August 2015 Archives

SPDWest: Paul Jasmin

SPDWest: Paul Jasmin

Unsung Heroes of the American West 11

On May 21st, SPDWest presented a fun-filled night of curated videos from an amazing line up of top talents. Check out Paul Jasmin after the jump. 


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SPDWest: John Francis Peters

SPDWest: John Francis Peters

Unsung Heroes of the American West 11

On May 21st, SPDWest presented a fun-filled night of curated videos from an amazing line up of top talents. Check out John Francis Peters after the jump.  


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SPDWest: Spencer Lowell

SPDWest: Spencer Lowell

Unsung Heroes of the American West 11

On May 21st, SPDWest presented a fun-filled night of curated videos from an amazing line up of top talents. Check out Spencer Lowell after the jump. 
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49: A Magic Number - An Introduction to the Pub49 Annual

49: A Magic Number - An Introduction to the Pub49 Annual

[Editor's note: This is the text of the introductory essay for the Society of Publication Designers SPD49 book, which was just released.The essay was conceived by David Moretti (now Deputy Creative Director of Wired), who designed the book, and written by Robert Newman of @newmanology.]

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49 is a magic number, a figure resonant with great meaning.

Throughout history, the number 49 has been linked to traditions and historical events that represent enlightenment, achievement, fame and success, technology, creativity, community, and the road to nirvana. The book you now hold in your hands is a collection of work from the 49th annual SPD Publication Design competition.

[The first sentence in this introduction has 49 characters. The second paragraph has 49 words. Unfortunately, I couldn't limit this introduction to 49 sentences. You'd probably be a lot more likely to read the whole thing if I had.]

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Many years ago in Bodh Gaya, India, Siddartha Gautama sat under a pipal tree and meditated, vowing to stay seated there until he found truth. According to legend, after 49 days Gautama attained enlightenment, and from that time was known to his followers as the Buddha, or "Awakened One."  Since that time the number 49 has had a prominent place in Buddhist rituals, and is also considered a significant number in Chinese and Taoist cultures. In China 49 is particularly prized because it's the sum of 7 squared, and as in many societies (including the U.S.), 7 is considered a very lucky number.

This Publication Design 49 book honors the best editorial design created in 2013. Book annuals were published erratically in SPD's early years. It took 10 years before the first competition book was created, in 1975. In the years immediately following, SPD design annuals were sporadic; sometimes several years were combined into a single book, and in other years no book was published at all. Since Publication Design 20 in 1985, SPD has published a design competition annual every year, and the book remains the definitive documentation of the art of magazine making.
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Inside the Entertainment Weekly Redesign

Inside the Entertainment Weekly Redesign

With Entertainment Weekly approaching its 25th anniversary, a lot has changed for the magazine over the years. Editors, Design Directors, fonts, and subject matter--try explaining "streaming" to someone 25 years ago. Most recently, it underwent a fantastic redesign. We spoke with EW Design Director Tim Leong about the origins, process, and why Green Arrow is a name in their color palette.

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SPDWest: Unsung Heroes

SPDWest: Unsung Heroes "Yes to the West" Recap

SPDWest celebrated their 11th Unsung Heroes of the American West event on Thursday, May 21st at the gorgeous Aesthesia Studios in Los Angeles.

The evening would not have been possible without the following stars picking up the baton and continuing the legacy of such a respected and inspiring speaker series on the left coast:
Amy Feitelberg, Cat Jimenez, Audrey Landreth, Maren Levinson, and Chris McPherson.

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Cover of the Day: New York Magazine

Cover of the Day: New York Magazine

coverofthedayicon-thumb-55x78-19105-thumb-53x75-19107-thumb-50x70-19108-1.jpgWelcome to SPD's Cover of the Day, a portfolio of brilliant magazine and newspaper covers from around the world.

New York Magazine  Aug. 10-23 2015 issue
Design Director: Tom Alberty
Photography Director: Jody Quon
Photographer: Norman Jean Roy

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Want to submit your cover to be considered for our Cover of the Day? Send us a jpeg of your cover with credit info to SPDsubmissions@gmail.com


Letter from the New President

We're in the doldrums of Summer, but that doesn't mean we're not busy here at SPD HQ. The new slate of enthusiastic board members have been elected and are already hard at work at finding more ways to make SPD a stronger organization.

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