Grids: March 2010 Archives

Great (Mostly) White Covers

This week's Time Out New York cover, inspired a look back at strong covers that used very little ink.
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Breakfast With Mr. Lois:
Part 4

SPD @ FIT 03.30.10 posted by Brandon Kavulla

Today is the day! Er, tonight is the night! Please join George Lois and Scott Dadich tonight for their talk at FIT. iPads, the MoMa, Esquire, Newsstands as Strip Clubs, etc. Only a few tickets remain, so don't miss this chance to hear the man live in person, shake his hand and have him sign his new book just for YOU. One last clip from breakfast to tide you over after the jump...
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Celebrating 'On Language'

Appreciation 03.29.10 posted by The Editors

In late 2005, The New York Times Magazine's On Language column, a weekly reflection on current usage of the English language (traditionally written, since 1979, by William Safire), took a new visual turn. Instead of simply typesetting the headline each week in standard fashion, then-Art Director Arem Duplessis (who is now the Design Director) saw an opportunity to create something more; a forum for typographic play. He proposed that a different artist, designer or illustrator interpret that headline every week instead. … MORE

Breakfast With Mr. Lois:
Part 3

SPD @ FIT 03.29.10 posted by Brandon Kavulla

A real magazine is like a what?? (Thanks for making us nose our coffee, George.)
Everyone better bring some dollar bills tomorrow night for his talk. Who knew F.I.T. had a champagne room...
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Illustration Magazine: Great Resource and Inspiration

Illustrators 03.29.10 posted by Robert Newman

One of the best resources for archival illustration I've found lately is Illustration magazine, published and edited by Dan Zimmer. This quarterly magazine is jammed with beautifully reproduced illustrations, magazine and book covers, and in-depth stories about illustrators of all kinds from 1900-1970. Of course the printed magazine is the best way to appreciate all this brilliant work, but their website has digital versions available of all previous issues. This is an amazing resource and learning guide. In addition, they have extensive links to other sites that will keep you looking and marveling for a long time.… MORE

The iPad: "everybody needs to calm down"

Technology 03.29.10 posted by Robert Newman

Andrew Losowsky has some very smart analysis on magazines and the iPad on his blog Magtastic Blogsplosion. It's called "Why everybody needs to calm down." Read the whole thing, but his takeaway:

* "Anything gorgeous will most likely be eyewateringly expensive to produce"

* "If you're looking to make a fast buck, creating a new magazine on the iPad is not the answer"

* "Why will people pay to read your magazine app when they have the option, with no effort at all, to be on the internet, watching movies, reading books, checking email on the very same device?"

See related stories:

Covering the iPad

iPad on Sale: April 3

Apple iPad: It's Real--includes video prototypes from Wired & Interview

5 Questions for The Wonderfactory on the Apple Tablet

Tablet Wrap-Up from CES 2010

Tablet Crystal Ball, Pt 3

NYT: Magazines Get Ready For Tablets

SPD GALA: Honoring the Rarest Specimen

45 03.28.10 posted by The Editors

Please join us on Friday, May 7th, 2010 at Cipriani Wall Street as SPD honors the PUB 45 Merit Winners and Medal Finalists of 2009, awards Gold and Silver Medals along with the Gold Medals for Members' Choice and the Magazine of the Year, looks back on 45 years of amazing, inspiring, mind-blowingly awesome work (work so good we just invented the word 'mind-blowingly'), looks forward to what's coming, and just generally celebrates the great people (SPD members!) who make this our greatest night of the year. You, great person? Should be there.

Invitations are in the mail, but for those who remember that tickets, and seating, are assigned on a first-RSVP, first-preference basis, download invitations and RSVP cards here, or buy tickets after the jump...
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Breakfast with Mr. Lois:
Part 2

SPD @ FIT 03.26.10 posted by Brandon Kavulla

Are magazines dead? George weighs in after the jump, and next Tuesday, March 30th.
Time (and tickets) are slipping away!
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Covering the iPad

Covers 03.26.10 posted by Josh Klenert

With April 3rd right around the corner, the iPad is getting the cover treatment. Here's a round up of recent iPad-centric covers from Macworld and WIRED. More TK as they hit the newsstands.… MORE

Workshopaholics Unanimous: Sahre, Victore, Wilker

Life Outside of Work 03.25.10 posted by Andrea Dunham

From their deliciously incoherent website, sahrevictorewilker.com this just in:

"Paul Sahre, James Victore and Jan Wilker will conduct two intensive, 6-day (and night) graphic design workshops in the summer of 2010, for graphic design students and professionals around the world, who are 21 or older and proficient in English. Bring your laptop, sketch book and head."

