue ballroom in New York City. Hostess Katie Couric, along with celebrity presenters Jillian Michaels, David Copperfield, Rocco DiSpirito, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, doled out awards in 18 categories.

The big winners included:

… MORE

Fast News for May 5, 2011

News 05.05.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Hearst Bites the Apple: Hearst has struck a deal with Apple that will make it the first big publisher to sell subscriptions for its digital editions on the iPad. The company will sell iPad subs for Esquire, Popular Mechanics and O, The Oprah Magazine through the iTunes store starting next month. The subscriptions will cost $19.99 a year, or $1.99 a month. Is Conde Nast hot on their heels?

>> Key to the Cities: AD Steven Banks and his magazine, Los Angeles, were the big winners at the National City & Regional Magazine 2011 Awards, held this week in Chicago. Banks was named "Designer of the Year" while Los Angeles won the award for "Excellence in Design." Runners-up included 5280 Magazine, Cincinnati Magazine (also "Best Cover" winner), Seattle Met, and Texas Monthly, which also won for its website.

>> The Font Oscars: Are you working with winning fonts? Check out the Type Directors Club's TDC2 2011 winners here.

Fast News for May 3, 2011

News 05.03.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Launches Gone Wild: New magazine launches doubled in Q1 of 2011 compared to last year's numbers, according to MediaFinder.com. Of the 54 launches, the majority were focused on regional interests, food, and women's issues.

>> Get Your Free Magazines!: Time Inc. and Apple have reached a distribution deal for all of the publisher's magazine apps. Sports Illustrated, Fortune, People, and Time will all be available as free downloads for subscribers to their print editions.

TIME: The X Factor

News 05.01.11 posted by Josh Klenert

Aurthur Hochstein spoke of TIME's iconic "X" covers and continuing the tradition with covers marking the demise of Saddam Hussein and Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi back in October at SPD's 1,000 Covers evening. With the breaking news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed (on the day of the 8th Anniversary of "Mission Accomplished" no less) will the magazine will run another edition?

UPDATE: Ad Age confirms that TIME will run the Bin Laden cover that Aurthur mentioned at our 1,000 Covers evening (illustration by Tim O'Brien).

Above: TIME, May 20, 2011, Art Director: D.W. Pine, Illustrator: Tim O'Brien.

Here's a look back at TIME magazine's use of the "X" cover:

… MORE

Fast News for April 28, 2011

News 04.28.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Nook Look: Barnes & Noble's eReader has really stepped up with its latest version. The $249-dollar Nook Color has added web browsing and email, and even has a budding app store. It gets really interesting when you consider that you can now access over 150 newspapers and magazines on the device.

>> No Zealand: World-famous design guru David Carson has the New Zealand design community up in arms over his alleged no-show at an Auckland design conference. The organizer claims that Carson "was judging a set of awards in northern Spain over the weekend he was supposed to be in New Zealand."

>> Abstract Preview: The Art Directors Club spent a few minutes with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Chief Creative and Editorial Director (CCED) Gael Towey and Conde Nast Executive Director, Editorial Development (EDED) Scott Dadich in advance of Abstract Maine 2011: The Future of Design in Media Conference, which will take place in Portland in June.

Fast News for April 21, 2011

News 04.21.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Enter, Sandow: Surface, "the American voice of the contemporary luxury and design world" has been purchased by Sandow Media, owners of Luxe, NewBeauty, and multi-SPD award-winning Worth. Although the company is based in Florida, it appears that Surface will continue to be produced in New York.

>> 40 to Watch: Folio has released its annual Folio 40, honoring the people "creating a new chapter for the magazine industry." According to the magazine, "each Folio 40 has its unique themes, but this year we've found some truly inspirational success stories that emerged from a very rough period." See which of your colleagues made the list.

>> Are We There Yet? Billing itself as the "first iPad magazine created for kids," the team at recently-launched travel book Timbuktu makes a compelling argument for magazines as educational tools--even at the first stages of reading. The app--with a design reminiscent of the legendary Martha Stewart Kids--is available for free in the iTunes App Store.

Fast News for April 19, 2011

News 04.19.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> I Want My HGTV: Following up on their successful cable-TV-to-print Food Network Magazine, Hearst Magazines and Scripps Networks will launch HGTV Magazine. Premiering in October 2011, the print magazine will focus on home improvement, decorating, gardening, food and entertaining. But the print offshoot will include broader lifestyle content, as well as contributions by HGTV personalities and a look behind the scenes of their shows.

>> Reverse Engineering: In an ironic twist, Conde Nast will be taking their Style.com website into the world of print. The print version of Style.com will be looking to capitalize on the huge numbers of the website (4.6 million unique visitors during the fall shows). The magazine is slated to launch immediately following October fashion week.

>> Webby News: Several magazine websites have been named finalists for the 2011 Webby Awards, to be revealed June 13. What's surprising (or not) is that the magazine sites are under consideration in non-magazine categories, evidence of the general strength of their content and design.

>> Knot a Success: The Nest, the shelter mag spin-off from The Knot, will be shutting down their print version. Citing a lack of advertising support among its many problems, the publishers will continue to produce a digital version of the magazine.

Fast News for April 14, 2011

News 04.14.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Trad Pads: Fans of the popular online-only shelter mag Lonny will be excited to see their new collaboration with Meredith's Traditional Home. Also online-only, Trad Home is aimed at the "next generation of design lovers." The premiere issue is 347 pages, including a whopping 200-page feature well.

>> ESPN, The Exodus: ESPN, The Magazine is in the process of consolidating its magazine operation with the home office in Bristol, Conn. Over the past few weeks news has been coming out about staffers who've decided not to make the move to New England, and now we hear that the magazine's talented CD, Siung Tija will be leaving the magazine to become the CD at Bloomberg Markets.

