Grids: October 2010 Archives

All Treats: Halloween (Eye) Candy

SPD's unofficial Halloween party (for those who like Halloween, and those who love it) starts now, and the treats include: tickets for the amazing Albert Watson on Tuesday night (you definitely don't want to miss out, because someone goes home with the biggest haul of all, Albert's latest book, "Strip Search") and going through the Auction Gallery Preview again for some delicious treats of the visual kind. This piece from FranÃ§ois Halard (above) seems especially perfect for tonight!

Why We Love Albert Watson, Pt. 5

SpeakEasy 10.29.10 posted by Robert Newman

Because his photographs are cinematic....

Do not miss the upcoming SPD Speakeasy on November 2, featuring Laurie Kratochvil in conversation with Albert Watson, talking about his new book, Strip Search, and many more details of his career as an iconic magazine and fashion photographer.

(Above): Tupac Shakur, 1991.

Our Favorite Halloween Covers from The New Yorker

Covers 10.29.10 posted by Robert Newman

We love The New Yorker's annual Halloween covers. From Hitler as a flying witch in the 1940s to post-9/11 city kids trick or treating as firefighters and police, the covers have been funny, pointed, scary, and always beautiful. We collected 19 of our favorites to get you ready for your neighborhood ghouls and goblins.

(Above): November 1, 2010, illustration by Ivan Brunetti.

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Why We Love Albert Watson, Pt. 4

SpeakEasy 10.28.10 posted by Robert Newman

Because we love black and white...

Do not miss the upcoming SPD Speakeasy on November 2, featuring Laurie Kratochvil in conversation with Albert Watson talking about his new book, Strip Search, and many more details of his career as an iconic magazine and fashion photographer.

(Above): John Travolta, for Entertainment Weekly, 1994.

Auction Gallery Preview

Auction 10.28.10 posted by The Editors

On Tuesday, November 16th we'll be auctioning over 100 framed photographs, illustrations and small sculpture at our Real or Surreal Benefit Auction at MILK Gallery. Preview the work you'll be bidding on after the jump... … MORE

It's Albert Watson's World; We Just Live In It

SpeakEasy 10.28.10 posted by Robert Newman

On Tuesday, November 2nd, the SPD Speakeasy will feature a conversation with photo editor Laurie Kratochvil and photographer Albert Watson about Albert's latest books: Strip Search, a 10-year personal project shooting the life and lives of Las Vegas, and UFO: Albert Watson, a 40-year retrospective of Albert's work in fashion and celebrity portraiture.

We asked Greg Pond, who collaborated with Albert for many years as photography director of Details and Fortune, to share his thoughts on Strip Search and Watson in general.

Greg Pond: The great Scottish photographer Albert Watson once told me a story about the beginning of his career in the early 1970s. Having recently arrived in Los Angeles, Albert and his wife, Elizabeth, were broke, unknown, and trying to realize their American dream. An art director friend who worked on the Max Factor advertising account gave Albert a test shoot--his first job as a photographer. The AD loved the work and said he'd pay Albert for two pictures.

When the check arrived, Albert and Liz thought there had been some sort of mistake...

(Above): Fun City, Las Vegas, 2001, from Strip Search

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Night of 1000 Covers

Thinking Inside the (Red) Box 10.28.10 posted by Robert Newman

Congratulations to Time art director Arthur Hochstein for an amazing presentation last night at the SPD Speakeasy. Arthur enchanted a lively crowd with stories and pictures of Time covers past and present, as well as some goodies that never made it to publication. One of the highlights was Arthur and collaborator/illustrator Matt Mahurin discussing their famous/infamous work on the 1994 Time O.J. Simpson cover, "An American Tragedy." This was a great evening of learning and sharing of magazine-making knowledge. Thanks to Arthur and Matt for creating such a wonderful event.

And don't miss the next SPD Speakeasy with photographer Albert Watson on Tuesday, November 2!

(Above): Arthur Hochstein, Matt Mahurin, and the Time O.J. Simpson cover. Photograph by Josh Klenert.

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...

AIGA/NY (hearts) SPD Members: Marian Bantjes

Life Outside of Work 10.27.10 posted by The Editors

We have great, great news for SPD members this afternoon who are yearning for even more delightful, inspiring opportunities to meet some of their heroes: Monday, November 1st (next week!) the AIGA/NY has a one-night-only event with self-confessed lapsed graphic designer, illustrator-typesetter-designer extraordinaire Marian Bantjes. Introduced by Pentagram's own Paula Scher, Marian will talk about her new book, "I Wonder" (cover above). For this special event, AIGA/NY is extending their special low members-only rate to SPD members. Head over here for tickets, because even though we know you're already a little booked, with Arthur Hochstein tonight, and Albert Watson next Tuesday, we know you want to sneak off to this one too... It's professional development! You owe it to your work to soak all this in. (Send your boss our way if you need more cover. We're prepared.)