Session dates and information can be found on their site. Workshop location will be the Art Director's Club: 106 West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001

Breakfast With Mr. Lois:
Part 1

SPD @ FIT 03.25.10 posted by Brandon Kavulla

This week, Scott Dadich and George Lois met for breakfast at George's home in Manhattan to discuss the final preparations for their talk at FIT next Tuesday, March 30th. The lovely Nathalie Kirsheh (W Art Director and video goddess extraordinaire) and I managed to crash the meeting and roll some tape. On the follow page is part one. A Warning for anyone attending the event: if this is George first thing in the morning...fasten your seatbelts next Tuesday.
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GINA BARNETT: Questions, Anyone?

SpeakEasy 03.24.10 posted by Gail Anderson

We hope we'll see you this Thursday night at Gina Barnett's Speakeasy at the Helen Mills Theatre. We've blogged, we've probed, and we've e-mail blasted. So log out, swipe your Metrocard and join us for an insightful evening that will get you thinking about how to navigate not just your current job, but maybe even the rest of your career.

I've tried to get the ball rolling by asking Gina some questions, and had a few more things that I'm hoping might come up on Thursday, as well...

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Today's Inspiration: Brilliant Archival Illustration

illustration 03.24.10 posted by Robert Newman

Today's Inspiration. is a brilliantly written, curated, and edited visual website devoted to the history of editorial illustration from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. The brainchild of Canadian illustrator Leif Peng, the site is updated daily and also has a daily email newsletter. This is the ultimate website for rich information on classic old school illustrators and illustration! There's also a new companion site, Female Illustrators of the Mid-20th Century.

(Above): Illustration by Ben Shahn, from Fortune, September 1953.

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Joe Zeff on Newspapers and the iPad

Technology 03.24.10 posted by Robert Newman

Illustrator / designer / smart guy Joe Zeff has a new post on his blog about newspapers and the soon-to-be Apple iPad. His bottom line: newspapers will have success if they go local and heavy on service and resources. It's good reading.

From SXSW: One Newsstand of the Future

Apple iPad: It's Real

5 Questions for The Wonderfactory on the Apple Tablet

Tablet Wrap-Up from CES 2010

NYT: Magazines Get Ready For Tablets

Essential link:

Society of News Design

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Student Photography Competition..Deadline 6 days and counting!

Student Photo Competition 03.24.10 posted by Catherine Talese

Adobe Creative Suite 4, so sweet, loaded with Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Photoshop, InDesign, and so much more...that's right, Adobe CS4 is worth millions if used to the maximum and can be yours for free as a winner in SPD's Virtue & Vice student photo competition! That's just one prize: keep reading for even more!
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Easy Inspiration

Inspiration 03.24.10 posted by Andrea Dunham

I'm finding I'm spending an inordinate amount of totally not-free time ogling the AIGA collections for much needed (hell, save-my-job-needed) inspiration for feature design.

Have at it. Your boss will not likely thank you, but you'll be damn thankful.

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Whoops

D'oh! 03.23.10 posted by The Editors

SPD.org has had a tech issue we wish we could undo: for the last month or so, dozens of comments you've been sending us have been missing in action. Well, they've been found and should be up here on the internets now.

We've gone under the hood, and think we've solved the problem. We'll spare you all the tech jargon for what happened, but just to be sure: we'll send a shiny copy of SPD Solid Gold: 40 Years of Award-Winning Magazine Design to the first three people who comment to this post.

Sorry for the confusion, and keep the comments coming.