>> Lessons from Lubalin: Herb Lubalin was one of the most influential typographers -- and magazine designers -- ever. The impact of his work is still being felt in graphic design today. Tomorrow, the Cooper Union's Alexander Tochilovsky will lead participants in a survey of the master's work at the Herb Lubalin Study Center for Design and Typography. Don't miss this rare up-close opportunity to see and learn about Lubalin's work. Register online now!

>> Bon jour, Bon Ap! The all-new, East-coast based Bon Appétit will reveal its updated look and feel under the direction of new EIC Adam Rapoport and DD Alex Rodriguez (not the pinstriped one) on newsstands next week.

>> Newspaper Blues: Remember the year DVD sales surpassed VHS sales? This feels like that: 2010 marks the first year that Web advertising ($26B) exceeded newspaper advertising ($22.8B). [Note: VHS never came back.]

Fast News for April 12, 2011

News 04.12.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Two Weeks Short: Newly hired editorial director Michael Wolff has decided to fold both Mediaweek and Brandweek into the group's anchor, Adweek. The siblings each published their final stand-alone issues this week. Look for an all-new and redesigned Adweek very soon.

>> BBW Pads Up: In the midst of a print renaissance of its own, Bloomberg BusinessWeek is launching its new iPad app. A year after a major overhaul, the latest figures had the magazine's ad pages up a whopping 49 percent. Print subscribers will get the app version for free, while non-subs will be charged $2.99 a month for access--a pretty good deal, considering a single newsstand issue goes for $4.99.

>> Order Fonts Just Like Don Draper: In the dark ages of publishing (pre-1990), Photo-Lettering, Inc. (or PLINC) was on every designer's speed dial--because you couldn't just buy fonts like you can now. But in 2003, House Industries purchased the assets of the legendary typesetter, which had closed in 1985 after 57 years in business. Now, finally, the PLINC library is available again. Grab a scotch, fire up a Lucky Strike, and order some headlines. (Grab Mad Men: Season Four here if you need some background inspiration...)

Fast News for March 31, 2011

News 03.31.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> A Beast, Daily: According to a recent study of iPad users, Apple and Rupert Murdoch's The Daily's "content is lacking, [and] superior content is available elsewhere online for free." In addition, there appears to be some general confusion as to what the pay and/or download model actually is.

>> Make Your Own App ... Free! For a limited time, iBuildApp, is ready to bring digital magazine publishing to the masses--and without charge. According to Folio, "users who want to create a digital magazine for the iPad can do so without the help of an IT team." The web-based creation tool allows users to upload images, video and content and choose a template. The magazine is then ready to be published.

>> Jihad Quarterly: al-Malahim Media, the media wing of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, recently launched Inspire, a magazine "aimed at readers living in Western countries -- who, if seduced by the argument, will be capable of putting together sophisticated [terror] plots."

Fast News for March 29, 2011

News 03.29.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Back on the Radar: After going dark for a couple of years, the founder of Radar, Maer Roshan, is back with a new media property: thefix.com. The site will focus on addiction, recovery, rehab.

>> Hearst's Growth Spurt: Mag giant Hearst is set to buy Lagardere's US group Hachette Filipacchi, which publishes Elle, Woman's Day, and Car and Driver. The deal will inch Hearst closer to US magazine giant Time Inc. in overall size.

>> New Stuff for Dennis: Felix Dennis, the founder of Maxim, Stuff, and The Week, recently purchased Mental Floss,the irreverent magazine and media company that brought us swimsuit photos of Albert Einstein and Eleanor Roosevelt. It will run separately from Dennis Publishing and will keep its offices (and retail store!) in Chesterland, Ohio. Its 12 employees will remain on the payroll, but its HQ will move to Manhattan.

>> Good. News. According to Good co-founder and creative director Casey Caplowe, things at the magazine are looking up. Money is coming in, but not from venture capitalists. Good is opening an advertising wing to complement its editorial operation. "We view our business in two pieces: all the media stuff, and now our new unit 'Good to Business," where the indie publisher will look to help companies brainstorm more socially-conscious campaigns.

Fast News for March 24, 2011

News 03.24.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Getting in the Game: Search giant Google quietly launched its own online publication Think Quarterly, which calls itself a "a breathing space in a busy world." The design features a strong focus on infographics and large photos, but is sans advertising. The publication is designed and edited by creative agency The Church of London.

>> New Design Pub: Using a service called paper.li, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum premieres The Cooper-Hewitt Daily, a "newspaper" built from all the articles, blog posts, videos, and photos shared by the people @CooperHewitt follows on Twitter.

>> Side Job: Former 2wice CD -- and current Pentagram partner -- Abbott Miller has just released a line of "ink-drip" wallpapers with KnollTextiles.

… MORE

Fast News for March 22, 2011

News 03.22.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Back in Print: Why have four big-time editrixes given up their digital gigs to return to print? See what Tina Brown, Brandon Holley, Pilar Guzman, and Deborah Needleman said about bailing on the (purely) digital life.

>> A July Rolling Stone cover featuring Lady Gaga won a min Readers' Choice poll as the 2010's best cover of a weekly or biweekly magazine. The RS cover edged-out covers from The Economist and Forbes.

>> "The tablet really is a magazine medium. Magazines have been liberated from the limitations of paper. Just because magazines have lived on paper doesn't mean that's what it is. A magazine is ideas and visual style and values." Read more in the MPA Digital: E-Reading conference notes.

>> Inspiration Alert: A new website, MagSpreads.com, bills itself as "the world's #1 magazine design website" -- present company excepted, we're sure.

>> Touchy Retouching: Wired is mired in a controversy regarding their April 2011 cover girl, electrical engineer Limor Fried. Good magazine is claiming that Wired's photo is "an almost cartoonish Photoshop." A response from Fried herself is at the end of the article.