Why We Love Albert Watson, Pt. 3

SpeakEasy 10.27.10 posted by Robert Newman

Because he takes the best rock and roll pictures....

Do not miss the upcoming SPD Speakeasy on November 2, featuring Albert Watson in conversation with Laurie Kratochvil, talking about his new book, Strip Search, and many more details of his career as an iconic magazine and fashion photographer.

(Above): Nine Inch Nails, Woodstock, 1994.

Cover of the Day, October 27, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.27.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts.

More, November 2010
Creative Director: Debra Bishop
Director of Photography: Natasha Lunn
Photographer: Martin Schoeller

Cat Got Your Tongue?

SpeakEasy 10.26.10 posted by The Editors

A week from today, Tuesday, November 2nd, join us at the SPD Speakeasy for a conversation with Laurie Kratochvil and Albert Watson about Albert's latest books: "Strip Search," a ten-year personal project shooting the life and lives of Las Vegas, and "UFO: Albert Watson ," a 40-year retrospective of Albert's work in fashion and celebrity portraiture. Get your tickets after the jump, and prepare for this reality: not everything stays in Vegas...

above: Breaunna from Albert Watson's book "Strip Search"
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The Time Covers of Arthur Hochstein, Pt. 4: Matt Mahurin

Thinking Inside the (Red) Box 10.26.10 posted by Robert Newman

Tomorrow night, our Wednesday, October 27 SPD Speakeasy will feature former Time art director Arthur Hochstein discussing 1000 Covers: Thinking Inside the (Red) Box. Arthur was the art director at Time for 15 years, where he designed 1000 covers, and he'll be discussing the good ones (and the bad, and the ugly) and much more. (Your editor hates that cover? Arthur's been there. You all loved it, and the public hated it? Arthur's done that. Need to figure out how to manage all that? You need to RSVP for this. -- The Editors.)

As a run-up to the 1000 Covers evening, we've asked a number of photographers, illustrators, and designers who collaborated with Arthur on Time covers to discuss their work and the process involved. For this fourth installment, we solicited comments from artist Matt Mahurin, who illustrated many memorable covers for Arthur over the years. (Bonus! Mahurin will be introducing Arthur at the SPD Speakeasy. -- The Editors.)

(Above) Time, March 14, 1994. Art director: Arthur Hochstein. Illustrator: Matt Mahurin.
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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

Cover of the Day, October 25, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.25.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts.

New York, featuring Sarah Palin, November 1, 2010
Design Director: Chris Dixon

Why We Love Albert Watson, Pt. 2

SpeakEasy 10.25.10 posted by Robert Newman

Because he takes the sexiest photographs of men and women.

Do not miss the upcoming SPD Speakeasy on November 2, featuring Laurie Kratochvil in conversation with Albert Watson talking about his new book, Strip Search, and many more details of his career as an iconic magazine and fashion photographer.

(Above): Jennifer Lopez, photographed for Details, 1998. Design director: Robert Newman, photography director: Greg Pond.

I. FREAKING. LOVE. HALLOWEEN

Photography 10.25.10 posted by Brandon Kavulla

Anyone who knows me pretty well is well aware of several of my obsessions: barbecue, wine, fighting, Van Halen...yadda yadda...just to name a few. Also in that list of obsessions (addictions?) would be...

1) Halloween--not at all strange to come in to my office this time of year hearing the theme to John Carpenter's Halloween on a constant loop. Dry ice has made an appearance in my office...and home...several times. As I type this, 4 inches from my keyboard is a gold metallic candle in the shape of a skull that someone (who rules) gave me as a gift a few days ago.

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Seen on the Newsstand

Found Objects 10.25.10 posted by The Editors

We love everything about this crazy juxtaposition of magazine covers that one of our correspondents found over the weekend.
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Real or Surreal Photography & Illustration Benefit Auction, November 16th

Auction 10.22.10 posted by The Editors

Real or Surreal Photography and Illustration Benefit Auction
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
MILK Gallery
450 West 15th Street, New York City

Silent Auction: 6:00PM - 8:00PM
Live Auction: 8:30PM

Review all the work at our online gallery

Please join us for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres

Admission $35 at the door

SPD is an advocate for our members' role as journalists and partners in the editorial process, and fosters new generations of editorial expertise through educational outreach and scholarship opportunities. Proceeds benefit these initiatives and expand our influence.