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Praising The Drawbridge

Inspiration 03.23.10 posted by Michael Grossman

Visiting London recently, I got my first hands-on chance to appreciate The Drawbridge. It calls itself a magazine, but it can be more specifically described with two words that almost never appear side-by-side: new broadsheet.… MORE

Rare Specimen No. 5
Blue Note LP Covers

45 03.23.10 posted by The Editors

As part of this year's Pub 45 celebration of great work, we're asking people to share some of their personal inspirations with us. Our fifth entry in the Rare Specimens collection comes from Robert Newman, who shares his love for the classic album cover designs of Blue Note Records after the jump...

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Rare Specimen No. 4
Flickr Flow

45 03.22.10 posted by Josh Klenert

With The SPD Digital Competition right around the corner, I thought I'd share a Rare Specimen that bridges print and online: Flickr Flow---an experiment whose materials are color and time.

Fernanda ViÃ©gas and Martin Wattenberg used this technique in a March 2009 Boston magazine piece, called "Flickr of Hope."

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The New York Observer's Cover Illustrations

Appreciation 03.21.10 posted by Robert Newman

The New York Observer describes itself as "New York's Smartest Tabloid." Although for many years it was a full broadsheet, The Observer, known for printing on salmon-colored paper, switched to the tabloid format several years ago. Brilliantly art directed by Nancy Butkus, the paper has long been outstanding for both its graphic crispness as well as the distinctive roster of illustrators that grace its cover each week.

Most weeks the cover art is by Drew Friedman, Philip Burke, Robert Grossman, Barry Blitt, or Victor Juhasz, although other illustrators occasionally make an appearance.

(Above): August 24, 2009, illustration by Drew Friedman.

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March Madness!

Hoops design 03.19.10 posted by Robert Newman

It's March Madness time, the NCAA college basketball tournament that obsesses so much of the working world with bracket-mania. For the past seven years, Sports Illustrated has produced a brilliantly fun, crazy quilt collaged cover previewing the tournament, and featuring photographs of one player from all the teams scheduled to appear. This year they've expanded to include the women's tournament as well, and the latest cover, pictured above, marks the first by design director Chris Hercik. This is a flat-out great cover, a classic example of magazine-making at its highest level. The Sports Illustrated March Madness cover engages its readers, expanding the concept of the cover into a captivating, interactive experience. And the technical achievement is mind-boggling as well.

On the turn page we've got a collection of all the previous Sports Illustrated March Madness covers, plus as a special bonus, another brilliant visual take on the tournament, a series of wacky 3-D bracket illustrations by Joe Zeff and Ed Gabel, created for design director Siung Tjia at ESPN magazine.

(Above): The March 2010 NCAA Tournament Preview issue of Sports Illustrated. Design director: Chris Hercik. Art director: Ed Truscio.

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LOIS + DADICH: 4 things you won't get fromYouTube

SPD @ FIT 03.19.10 posted by Brandon Kavulla

As you may have already heard, George Lois has a new book out based on an exhibition of his work at the Museum of Modern art. On Tuesday, March 30th, in what is sure to be our Speaker Series event of the year, he will be sitting down with Scott Dadich to talk about past, present and future. (And yes, he still looks exactly like the above...good genes.)

We thought we'd take this chance to let you know that while you may know George and his covers, there are quite a few reasons why you can't miss this or replace it with Google or YouTube. Here's 4...

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SKI Magazine's best of the season

New Work 03.18.10 posted by The Editors

SKI Magazine's Art Director, Eleanor Williamson, just wrapped-up the seasonal title's 7 issues before the tackle their next project (more on that later in the post), and in honor of these closing days of winter, offered to share a look back at their best design and photography of the season. … MORE

Photojournalist Charles Moore, R.I.P.

In Memoriam 03.18.10 posted by Robert Newman

The New York Times carries the obituary of noted 50s and 60s photojournalist Charles Moore, who passed away last week at the age of 79. A native Alabaman, Moore was a frequent photographer of the civil rights movement in the South, and his pictures in Life magazine were among the most influential and iconic of that era. His most famous photographs include Martin Luther King Jr. being arrested, and the fire hose and dog attacks on civil rights marchers in Birmingham in 1963. Moore's 2002 book, Powerful Days: The Civil Rights Photography of Charles Moore, is an incredible collection of the best of those images. There's also a slideshow of his work on the NPR website.