Fast News for March 10, 2011

News 03.10.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Pilar Guzman is the new Editor in Chief for Martha Stewart Living. She was the founding editor of Cookie. Former EIC Vanessa Holden left earlier this year for West Elm.

>> AIGA Maine is presenting Abstract, a day of business-focused design discussion--including an in-depth practicum on launching an iPad publication--led by some of the most accomplished design and media talents (Gael Towey, Luke Hayman, and Rem Duplessis, among them) in the country. The event will take place in Portland in June.

>> Hearst CEO David Carey paints a somewhat optimistic picture of the future of iPad publishing.

>> Adobe announces an intriguing new web design technology that is "intended to support sophisticated, magazine-style layouts using CSS."

Fast News for March 8, 2011

News 03.08.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>>

Must Be Redesign Season: After last week's big unveiling--and yesterday's--today brings news of Ebony's "first cover-to-cover redesign since its introduction in 1945." New CD Darhill Crooks (former AD at Esquire) spent the winter working with new editor Amy DuBois Barnett on what they're calling a "top-to-bottom redesign." We hope to have a sneak preview in the coming days.

>> Typography Shout Out: Four fonts (HTF Didot, Gotham, Mercury and Retina) from our friends at Hoefler & Frere-Jones were added to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art last month. "Type design is an essential dimension of the history of modern art and design," writes Senior Curator Paola Antonelli. "The best typefaces belong in MoMA's collection."

>> Conde Nast "Reexaming iPad Pricing": Despite the less-than-stellar results for digital magazines, the GQ and Vanity Fair iPad app prices are going up next month.

>> Haters Gonna Hate: Dirk Barnett talks about his redesign of Newsweek.

Fast News for March 3, 2011

News 03.03.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> If you just bought an iPad, you needn't bum out about Apple's release of the newer, shinier iPad2. The changes--front- and rear-facing cameras, lighter weight, increased speed--are not that dramatic.

>> ASME News: The Daily Beast, New York, The New York Times Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and Vogue are the finalists for the "Digital Ellies" for design. The award honors overall excellence in the design of magazine websites and online-only magazines. The winner will be announced on March 16.

>> But that's not all! Finalists for ASME's Digital Ellie for photography are Discover, Foreign Policy, LIFE.com, National Geographic, and TIME.

… MORE

Fast News for March 1, 2011

News 03.01.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> In advance of Apple's special event on Wednesday (supposedly about an updated iPad), Magculture's Jeremy Leslie has some thoughts about the state of the tablet for magazines...

>> Talking about this Sunday's coming redesign of The New York Times Magazine...

>> from Musical Chairs: Christopher Martinez leaves T for Barneys; Ian Adelman leaves NYMag.com for NYTimes.com...

Fast News for February 24, 2011

News 02.24.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Google Books has archived all the issues of SPY, going back to the 1986 launch, here...

>> News from Musical Chairs: Ian Robinson promoted to DD at SPIN; Michael Schnaidt is the new Associate AD at Esquire; Lily Chow is the new Designer at Bon Appetit and more...

>> The business side of The Business you're in: Time Inc CEO Jack Griffin was ousted from the company just shy of the six-month mark last Thursday in a surprisingly candid email to staffers. Coverage from Ad Age, WWD, David Carr at the Times, and Keith Kelly; Tuesday, Time Inc's new Chief Digital Officer left as well, and isn't expected to be replaced; what it might mean for who's left at the top at Time Inc from Mediaweek...

Fast News for February 17, 2011

News 02.17.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Reading the tea leaves: various takes on Tuesday's news about Apple's iTunes subscription service from the glass half-empty points Andrew Losowsky makes at Magtastic Blogsplosion, and PaidContent's counter-point response...

>> TIME debuts a new look ("not a redesign; a facelift") with Friday's edition; Tina Brown's showing an updated version of Newsweek around; Keith Kelly calls it "a sweeping overhaul"...

>> FOLIO:'s annual Eddie and Ozzie winners announced and profiled; remember, SPD PUB 46 Awards winners announced tomorrow! Check the site at noon...

Fast News for February 15, 2011

News 02.15.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> The March issue of Details debuts a non-celeb cover and introduces a new section focused on health and fitness, called "The Body."

>> A sexier new Town & Country debuts...

>> In iPad app news, free access to 'The Daily' has been extended to February 28th. Have you downloaded this app? Whats your review?

… MORE

Fast News for February 10, 2011

News 02.10.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Obligatory Tablet news: Apple is opening up about the subscription issue for the iPad, while Time Inc. will be selling digital subscriptions for the HP Tablet...

>> Vanessa Holden is leaving the EIC spot at Martha Stewart Living for a job as the SVP of Creative Services at West Elm. She had been CD at Real Simple before moving to MSLO...

>> Get to know an editor, pt 1: WWD's profile of Bloomberg Businessweek EIC Josh Tyrangiel quotes our own GRIDS coverage of the business mag's redesign by CD Richard Turley...

>> Get to know an editor, pt 2: Bon Appetit's new EIC, Adam Rappaport, says he's "a firm believer that if a page doesn't look great, people aren't going to stop to read it. It needs to be a very visually driven magazine..."

Fast News for February 3, 2011

News 02.03.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Alex Gonzalez is the new CD at W...

>> Missing an update from the Best! Books! Ever! series? Visit Designers & Books, a new site collecting (so far) 50 designers and their 677 favorite must-reads...

>> Alexandra Pollack is the new PE for the relocated-to-NYC Bon Appetit...

Fast News for February 1, 2011

News 02.01.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> iPad Magazines Need a New Blueprint: they should be free, and be more like media apps and less like PDF readers....