Auction Chairs: Gail Anderson, Illustration, and Jennifer Pastore, Photography

Auction Board: Gail Bichler, Mary Cahill, Laurie Kratochvil, Don Morris

Auction Advisory Committee: Stacey Baker, Christina Cahill, Alina Grossman, Hilary Greenbaum, Eddie Guy, Leo Jung, Kira Pollack, Leslie Simitch, Amanda Spielman, Dora Somosi, Casey Tierney, Siung Tjia, Michael Walsh

(Photograph by Karine Laval, from "Poolscapes 2010")

Why We Love Albert Watson, Pt. 1

SpeakEasy 10.22.10 posted by Robert Newman

Because he photographed the preview issue cover of Vibe, featuring Treach of Naughty by Nature, and then did the first official issue cover after that (Snoop Dogg).

Do not miss the upcoming SPD Speakeasy on November 2, featuring Laurie Kratochvil in conversation with Albert Watson talking about his new book, Strip Search, and many more details of his career as an iconic magazine and fashion photographer.

(Above): Treach, from the Vibe preview issue cover. Design director: Gary Koepke, photo director: George Pitts.

Zeit Magazin's 40th Anniversary Issue

Covers 10.22.10 posted by Robert Newman

German Zeit Magazin celebrated its 40th anniversary issue with 40 covers featuring model Claudia Schiffer, photographed by Frederike Helwig. You can see all 40 covers here and here.

Still More Inspiration, or...???

Inspiration 10.21.10 posted by Robert Newman

We've got another example of cover design inspiration, one of the boldest to date. Portland Monthly art director Jason Blackheart sent us two covers "inspired" by his original December 2006 cover. Read his comments after the jump...

(Left) : Portland Monthly, December 2006. Art director: Jason Blackheart, photographer: Steve Bonini. (Center): Sacramento, June 2010. Art director: Debbie Hurst, photographer: Gabriel Teague. (Right): Toronto Post, The Kids edition, Fall 2010. Art director: Lance Garvey, photographer: Steve Bonini.
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Pub 46 Co-Chairs Announced!

46 10.21.10 posted by Nathalie Kirsheh

It is both an honor and fortunate privilege to introduce the dynamic duo that is our very own Vice President, Andrea Dunham (Design Director of People), and Advisory Board Member, Brandon Kavulla (Design Director of Men's Health), as the 2010-2011 co-chairs for Pub 46.

Pub 46 will recognize the very best publication design, illustration, and photography of 2010. Entries will be judged in January 2011, and winners will be recognized at the annual SPD Gala, held in New York City this coming May.

Now let's be serious: time to get your interns to work! Why wait until the last minute to send in your entries? Get a head start and download the entry forms here. We are accepting entries starting today!

More details to come in the next few weeks, including our exceptional Pub 46 jury, so stay tuned to SPD.org.

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"...

Cover of the Day, October 20, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.20.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts.

Middlebury Magazine, Fall 2010
Art Director: Pamela Fogg
Photographer: Bridget Besaw
Illustrator: Hadley Hooper
Editor: Matt Jennings

The Time Covers of Arthur Hochstein, Pt. 3: Gregory Heisler

10.20.10 posted by Robert Newman

The next SPD Speakeasy features former TIME Art Director Arthur Hochstein talking about his work at the iconic newsweekly he helmed for more than 15 years. As art director he composed over 1000 newsstand covers, and will be telling us all: the good, the great, the terrible, the never-seen-the-light-of-day. In the run-up to next Wednesday, we've asked Arthur and some of his collaborators to talk about their relationship, making a great cover happen, and some tricks of the trade to getting your editor to approve a winner. Today we're sharing work from photographer Gregory Heisler, who shot this memorable Man of the Year cover with Rudy Giuliani in 2001.
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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...
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Another Inspiration, or....???

Inspiration 10.18.10 posted by Robert Newman

Sharp-eyed SPD student member Travis J. Bonilla passes along this recent example of "inspired" cover design. On the left, the current issue of Rolling Stone's Brazil edition. On the right, the September 2008 cover of Esquire.

We're not sure about the extent of the "inspiration" on this one, but it seems like it's time for some new approaches to hand-crafted cover typography!