The photograph above shows civil rights demonstrators being attacked with fire hoses, Birmingham, Alabama, 1963.

See a selection of Charles Moore's best-known photographs after the jump.

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Overzealous with Photoshop?

Controversy 03.18.10 posted by Josh Klenert

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

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Face-Off: Tina Fey Covers

Covers 03.18.10 posted by Josh Klenert

Entertainment Weekly and Esquire hit newsstands this week with dueling Tina Fey covers. Which works best?

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Master Class: TypIDentity
"This typeface is confusing."

Master Class 03.17.10 posted by The Editors

Ever wonder what it's like at the top? Ever stare at your Indesign-ed monitor, wishing you could churn out award-winning work (or even work that matters?!) Ever flip through Blender, Wired, or New York and and wish you had those resources, or knew how they got it done? What's separating you from the Dirks, the Dadichs, and the Dixons? Well, now -- ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! If you're one of the first 10 people to sign up for SPD's new Master Class series, that is... … MORE

Mark Burckhardt on the making-of his Texas Monthly cover

Covers 03.17.10 posted by The Editors

Over on Drawger there's an excellent behind-the-scenes look at this month's Texas Monthly cover (shown here) marking the 15th anniversary of Tejano singer Selena's tragic death. Illustrator Marc Burckhardt walks through the process from commission to drafts to completed cover (including subscriber versions without a UPC code--go TJ Tucker, Creative Director). Definitely worth the detour to Drawger this afternoon.

ARTFUL COMMUNICATION: Embracing Change

SpeakEasy 03.17.10 posted by Gail Anderson

No matter how talented we are, at some point, we all experience that "writing on the wall" moment, when we know that it's time to move on. Maybe it's downsizing, or a new editorial direction-or whatever-but it's something no one's immune to, especially not these days...

Part of Gina Barnett's role as a communications consultant is to help people deal with transitions. But more importantly, it's to encourage people to not cling too tightly to their own definitions of their jobs--or perceived roles. It's something Gina will be touching on at her SPD Speakeasy on March 25th at the Helen Mills Theatre. I asked her a few questions in preparation for this:… MORE

The iPad: One step forward, two steps back?

Technology 03.16.10 posted by Robert Newman

William Owen, the strategy director at UK digital design firm Made By Many, has adapted a recent presentation on the iPad that he gave to an event organized by the British Society of Magazine Editors and the Editorial Design Organisation (that's the UK version of SPD). It's called "The iPad: one step forward, two steps back?" and is one of the crispest and sharpest takes on the upcoming iPad publishing revolution that we've read.

The good news:

"The iPad's going to transform many people's experiences of computers and extend the reach of digital into homes it's never been in before...and condemn web browsers to obsolescence."

The bad news:

"It also might spin us backwards into a web of pages, paid content and idle, private consumption."

There's much more smartness and keen analysis here. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the publishing for the iPad.

From SXSW: One Newsstand of the Future

Sneak Peeks 03.16.10 posted by Josh Klenert

Gizmodo shares a prototype shown at SXSW that could display, sell and transfer magazines to a tablet.

Watch the video after the jump.

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UCLA Goes Plush

New Work 03.16.10 posted by The Editors

Charlie Hess of Chess Design sends along the story of his first plush: commissioned sculpture + the April 2010 UCLA Magazine cover here = a great story. Read about the making-of after the jump... … MORE

Your most important shot. Don't miss it.

Student Photo Competition 03.15.10 posted by Catherine Talese

A portfolio review with Stephen Mayes and YOU!

Stephen Mayes, managing director of VII Photo Agency, represents some of the worlds greatest living photo journalists, and will be reviewing the portfolio of ONE lucky winner of this year's Virtue & Vice student photography competition. This portfolio review can reshape your work and your future. This chance doesn't come around every day. Just like that important shot, don't miss it: enter to win. Download the poster and the Virtue & Vice Student Photo Competition Entry Form & Rules here, and remember the deadline is just two weeks away on March 29th!. Be sure to check out the other amazing prizes, like the latest Nikon Camera and a guaranteed space at the Eddie Adams Workshop, plus other great tools to get you off on the right path professionally. We'll see all the winners at this year's Annual Awards Gala!