>> MoMA's adding 23 digital typefaces to their permanent collection, a first for the NYC museum; the chosen ones include Verdana, Gotham, OCR-A and more, all on view starting March 2 at the Standard Deviations exhibit opening March 2nd...

>> Hearst closes the deal and now owns ELLE, Woman's Day and other Hachette titles...

Fast News for January 25, 2011

News 01.25.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> At Fast Company, Alice Alves has been promoted to Art Director. She'll be joined by Ted Keller, former art director of GreenSource, who will have the same title at Fast Company....

>> Murdoch's news app The Daily: Will it be USA Today or The National? Good background and analysis from Newsonomics....

>> Anti-trust battle brewing over iPad subscriptions?...

Fast News for January 20, 2011

News 01.20.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Reader's Digest launched their first app for the iPad....

>> Victoria Advocate art director Ryan Huddle is joining the design department of The Boston Globe, where he'll work on the Sunday magazine and the daily G entertainment section...

>> Builder magazine debuts its new redesign, by Luke Hayman of Pentagram...

Fast News for January 18, 2011

News 01.18.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Brandon Kavulla is the new creative director at WIRED. He was previously design director at Men's Health...

>> New study shows when iPad users read the most (thanks to Magtastic Blogsplosion for the link)...

>> Another look at the upcoming iPad 2.0.....out in April?....

Fast News for January 13, 2011

News 01.13.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> New apps by CNN and Roadtrip, an iPad-only travel magazine...

>> Tonight at the Type Directors Club: German graphic designer Fons Hickman and Pacific Northwest art director/poster designer Art Chantry...

>> Smart guy Khoi Vinh spreads more doom and gloom about magazine iPad apps: "Stop it Conde Nast. Stop it Hearst. Stop it Adobe. Stop it everyone who's pursuing this all but discredited strategy"...

Fast News for January 11, 2011

News 01.11.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Scott Hall is the new Director of Photography with Creative Director Dirk Barnett for the new Newsweek / Daily Beast enterprise. He had been a Photo Editor at T, The New York Times Style Magazine...

>> More on the state of iPad apps: from Paid Content: "it will take years, not months, to work out how to make apps better than both the web and newspapers"....

>> Former Time art director Arthur Hochstein will reprise his recent caretaker role at Bloomberg Businessweek as he helms Newsweek while Dirk Barnett works on the upcoming redesign...

Fast News for January 6, 2011

News 01.06.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Liza Aelion is the new Brand CD for Hachette's Woman's Day...

>> Have you noticed? The first deadline for PUB 46, print and digital, is tomorrow. Download entry forms and instructions here if you still need them, and check out this fantastic overview of the expanded Digital categories here...

>> And don't forget to show-off your work to everyone else, too: deadline for the Type Directors Club is also Friday the 7th, get started entering for that here; the Art Directors Club gives you a little more time, with deadlines starting January 21st...

Fast News for January 4, 2011

News 01.04.11 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Meredith and Hearst reportedly ready to buy ELLE...

>> PBS's Mediashift column has a good rundown and analysis of the state of magazine iPad apps. Thanks to Magtastic Blogsplosion for the link...

>> Fortune: Why Digital Newsstands Stink. Another critical look at iPad magazine apps... and related news from the WSJ about Google's entry into the same Digital Newsstand wilderness...

>> Innovations in magazine publishing (print and digital): why some publications thrived in 2010....

Fast News for December 30, 2010

News 12.30.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Magtastic Blogsplosion reviews their top three magazines of 2010. Number 3 is Bloomberg Businessweek...

>> Magazine iPad apps sales are slumping. WWD reports Men's Health, Glamour, Vanity Fair, GQ and Wired have seen sales numbers drop....

>> The results of the Coverjunkie.com 2010 most creative cover poll are in and the winner is Granta's Sex cover...

Fast News for December 23, 2010

News 12.23.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Andrew Losowsky of Magtastic Blogsplosion lists his Top 10 magazine covers of 2010....

>> Real Simple has a new iPad app, Real Simple Recipes: No Time to Cook? It includes 850 recipes....

Fast News for December 21, 2010

News 12.21.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Rupert Murdoch's new iPad newspaper app, The Daily, is scheduled to launch on January 17....

>> New iPad study shows the most popular activity on the tablets is reading news. Nearly half use it as their primary news source....

>> Apple's iPad 2.0 rumored to debut in April, with front and rear-facing cameras...

>> 2010: The Year in Magazines. A roundup by Magtastic Blogsplosion...

Fast News for December 16, 2010

News 12.16.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Ad Age publishes their Top 10 publication covers of 2010....

>> Be sure to vote in the Coverjunkie Most Creative Cover of 2010 poll...

>> Thanks to Magculture for the above two links. Visit the site for the latest updates on magazine and app news and design...

>> Have you upgraded your iPad with the latest OS (4.2.1)? We hadn't, until Joe Zeff tipped us off and showed us how. His handy how-to guide here...

Fast News for December 14, 2010

News 12.14.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Nadia Vellam is the new photo editor of WSJ, the Wall Street Journal magazine...

>> Jill Armus is the new creative director of Everyday With Rachel Ray. She was previously the creative director of Prevention...

>> Darhil Crooks is the new creative director of Ebony. He was previously art director at Esquire...

>> Time art director D.W. Pine compiles the magazine's annual Top 10 magazine covers of 2010. Number 1: Eminem on the cover of Rolling Stone...
… MORE

Fast News for December 9, 2010

News 12.09.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Good news: Time Inc. CEO Jack Griffin announces that the company will forgo its annual pre-holiday layoffs this year....

>> The Brenda Starr newspaper comic strip is ending its 70-year run on January 2....

>> New Mac/Life iPad app, The Essential iPhone and iPad Answers Guide. Smart idea....