Check on Travis's new blog, Mags and Stuff, for some nice examples of magazine design. The Rolling Stone cover is courtesy of NASCAPAS, our favorite magazine cover website.
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Cover of the Day, October 18, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.18.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts.

Moderna Hem, October 2010 (Modern Homes)
Publisher: Moderna Tidskrifter (Sweden)
Art Director: Matilda Svensson
Photographer: Armand Dommer

A Look at the Redbook Redesign

New Work 10.15.10 posted by The Editors

In March, Holland Utley became the new Creative Director for Redbook, with a mandate to redesign the over 100 year-old women's magazine. She shares her thoughts on the process here, and a look at some of the new pages after the jump:

I approached the redesign by thinking about our next generation of readers: young moms who would appreciate a modern look. I focused on mixing arresting typography with rich, exciting imagery, and the results give this venerable 107-year-old magazine a fresh spin. The design is clean but dynamic, and information is presented in a way that is both easy to follow and feels incredibly current.

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Cool Daily Newspaper Designs

Newspapers 10.15.10 posted by Robert Newman

I recently attended the Society of News Design annual conference, held this year in Denver. SND is the newspaper equivalent of SPD, newspapers designers from around the United States and Canada, with a strong European and Latin American contingent. I gave a talk on how newspapers should adapt their design to look more like magazines, especially weekly magazines like Time, Businessweek, New York, and Entertainment Weekly. As part of my presentation, I solicited design samples from a number of art directors from around the country. I discovered some remarkable design happening in some out-of-the way places like Huntsville, Alabama, Victoria, Texas, and Norfolk, Virginia. We've already posted some samples from the Victoria Advocate and Portugal's i newspaper on the SPD site. Here are some other examples of outstanding, creative daily newspaper design.

(Left): The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio. Art director: Scott Minister. (Right): The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Virginia. Designer: Sam Hundley.

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A Tale of Two Free Magazine Apps

iPad 10.15.10 posted by Jeremy LaCroix

While Esquire, TIME, Popular Science, Wired and a slew of others continue to fight the good fight towards creating new revenue streams through charging for app versions of their magazines, there are some publications out there whom have chosen to go the other way (at least for an issue) and give it up for FREE!
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LA LOVE: Highlights from Unsung Heroes 2

SpeakEasy 10.14.10 posted by The Editors

It's hard to believe, but just a week ago we were in Los Angeles for the second SPDWest Speakeasy of the year, meeting and reconnecting with over 100 extraordinary creatives working in the LA area. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of three superstars in Charlie Hess, Carol LeFlufy and Lisa Thackaberry, our great friends at Smashbox hosted us once again on their fabulous Stage 2, and City Kitchen hooked us up with delicious treats to go with our cocktails. With a little help from the delightful Betsy Winchell (not only a fantastic photographer, ladies and gentlemen, but whip-smart on the AV, thank god), we were ready to meet the Unsung Heroes of the night. A little sample of their work and some photos after the jump...

(image above courtesy of Juxtapoz)
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Three Questions for Dan Saelinger

10.14.10 posted by Neil Jamieson

In recent years Art Director's Club 2009 "Young Gun" winner Dan Saelinger has become the go-to guy for bold, dynamic and above all smart conceptual work. This year alone his shots have appeared in publications as varied as Men's Health, Ladies Home Journal, Field & Stream, Fast Company, Prevention, Popular Mechanics, Proto, and AARP to name a few...I managed to grab a few minutes with him during his insanely busy shooting schedule to chat about the life of a conceptual photographer, the brave new world of shooting video and how to work with ever shrinking editorial budgets.
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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

Cover of the Day, October 14, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.14.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts. Today we have a BONUS Cover of the Day!

W, November 2010
Untitled, 2010, by Barbara Kruger for W magazine, courtesy of Mary Boone Gallery
Creative Director: Jody Quon
Photographer: Mark Seliger for W magazine

You can read more about this cover (and see some very NSFW photos of Kim Kardashian) here and here.

The Victoria Advocate's M3 Entertainment Section

Newspapers 10.13.10 posted by Robert Newman

The Victoria Advocate is the second oldest newspaper in Texas, published in Victoria, a small town located in the Southeast part of the state, about 30 miles from the Gulf. The paper's M3 (Music, Movies, and More) entertainment section is distributed every Friday inside the paper and for free at select outlets around the city. M3's art director, Ryan Huddle, has created a remarkable body of work, with unique covers, special movie poster cover wraps, and entire themed issues. This is newspaper design at its best: bold, imaginative, original, and poster-like, with a direct visual connection to the readers. We've got nine great examples of Ryan Huddle's work at the Victoria Advocate, plus some comments by Ryan on how the pages came together. Unless indicated, all design and photo illustration is by Ryan Huddle.