Image above: James Nachtwey.

Bite Sized Snack: A New, Tasty Visual Blog

Inspiration 03.15.10 posted by Robert Newman

Bite Sized Snack is a new visual blog conceived and curated by illustrator and website organizer Robert Zimmerman. He describes the site as: "a daily serving of visual goodness, delivered by a team of trusted graphics professionals. One lite snack is offered each day, a snack that's easy to swallow and has been prepared with care to leave you feeling satisfied and inspired."

Zimmerman has collected a group of 30 "chefs," who include illustrators Lou Beach, Marc Burckhardt, David Goldin, Catherine Lazure, Ross MacDonald, Tim O'Brien, Laurie Rosenwald, and more (plus a few stray non-illustrators like myself). The chefs each post one interesting visual example and link a month, and the postings are randomly selected and rotated on to the site. The offerings range from illustration to photography to found objects, from the artwork of Harpo Marx and Mark Mothersbaugh to portraits made out of used joints.

Recent Bite Sized Snack posted images, clockwise from top left:

Barber by Yayhooray

Snoop Dogg portrait made out of used joints

Cardboard Sculpture by Chris Gilmour

Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story comic book

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SPD@FIT: George Lois on 'The Esquire Covers @ MoMA'

SPD @ FIT 03.14.10 posted by The Editors

We show this all the time, we love it so, but there's never too much of a great thing: here's a a tiny flash of what you might get a chance to see at our evening with George Lois for SPD@FIT on Tuesday, March 30th, where he talks with Wired's Scott Dadich about his show of Esquire covers at MoMA, the subject of a new book from Assouline, George Lois: The Esquire Covers (~~rumor has it~~proven fact: books will be there for purchase and autographing):

Info on this film and tickets after the jump...
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Shop Now! SPD PUB 44 Annual, and more on sale

Annuals 03.13.10 posted by The Editors

Looking to test the strength of your bookshelves? Dying for some inspiration? Visit the new SPD Store and buy the latest Annual, PUB 44 (only $45), or fill-in some missing holes in your collection (the recession special continues! PUB 40 through PUB 43 on deep sale!) and pick up the limited-edition SPD Solid Gold. These prices are good while they last, but there aren't any guarantees about how long that is going to be... you should shop today!
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Real Simple: Time to Celebrate

New Work 03.12.10 posted by The Editors

With daylight savings time set to begin this Sunday, we might all be wishing we had a better understanding of time Monday morning. Real Simple's ahead of us on this: for their tenth anniversary issue this month (April 2010), Creative Director Janet Froelich decided just one cover would not be enough. The magazine's focus on time-saving and simplifying went conceptual, and then multiple. As reported in The New York Times on Monday,

"Time is a very intangible thing -- there isn't a picture of time, and there isn't a particular image that comes to mind,".... So Ms. Froelich decided to commission clocks from industrial designers, who usually create consumer products or conceptual sculptures.

A look at all the covers, photographed by Craig Cutler, and the specially-commissioned screensaver, after the jump...
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National Magazine Awards Nominees Announced

Awards 03.11.10 posted by Robert Newman

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) has announced the nominees for the 2010 National Magazine Awards.

The nominees for best design are:

Esquire / design director: David Curcurito

GQ / design director: Fred Woodward

Martha Stewart Living / design director: James Dunlinson

New York / design director: Chris Dixon

Wired / creative director: Scott Dadich

Nominees for best photography are:

GQ / design director: Fred Woodward; director of photography: Dora Somosi

National Geographic / design director: David Whitmore; director of photography: David Griffin

The New York Times Magazine / design director: Arem Duplessis; director of photography: Kathy Ryan

Vanity Fair / design director: David Harris; director of photography: Susan White

Vogue /

The 2009 winners were Wired for design and GQ for photography. Wired also won best design in 2008. Winners will be announced at the National Magazine Awards Gala on April 22.