Fast News for December 7, 2010

News 12.07.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> George McCalman has left Afar to start his own studio...

>> Former Fortune graphics editor Linda Eckstein has posted her 2005 Print magazine story on the history of Fortune graphics. Lush illustrations, major wow factor....

>> World War 3 Illustrated is having a 30-year retrospective at Exit Art in NYC. The magazine, edited by Peter Kuper and Seth Tobocman, features cutting edge political comics, graphics and illlustrations. The opening is tonight from 7-9pm at 475 10th Ave...

>> Magculture reviews the new Project iPad app and although critical, finds some good elements in it...

>> Art director Wilbert Gutierrez has an updated website, with great covers and feature spreads from George, Men's Health, Entertainment Weekly, Muscle & Fitness Hers, and Sly magazine...

Fast News for December 2, 2010

News 12.02.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Advertising Age announced their Media Vanguard Awards. Among the winners are Popular Mechanics iPad Edition, Mac | Life for iPad, USA Today iPad Edition, Wall Street Journal iPad Edition, Getty Images iPad app, EW Must List iPad app and more...

>> New for your news feed: Jean Snow, our guide to design and pop culture in Tokyo, has spun-off his magazine obsession (we love) into a new site, The Magaziner...

>> Chicago magazine has a gallery of 40 covers from their archives, to celebrate their 40th anniversary...

>> Pure fun: Doug Gilford's Mad Cover Site. A collection of every Mad magazine cover, starting with issue #1 in 1952 (and there's a credit for every cover artist)....

Fast News for November 30, 2010

News 11.30.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Dirk Barnett is the new creative director for Newsweek/Daily Beast. He took the job after just two days as the new design director at Lucky....

>> Interaction Design is the New Art Direction? A smart post by Adam Schwabe that recaps Khoi Vinh's recent "Digital Killer the Art Director Star" talk. Key quote: "user experience and interaction design are the logical successors to art direction"...

>> Virgin will unveil its custom built magazine iPad app this week in NYC. It's described as a "revolutionary multimedia publication"...

>> Mario Garcia looks at the design of iPad magazine app "landing pages," the very first page that pops up on the screen....

Fast News for November 23, 2010

News 11.23.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Paul Martinez is the new creative director at Maxim, filling the spot vacated when Dirk Barnett left for Lucky. Martinez was formerly the design director at Men's Journal...

>> News Corp. will launch a daily newspaper app, The Daily, by the end of the year. It's described as having a tabloid mentality with a fun sensibility, "The New York Post Goes to College"...

Fast News for November 18, 2010

News 11.18.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Folio has announced the finalists for its annual Ozzies (design) and Eddies (editorial) magazine awards. Winners will be announced at the awards lunch on January 13...

>> Drawger, the illustrator group blog, has posted the 2010 Drawger Annual, a collection of sample work from over 60 illustrators. It's very cool...

>> Jill Armus is the new creative director of Every Day with Rachel Ray magazine. She was formerly the creative director at Prevention...

… MORE

Fast News for November 16, 2010

News 11.16.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> When is an app not an app? A simple explanation from Joe Zeff Design about when you should (and shouldn't) create an app. Essential reading...

>> Tina Brown (former Talk, New Yorker, Vanity Fair editor) will be the new editor of Newsweek, after the Daily Beast/Newsweek merger takes effect...

>> The future of writing on tablets: LA Times interview with Oliver Reichenstein of Information Architects. He discusses IA's new iPad app, Writer...

>> Tablet Takeover! The Blistering Rise of iPad and Tablet Computing: an infographic, by Fast Company...

Fast News for November 11, 2010

News 11.11.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Tonight at 7PM: the AI-AP party! Tickets available at the door, all who love great work are welcome, it's a perfect way to celebrate Illustration Week!

>> George Lois socks it to the audience at min's Editorial & Design Awards, telling the audience in his acceptance speech upon being admitted to their Editorial & Design Hall of Fame, "...take the handcuffs off your most talented designer and let him or her...create a magazine cover for your next issue that connects in a nanosecond, that surprises, that thrills, that inspires, that sells." A standing ovation followed...

>> For your coffee-break: WWD sets up the Editor-in-Chief face-off coming to us all in January between Adam Moss at New York Magazine and Hugo Lindgren at The New York Times Magazine...

>> ESPN's executive VP for content John Skipper: "The savior for paper products is not the iPad"...

>> The British Society of Magazine Editors (the UK version of ASME) announced their 2010 Magazine Editors' Awards winners, including magazine, editor, and art directors of the year. Thanks to Magculture for the link...

Fast News for November 9, 2010

News 11.09.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> It's Illustration Week in NYC! Be sure you're part of the official festivities: RSVP for the AI-AP party and Rock It Honey on Thursday at Angel Orensanz with all your favorite photographers and illustrators...

>> ...and elsewhere, illustrator Stephen Kroninger has a show of his 1980s experimental collages at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Many examples and background info here. Also on display at MIAD are 40 illustrations from the Society of Illustrators Illustration 52 annual...

>> Great new covers from Essence, Glamour, Rolling Stone, Mad, The New Yorker, i-D, Paper, and many more, at CoverJunkie.com...

>> U.S. News & World Report announces the end of its print edition (except for occasional special and college ranking issues)...

Fast News for November 4, 2010

News 11.04.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Dirk Barnett will be the new Design Director for Lucky. He was previously creative director at Maxim..

>> Hugo Lindgren, new editor for The New York Times Magazine, talks about change at the Grey Lady's weekly...

>> Chalkley Calderwood is the new creative director at Latina. She fills the spot recently vacated by Florian Bachleda...

Fast News for November 2, 2010

News 11.02.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> If you missed it, New York magazine looks into Newsweek's new owner Sidney Harman, and the broken engagement that could have given us Newsbeast

>> Chip Kidd interviews Doonesbury's Garry Trudeau for Rolling Stone...