(Above): Cover wrap for Twlight. Design and photo illustration by Ryan Huddle.
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Cover of the Day, October 13, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.13.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts.

ESPN The Magazine Body Issue, October 18, 2010
Creative director: Siung Tjia
Designer: Siung Tjia
Director of photography: Catriona Ni Aolain
Photo editor: Nancy Weisman
Photographer: Art Streiber with Stockland Martel

The Time Covers of Arthur Hochstein, Pt. 2: Joe Zeff

Thinking Inside the (Red) Box 10.12.10 posted by Robert Newman

The next SPD Speakeasy features former Time art director Arthur Hochstein discussing 1000 Covers: Thinking Inside the (Red) Box, on October 27. Arthur was the art director at Time for 15 years, where he designed 1000 covers, and he'll be discussing the good ones (and the bad, and the ugly) and much more.

As a run-up to the 1000 Covers evening, we've asked a number of photographers, illustrators, and designers who collaborated with Arthur on Time covers to discuss their work and the process involved. For this second installment, we solicited comments from Joe Zeff, who worked as an art director with Arthur at Time in the mid-to-late 90s.

(Above) Time, May 5, 1997. Art director: Arthur Hochstein, illustration: Mark Fredrickson. … 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

Cover of the Day, October 11, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.11.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts.

Architectural Record, October 2010
Creative director: Francesca Messina
Art director: Helene Silverman
Photographer: Iwan Baan

Whats On Your Wallet?

IN OUR CART 10.09.10 posted by Josh Klenert

Need a geeky gift for a designer out there? OK, you may just want one for yourself (mine arrives in 5-7 days). Have a look at Dynomighty Design's Color Bar Mighty Wallet ($15.00). This wallet will go well with your Pantone coffee mugs and Creative Suite throw pillows. Check out Mighty Wallet's video after the jump...… MORE

The Beautiful & the Damned: Punk Photographs of Ann Summa

Books 10.08.10 posted by Robert Newman

Los Angeles-based photographer Ann Summa has a new book, The Beautiful & the Damned: Punk Photographs of Ann Summa. It's a document of the LA punk scene circa 1978-84, with over 150 photographs, many of them never seen before. In addition to photos of seminal LA bands like the Germs, the Screamers, and X, there are plenty of photographs of the punk scene. And there a lot of portraits of musicians who played in LA, like the Clash, Pretenders, Talking Heads, Iggy Pop, and many more.

Summa is one of our favorite photographers, and the new book shows off her early, gritty, black and white punk photographer days to brilliant effect. These are raw, artful images with impact and passion. We've got a soft spot for anything about early punk, and this book is simply a great document of that period.

There's a book release party on Friday, October 8 (that's tonight!), from 5-7pm at Bookmarc at 400 Bleecker Street. As an added bonus, Exene Cervenka will be performing at 6.30 (she also wrote the forward to Summa's book).
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The Time Covers of Arthur Hochstein, Pt. 1: Tim O'Brien

Thinking Inside the (Red) Box 10.07.10 posted by Robert Newman

The next SPD Speakeasy features former Time art director Arthur Hochstein discussing 1000 Covers: Thinking Inside the (Red) Box, on October 27, at 7pm. Arthur was the art director at Time for 15 years, where he designed 1000 covers, and he'll be discussing the good ones (and the bad, and the ugly) and much more. This is going to be a great behind-the-scenes art of magazine cover-making evening, with much fun and learning guaranteed!

As a run-up to the 1000 Covers evening, we've asked a number of photographers, illustrators, and designers who worked with Arthur on Time covers to discuss their images and the process involved. First up is illustrator Tim O'Brien, who illustrated over a dozen covers for Time while Arthur was art director.

(Above) Time, November 4, 1996. Art director: Arthur Hochstein, illustration: Tim O'Brien.
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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...
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Portugal's i Newspaper

Newspapers 10.06.10 posted by Robert Newman

A few weeks ago I gave a talk at the Society of News Design conference in Denver about the increasing confluence between newspaper and weekly magazine design. One newspaper that has a brilliant, magazine-like format and design is Portugal's i, a daily launched in May 2009. The initial design was by Javier Errea and Innovation Media Consulting; the current creative director is Nick Mrozowski, an American who previously worked as a designer for the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Virginia, and at Link, the paper's free alternative daily. i is designed with a magazine format, bold feature spreads, lots of illustration (even on the front page), and bright, innovative, engaging graphics. It's a smart, original, and creative newspaper, filled with visual inspiration. And best of all, i is not afraid to make visual statements, to excite and provoke with its design, graphics, and images. This is a publication that engages its readers every day in a strong, visual conversation.