Introducing: The SPD Master Class

Master Class 03.09.10 posted by The Editors

Our goal: an exclusive bi-monthly workshop providing inspiration, education, hands-on skills to SPD Professional members through intimate access to well-respected, award-ridden, top-dog design professionals. After this 1-day intensive workshop, you'll have a new mentor, a deeper professional network, and a broader skill-set to take to work on Monday morning.

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What You Can Win: 4 days that will change your life!

Student Photo Competition 03.09.10 posted by Catherine Talese

"No sleep, no time, no room for failure. The Eddie Adams Workshop separates out the photographers who have what it takes to succeed."
David Griffin, Director of Photography, National Geographic

Enter SPD's student photography competition for the chance to win a place at the world renowned Eddie Adams Workshop where you spend 4 days with 150 professional picture editors and photography directors who lead you through a creative boot camp. SPD picks up the tab for your room and board, you just have to win. Check out the details: October 8-11: The Eddie Adams Workshop, Barnstorm XXII in Jeffersonville, NY. Download the Virtue & Vice poster here and the entry form here: enter to win! Deadline is March 29, 2010.

San Antonio Current

Alternative Weeklies 03.09.10 posted by Robert Newman

The San Antonio Current is another alternative weekly newspaper featuring remarkable cover design and imagery created on a shoestring budget. Chuck Kerr is the talented graphic designer/illustrator/poster maker (and band drummer!) who has art directed the Current for the past four years. Kerr's cover designs, many of them featuring his own illustration and photo illustration talents, are graphic, playful, engaging, and very smart. The above Tex-Mex salute to Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground & Nico LP cover, which Kerr describes as "a fitting tribute to San Antonio's vastly underrated local music scene," is just one example of the intelligence and graphic power of the Current's cover design.

(Above): January 31, 2007. Illustration and design by Chuck Kerr.

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ARTFUL COMMUNICATION: Public Speaking (Ugh)

SpeakEasy 03.08.10 posted by Gail Anderson

Teaching presentation skills is actually a small part of Gina Barnett's practice. Most of her work is devoted to leadership presence and communication excellence. Gina works with a wide range of executives to identify their communication strengths and areas for growth. She helps them to recognize the unconscious habits that get in the way of their objectives, or that prevent them from building effective relationships.

But part of what Gina initially worked on with us at SpotCo was helping us hone our presentation skills. And with that in mind, I've asked her a few questions whose answers might prove useful to you, too:… MORE

The greatest Oscar-winners magazine covers

Covers 03.06.10 posted by Robert Newman

In honor of the 82nd annual Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 7, we've collected the greatest Oscar-winners magazine covers. We've got a small collection here at SPD, and you can see even more on this Facebook page. If you've got some Oscar-winner covers you designed or that you think we should see and add to our list, please sent them along.

This post was co-produced by Linda Rubes.

(Above): Isaac Hayes, Jet, May 4, 1972. Hayes won his Oscar for Best Original Song for the Theme from Shaft, from the movie Shaft. (1971).

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Magazines Go To The Movies

Appreciation 03.04.10 posted by Josh Klenert

This week's Time Out New York cover (illustrated by The Red Dress), reminded me of several movie-inspired magazine covers and layouts. With the Oscars this weekend, why not look back on cinema-inspired layouts. It looks like its been fertile ground for John Korpics (both at Entertainment Weekly and Esquire). Remember seeing others? Done some yourself (I include a few of mine)? Send us yours... we'll post them here.… MORE

Life at Hollywoodlife.com

Behind-the-Scenes 03.04.10 posted by Paul Schrynemakers

Coverage of this weekend's Oscars will generate a multitude of digital media. Bonnie Fuller's Holllywoodlife.com is a newcomer to online celebrity news , launched November 2009. They will be generating their own fair share of buzz. After the jump Wilbert Gutierrez, the Creative Director, talks about life at Hollywoodlife.

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New Look for Fortune

New Work 03.03.10 posted by The Editors

John Korpics shares a sneak peek at his Fortune redesign. Here's a look:… 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!