>> Leslie dela Vega is the new photography director at Fast Company. She was previously photo director at Essence...

>> Pop Goes the iPad Bubble? Mediaweek slams magazine apps, says publishers are "squandering an opportunity"...

Fast News for October 28, 2010

News 10.28.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Digital smart guy Khoi Vinh weighs in, with devastating effect, on magazine iPad apps: "In my personal opinion, Adobe is doing a tremendous disservice to the publishing industry by encouraging these ineptly literal translations of print publications into iPad apps." This is today's essential reading...

>> Cover Junkie is a great new magazine cover website, devoted to the latest covers from around the world. Published by Jaap Biemans, a graphic designer from the Netherlands, It's updated daily, and is lots of fun. Covers include everything from The New Yorker to Vice to Brazilian Playboy (which of course we study for its typographic elegance)...

>> The full run of legendary typographic newspaper/magazine U&lc is now being made available for downloading. The first year is available now, and the site promises a new year's worth of downloads every month. U&lc was edited and art directed by Herb Lubalin. Thanks to Magtastic Blogsplosion for the tip...

Fast News for October 26, 2010

News 10.26.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> W creative director Jody Quon is leaving after just three issues at the magazine...

>> Florian Bachleda is the new creative director for Fast Company. He'll be overseeing the print magazine, digital projects, and the entire brand image...

>> "Making Sense of Early Sales for Magazines' iPad Editions," good data and analysis from Advertising Age that breaks down early sales numbers for seven titles...
… MORE

Fast News for October 21, 2010

News 10.21.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> WSJ. ups its frequency to 9 issues in 2011 and 10 in 2012. Combined with the paper's lively new "Off Duty" section, this gives you more reason to dip into the Journal on weekends...

>> The New York Times dips into the Self redesign, starting with the issue on newsstands this week. Take a trip in the way-back machine with these stories about the Self redesign over 20 years ago and the fallout...

>> Did Jack Welch kill the much-anticipated Daily Newsbeast? Keith Kelly says he did...

>> Marie Claire's new Fashion A-Z iPad app is heralded for "thinking outside the magazine"; download it here...

>> Mediabistro reminds their readers about the SPD Speakeasy on October 27 with Time art director Arthur Hochstein, "Thinking Inside the (Red) Box"...

Fast News for October 19, 2010

News 10.19.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Wired CD Scott Dadich is officially leaving the mag to go full time as Conde Nast executive editor of digital-magazine development. And Wired announces sales results for their iPad apps post-the very successful (100,000 sold) first issue.....

>> Good interview with photographer Albert Watson about his new books, "UFO" and "Strip Search." Watson will be speaking at the SPD Speakeasy Series on November 2, get your tickets while you can...

>> "Did I Kill Gourmet Magazine?" Former Gourmet writer Ann Patchett details her 10 years of exorbitant expense-account travels for the magazine...
… MORE

Fast News for October 14, 2010

News 10.14.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Neil Jamieson is the new Design Director for Money magazine. He has been the Deputy DD at People...

>> A lengthy review, with lots of pictures, of the new Esquire iPad app (thanks to Magculture.com for the tip)....

>> Prevention has a new creative director. Longtime CD Jill Armus is out, replaced by Peter Hemmel, who had been the CD of Life & Style Weekly...
… MORE

Fast News for Oct. 12, 2010

News 10.12.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Longtime W art director Nathalie Kirsheh is leaving the mag to become design director at Details...

>> Esquire debuts its iPad app. It reads only in portrait (vertical) mode...

>> "Oprah Winfrey is the magazine industry's No. 1 ambassador," says media reporter Jon Friedman, describing her appearance at the American Magazine Conference last week in Chicago...

… MORE

Fast News for October 7, 2010

News 10.07.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> The iPad is set to become the 4th-largest electronics category: "By any account, the iPad is a runaway success of unprecedented proportion"...

>> Nora Sheehan is the new creative director for Architectural Digest, which is now based in New York. She had previously been creative director at Travel + Leisure...

>> Ivylise Simones is the new design director at The New York Observer. She was previously art director of The Village Voice...
… MORE

Fast News for October 5, 2010

News 10.05.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Trade group The Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) has changed their name to MPA--The Association of American Media. Their new logo was designed by Paula Scher at Pentagram. Details on the logo design here...

>> Hugo Lindgren is the new editor at The New York Times Magazine...

>> Courtney Murphy has been promoted to creative director at Good Housekeeping. She's been the design director there since 2006...

>> The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) announces the winners of their best magazine covers of the year contest...

Fast News for September 30, 2010

News 09.30.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Art director Bryan Erickson is leaving Foreign Policy for a gig at The Wall Street Journal, working on new print projects for the newspaper. His replacement will be Dennis Brack, who is currently design director at The Washington Post...

>> 40th anniversary of The New York Times op-ed page. They've put together a great historical video, with interviews with illustrators and art directors...

>> Type designer Matthew Carter was the recipient of a $500,000 MacArthur "genius" award, announced on September 28...
… MORE

Fast News for September 28, 2010

News 09.28.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Former Newsweek Director of Photography SImon Barnett is now Director of Photography for Life.com...

>> Pentagram's Luke Hayman led the redesign of Better Homes and Gardens, which debuts this week. He worked with the magazine's art director, Michael Belknap. We'll have a more detailed post soon, but in the meantime, you can see the pages here.....

>> Criswell Lappin is leaving Metropolis magazine after 10 years as creative director. He'll be leading a design team at Fahrenheit 212. The new AD at Metropolis will be Dungjai Pungauthaikan...