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SPOTS (Light) Party Recap

SPOTS 10.06.10 posted by Nathalie Kirsheh

On behalf of SPD and this year's SPOTS co-chairs Criswell Lappin and Matthew Lenning, we would like to congratulate our recent Gold & Silver winners that were celebrated last week with drinks courtesy of our friends at Grolsch. The night was filled with lots of toasts, laughs, and everyone's favorite: cards exchanging and a few personal updates about happenings in the industry. A peek at some folks who attended can be viewed here. A list of the winners, after the jump.

*VERY special thanks to SPD's diligent volunteers, Lauren Heffron & Adri Ramdeane for their hard work!
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Cover of the Day, Oct. 6, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.06.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts.

Billboard, October 2, 2010
Creative director: Andrew Horton
Senior Designer: Greg Grabowy
Photographer: Blair Bunting
Photo editor: Amelia Halverson

Andrew Horton: "Despite what the blogs are saying, that's Bret Michaels' real body, not Photoshop. I saw the 'raw' files!"

John Lennon's 70th Birthday

Respect 10.05.10 posted by The Editors

October 9th marks what would have been the 70th birthday of John Lennon. To celebrate this anniversary, his solo CDs are being reissued, along with a series of compilations and box sets. There's also a new documentary, LENNONYC, on the last 10 years of his life, and a number of other events scheduled for the next couple months. (There will be a free screening of LENNONYC in Central Park at 7p on October 9.) Rolling Stone has a nice slideshow called John & Yoko: A New York Love Story, that features a series of photographs by Allan Tannenbaum, taken in 1980. And of course we're big fans of Lennon and Ono's LP and 45 single cover designs, which can be found here.

Here are some of our favorite and most memorable John Lennon (and Yoko Ono) magazine covers. If you've got some that we missed, please let us know and we'll add them in.
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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...

Six Entertainment Weekly James Bond Covers

Covers 10.04.10 posted by Robert Newman

Here's a bonus set of covers for our year-long celebration of the 20th anniversary of Entertainment Weekly. For the August 18, 2006 issue of the magazine, there were six consecutive cover pages. It was part of a big ad buy that extended through a number of magazines during that time (Esquire and Fortune also produced six-cover issues). The team at Entertainment Weekly decided to produce six James Bond movie covers, tied to the actual cover which featured Daniel Craig as the newest Bond. Design director Geraldine Hessler created five vintage covers of EW, each featuring a different James Bond, and each designed to look like it was published in the era of its respective cover subject.

(Inset cover): George Lazenby as James Bond, from the December 18, 1969 issue of Entertainment Weekly.
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Cover of the Day, Oct. 4, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.04.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts.

Audubon, September/October 2010.
Design director: Kevin Fisher
Photograph by Dave Martin/AP.
Thanks to the NASCAPAS cover website for the scan.

The 11th Reason to Visit L.A.

SpeakEasy 10.01.10 posted by The Editors

GQ had a feature in the September issue, 10 Reasons Why L.A. Is the Coolest City on the Planet, that started out, "The next trip you book should be to Los Angeles..." Like any good readers, we completely obeyed this command. (It's like they knew we were having our next Speakeasy event there!) So if you're in L.A. already, be sure to get your tickets for cocktails, delicious treats from City Kitchen and cool creatives introducing the work of their favorite, unsung hero photographers. And if you're not in L.A. yet -- maybe it's time to make a quick search on Hotwire to see if you can join us.... Tickets and info after the jump. … MORE

Cover of the Day, October 1, 2010

Cover of the Day 10.01.10 posted by The Editors

Welcome to the newest recurring feature on the SPD blog: The SPD Cover of the Day. We'll be posting our favorite covers every Monday and Wednesday. Stay tuned for the best and coolest magazine and newspaper covers, as selected by our stellar group of experts.

Above:
Bloomberg Businessweek, October 4, 2010. Creative director: Richard Turley, art director: Robert Vargas. Typeface by Berton Hasebe at Commercial Type. Photo director: David Carthas, picture editor: Diana Suryakusuma.

October 2010 Archives

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