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Back to School--for an MFA in Design

Designers 03.03.10 posted by Gail Anderson

I met Ron Gabriel in the fall 2009 semester of my Just Type class in the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts, where I teach. He looked familiar to me, and I soon figured out why. A longtime magazine designer at a host of New York-based publications, Ron's most recent job before returning to the classroom was as Creative Director for the international editions of Hearst Magazines. Small world, indeed.

I was curious to find out more about what made Ron decide to go back to school in the middle of a successful career in publication design, and thought you might be interested, too. So Ron took a moment from a Ramen Noodle and coffee-fueled day to answer a few questions...

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Rare Specimen No. 3
Matilde Montanari

45 03.02.10 posted by Casey Tierney

Fellow Photo Editors,

How many email promos, entreaties, introductions and newsletters do you receive on a daily basis from photographers? 15? 37 maybe? Endless right? We love (insert big hearts here) photographers. Our life's work is to exalt their merits, support their every creative whim and beg to give them proper budgets. However, these blind solicitations we receive rarely ever surprise or even come close to exciting our core sensibilities. That is until a couple months ago when I received an email from one Matilde Montanari...
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All My Eyes visual blog

Websites 03.02.10 posted by Robert Newman

All My Eyes is the new visual blog by former Fortune magazine graphics editor Linda Eckstein. Brilliantly edited, written, and curated, All My Eyes features visual inspiration from many visual disciplines, including poster design, packaging, photography, illustration, information graphics, found objects, historical paraphernalia, and much more. Eckstein draws on an impressive knowledge of contemporary and archival sources to present images that delight, inspire, and educate.

Recent posts include: photos from the Life archive of 1950s ice skaters, Chinese Tiger firecracker labels, the photography of Dora Kallmus, vintage copies of early 1900s NAACP magazine The Crisis, 1960 jewelry advertisements, and a collection of Argentinian bus tickets. The images are accompanied by simple, elegant prose. This is hands-down my favorite visual blog of the moment, and it keeps getting better with every post. All My Eyes is essential viewing.

(Pictured above): Part of a post on duotone movie posters, this one from Persona.

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Calling All Students

Students 03.01.10 posted by The Editors

In case you haven't noticed over on our Student Blog, our student programming is in a frenzy of activity these next few weeks: our annual Student Design Competition deadline is this Monday, March 8 (see past winners in the link above); a week later, March (Design) Madness begins with our SPD-U event on March 15; on Wednesday, March 24, the madness continues with Portfolio Reviews (details to be announced soon); entries in our Student Photography Competition are due March 29; and we close out the craziness with our Spring Pub(lications) Crawl on Friday, April 9 (more details to come). If you're a student, we want to see you entering and attending all of these events! And if you're a teacher, please pass the word along to your students: there are great opportunities (cash prizes, software, internships & workshops and networking & great advice) for the taking.

Hockey Challenge 2010

New Work 03.01.10 posted by The Editors

Longtime (!!) fans of New Work on Grids might remember one of our earliest submissions, the Hockey Challenge from 2009. Creative Director Lou Maxon shares some pages from this year's edition, a complete redesign for the custom editorial. Take a peek after the jump... … MORE

10 for 10

Covers 03.01.10 posted by The Editors

North Carolina native Criswell Lappin is celebrating his â€¨10th year as the Creative Director of Metropolis. In that time he has created some of the most beautiful and memorable covers in the industry. The highlight, he says, has been the collaborations he's enjoyed with likes of George Lois, John Fulbrook and more recently with Post Typography in the magazine's redesigned issue, "What's Next."

Making it ten years at a single publication is almost as accomplished as some of the great work that he has produced in that time. We've selected a few of our favorites covers and noted the name of the design collaborator when applicable: … MORE

Behind The Design: Ford's Theater

Behind-the-Scenes 03.01.10 posted by Nathalie Kirsheh

While producing the 2009 December issue of W, a peek at an afternoon's worth of paste board madness for an opening spread featuring Tom Ford and Colin Firth photographed by Nigel Parry. Video after the jump...… MORE

March 2010 Archives

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