… MORE

Fast News for September 24, 2010

News 09.24.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Covered as much by the foodie blogs as the media ones, news earlier this week that not only is CondÃ© Nast's remaining food magazine, Bon AppÃ©tit, moving to NYC, but Editor Barbara Fairchild is parting ways with the magazine as well. Design Director Matthew Lenning left the title earlier in the summer.

>> Nancy Butkus is leaving the New York Observer to become Special Projects Art Director at Fairchild, working with former Observer editor Peter Kaplan...

>> Teenage Paparazzo -- a look at celebrity through the eyes of a young photographer -- premieres on HBO.

… MORE

Fast News for September 16, 2010

News 09.16.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Watch the #NewTwitter video here...

>> "On the internet, you're not on a human publishing cycle anymore. You're on a machine publishing cycle." More from Khoi Vinh, former Design Director for NYTimes.com, and his thoughts on news, design and the current state of news design, in this video...

>> Andrew Horton is the new creative director of Billboard...

Fast News for September 14, 2010

News 09.14.10 posted by The Editors

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Lots of shake-ups at Town & Country now that new editor Stephen Drucker is in the house. Several editors have been let go, and late last week art director Agnethe Glatved resigned...

>> Vogue.com relaunches...

>> Wallpaper* makes their cover "move"...

>> New editor Janice Min, formerly of US Weekly, is taking her new title Hollywood Reporter weekly and glossy, to "compete with the blogs." The summer staff-up continues...

>> Don't forget to vote in ASME and Amazon's Best Magazine Cover contest...

>> Apple is rumored to be readying the next version of the iPad for pre-Xmas release. It's going to come with video conferencing capability....

Fast News for September 9, 2010

News 09.09.10 posted by Robert Newman

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Conde Nast has named former Jane and Elle Girl editor Brandon Holley as editor in chief of Lucky magazine. She will succeed founding editor Kim France. Holley has been working as editor in chief for the Yahoo women's site Shine....

>> The New York Observer redesign debuted on Wednesday, done by design director Nancy Butkus. See sample pages from the new issue here...

>> More layoffs coming at Newsweek. Yesterday management announced that it's laying off 25% of employees by September 24...

>> New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger admits they will "stop printing" the paper sometime in the future, but that date is "TBD". We're hoping it's a future far, far away...

>> Long, in-depth interview with Maxim creative director Dirk Barnett, with lots of work samples. Don't miss this one!...

Fast News for September 7, 2010

News 09.07.10 posted by Robert Newman

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> R.I.P. longtime LA Times political cartoonist Paul Conrad. He won three Pulitzer Prizes for his pointed, liberal-leaning cartoons, which appeared in daily newspapers for six decades...

>> Mark your calendars! SPD is presenting an iPad evening on September 22, featuring magazine art directors talking about their first generation apps....and what comes next. Tickets are going to sell out fast, so watch the website for info very soon...

>> Weekly newspaper New York Observer launches redesign this Wednesday, abandons much of their front page caricature illustration for photo illustration....

>> Growth is good: Wenner's Men's Journal is picking up one of the issues it eliminated as a cost-cutting measure in 2010: the July issue will be back in 2011. People StyleWatch will also add an 11th issue.

>> The Atlantic to follow paid iPad edition with new 'Atlantic Premium'

Fast News for September 2, 2010

News 09.02.10 posted by Robert Newman

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Bon Appetit design director Matthew Lenning has left the magazine and is moving to Austin to start his own studio....

>> Katherine Van Itallie is the new art director at Redbook...

>> GQ art director Anton Ioukhnovets is leaving to freelance...

>> Kate Elazegui has left her position as design director of Money magazine to become creative director at SYPartners, a design/strategy/innovation firm....

>> Jennifer Miller is the new photography editor at New York magazine. She was previously photography director at Cosmopolitan...

>> Paste magazine, the indie music publication based in Georgia, announced on September 1 that it's ceasing publication...

>> Apple announced that iOS 4.2 will be released in November, finally bringing iOS 4.x support to the iPad. The free update will include multitasking, wireless printing as well as a new feature called AirPlay, which replaces AirTunes. AirPlay will offer streaming of video, music, and photos.

Fast news for August 31, 2010

News 08.31.10 posted by Robert Newman

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular collection of publication design, digital, and media news updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> Gourmet brand to return to print--as a series of special newsstand-only issues. Gourmet Quick Kitchen hits newsstands September 7...

>> Sarah Vinas has been promoted to art director at Glamour. She takes the place of Theresa Griggs, who moved over to become design director at Women's Health....

>> Time magazine's editor Rick Stengel is "the last man standing." How Time won the newsweekly wars....

>> R.I.P. British fashion photographer Corinne Day (via Magculture.com) ...

Fast news for August 26, 2010

News 08.26.10 posted by Robert Newman

SPD MEDIA MIX is our regular list of publication design, digital, and media news and updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> The new Newsweek owner talks about his plans for the magazine, says he wants it to shout at readers when they pick it up, "Hey man, you're in for the time of your life"...

>> Theresa Griggs has been named the new design director at Women's Health, replacing Andrea Dunham, who moved to People. Griggs was the art director at Glamour....

>> Anita Sarsidi is the new design director at Elle Decor...

>> The New York Times asked 13 young photographers to document the lives of 20-somethings with iPhone cameras. See the results here....

>> Lady Gaga on the cover of the new Vogue Homme Japan: black and white and very butch....

>> Black magazines of the 90s--where are they now? Emerge, Savoy, Honey, a slideshow and update....

>> How Entertainment Weekly embraces the digital age, with iPad app, Youtube channel, and more...

Fast news for August 23, 2010

News 08.23.10 posted by Robert Newman

Welcome to our new quick news update feature, SPD MEDIA MIX. This will be a regular occurring list of publication design and digital updates. Please send your links and news items to SPD at mail@spd.org and we'll add them to the Mix.

>> People magazine has launched its iPad app, with a video introduction by Katy Perry...

>> The new issue of Complex has a cover and photo feature starring Lindsay Lohan, with photography by Marcus Klinko and Indrina, and artwork by noted graffiti artist KAWS...

>> Essence has hired a new fashion director, and it's stirred up some controversy....

>> Shelter magazines: Good Folio article on "The Good, the Bad, and the Survivors"....

>> Drama at Everyday with Rachael Ray? Top editor and creative director leave the mag....

>> New editor announced at Elle Decor.....

Newsmax: Provocative Political Conservative Cover Design

News 06.28.10 posted by Robert Newman

Newsmax is the slick monthly print magazine of Newsmax Media, the conservative political news operation that also runs the website Newsmax.com. In addition to being one of the most popular, influential, and profitable conservative news operations (with a major jones for Sarah Palin), Newsmax gathered a lot of media attention over the past month with its bid to buy Newsweek magazine. There was a lot of moaning in some media circles at the thought of a Newsmax-owned Newsweek, but there were some who actually thought the idea of a conservative newsweekly might not be such a bad thing. To get a sense of what such a newsweekly might look like, we've collected some covers from the past couple years of Newsmax. They're nicely done: they speak directly to their audience, they have attitude and a point of view. It's hard to imagine The Washington Post, Newsweek's owner, actually selling the magazine to Newsmax, but if they did, it would certainly be entertaining to watch.

… MORE

iPad on Sale: April 3 (updated)

News 03.03.10 posted by Josh Klenert

Rumors are circling that the iPad will hit shelves on March 26. Apple had announced that the iPad would go on sale at the end of March, but a formal date has yet to be announced.

So, what Mag Apps ("mag apps" ... did I just coin a new phrase???) are you looking forward to using at the end of the month?

Are you working on one? Share some screen shots with us!

… MORE

Apple iPad: It's Real

News 01.26.10 posted by Josh Klenert

There was more as much mystery around Wednesday's announcement as there is in the final season of "Lost." Many questions were answered on Wednesday (except for "how will it sell"?) Stay tuned for many links to new about the announcement coming out of the event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. We'll have lots of news and links then.

Here are a few links to what we've read so far:

… MORE

Nypost.com: A User-friendly Redesign

Websites 11.23.09 posted by Paul Schrynemakers

The New York Post's website, nypost.com, re-launched this past September with new features and a new design. Whether you admire the daily's vibe or just find guilty pleasure in PageSix, fans of user-centric web design will admire its user-friendly nature. I chatted recently with Nick Gould, CEO of Catalyst Group, the folks behind the new look and feel.… MORE

Paris Vogue + Blackface. What Next?

News 10.14.09 posted by The Editors

October's issue of Paris Vogue -- the super models issue -- is hitting the news for its photography, particularly Steven Klein's shoot with Lara Stone. Video after the jump... … MORE

Bloomberg Acquires BusinessWeek

News 10.13.09 posted by Josh Klenert

MarketWatch reports that Bloomberg L.P. won the bid to acquire BusinessWeek magazine from McGraw Hill, and will rechristen the title Bloomberg BusinessWeek, according to the Times. More on the story at BusinessWeek.com.

***NEW* RELEAS*E***

Behind-the-Scenes 05.07.09 posted by George Karabotsos

GK Investigates was worried that the US Censor Board would not allow us to release this clip.

But today approval was given, despite the nudity.

… MORE

This %^@!ing Economy

News 02.24.09 posted by Emily Smith

A curious story in the NY Times this morning about "Art Capital Group" and their business, which seems to be, tell me if I'm wrong here: Art Pawn Shop. Not only current owners, but also artists like Julian Schnabel and Annie Leibovitz, are trading in their collections for cash loans -- but in Ms. Leibovitz' case, not only her own artwork is on the table, but, per the Times,

according to loan documents filed with the city, one of the world's most successful photographers essentially pawned every snap of the shutter she had made or will make until the loans are paid off.

(empahsis mine -- on FUTURE prints, as well? Wow.)

Spotlight on 'The Big Picture' from Boston.com

Websites 12.22.08 posted by Paul Schrynemakers

MediaShift has done a profile of both The Big Picture and Alan Taylor, the web developer behind it, in Big Pictures Help Tell Big Stories at Boston.com.

It's worth a read and The Big Picture is definitely worth a look, especially the spectacular Year in Review: Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3.

PREVIOUSLY: Powerful Web Photojournalism

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

A (Live) Infograph Worth a Thousand Words

Infographics 09.19.08 posted by Paul Schrynemakers

Noticed that at the nytimes.com all morning they were featuring a live streaming infograph of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in a prominent spot usually reserved for journalistic photography. As an image alone, I think it might just capture a bit of the anxiety (and some reflief) we've experienced over the past few days.

Just In Case You Missed It

News 09.12.08 posted by The Editors

A few things we haven't blogged about (yet), but have been on our minds:

Lots of chatter about Esquire's 75th anniversary issue, from the E-Ink cover to the inside packages.

Imitiation is the sincerest form of flattery? More chatter about the newly relaunched, "purely coincidental" LA Times Magazine.

Annie Leibovitz on four of her most memorable shots from Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair.

Google's making plans to re-publish 244 years of newspaper articles, where the archives are free and, most importantly in this realm of the world, presented in the same way they originally appeared in print.

New reads: Singular Magazine, for singles in Los Angeles, launched September 9th in the City of Angels; Parade HealthyStyle, a spin-off, healthy-style, of Parade, launching September 17th; and Food Network Magazine, a collaboration between Hearst and the Food Network, scheduled to premiere October 14th.

Now, just for fun, test your color IQ.

Recently in News Category