February 2013 Archives

A Cool (and Melting) GreenSource Cover

For the cover of the January/February 2013 issue of GreenSource, creative director Francesca Messina and art director Heather Haggarty utilized the talents of Ice Sculpture Designs to carve a cityscape out of a 200 pound block of ice, using a chainsaw. Photographer Samuel Bristow captured the appropriately melting sculpture for the climate change cover image. As an added bonus, there's a behind-the-scenes video of the cover shoot (and melting ice) by videographer Daniel Schwacter.

On the turn page, see two equally memorable inside features from the current issue of GreenSource, featuring the visual talents of Yuko Shimizu and James Worrell.

(Above): GreenSource, January/February 2013. Photograph: Samuel Bristow
… MORE

Student Design Competition Entries Due Monday!

Our annual Student Design Competition deadline is coming fast: this Monday, March 4. Just finding out about it or still haven't started? Never fear! There's still time! In fact, several past winners were produced at the last-minute (not that we're recommending it of course). So clear out this weekend's calendar and get to work! Be sure to leave time for delivering your entry to our office ... it has to be in our hands by 5pm Monday.

Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

Monocle, March 2013

My SPD: Andrea Dunham, Design Director, People Magazine

YSB Magazine: Classic 1990s Covers

The early 1990s was a vibrant time for magazine publishing. It seemed like great new magazines were being launched every day: Entertainment Weekly, Martha Stewart Living, InStyle, the Conde Nast version of Details, Vibe, and many more. One of my favorites from that period was YSB ("Young Sisters and Brothers"), first published by BET in September 1991. An editor's note referred to YSB as "the first national lifestyle magazine geared to the interests and concerns of African American teenagers and young adults." The magazine featured brilliant cover photography of hip hop artists and actors, and a bold graphic look by its creative directors, first Fo Wilson, and later Lance Pettiford. Other art directors at YSB included Elizabeth Rodriguez, Gregory Atkins, Steve Jones, Mia Dahlmer, and Anissa Smith, and the photo editor was Steven Chin. Like many magazines from that era, YSB is woefully under-archived (someone badly needs to do some serious collecting and scanning of Details, Wig Wag, The Source, New York Woman, Arena, Premiere...). Thanks to Lance Pettiford, who is currently doing elegant work as design director at JCK magazine, we've got a dozen very cool and memorable covers of YSB right here at SPD!

(Above): YSB, January 1993. Creative directors: Fo Wilson and Elizabeth Rodriguez, photographer: Jason Keeling.
… MORE

My SPD: Fred Woodward, Design Director, GQ

MY SPD - the Gallery

Cover of the Day: Friday Edition

The Nation, December 10, 2012
Designed by: Doug Chayka

Cover of the Day: Thursday Edition

Suffolk Alumni Magazine, Winter 2013
Creative Director: Robert F. Parsons
Studio: Robert Parsons Design
Illustration: Philip Burke

Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

The Alpine Review, Fall 2012
Creative Director: Elise Eskanazai
Photographer: Nick DeWolf

Cover of the Day: Monday Edition

Esquire, March  2013
Design Director: David Curcurito
Photo Director: Michael Norseng
Art Director: Stravinski Pierre
  … MORE

Cover of the Day: Friday Edition

Something New on Madison Avenue

… MORE

Cover of the Day: Thursday Edition

… MORE

Happy Valentine's Day from The New Yorker

… MORE

A New Brand of Magazine

… MORE

Cover of the Day: Wednesday Edition

The Crisis: A Record of the Darker Races

The past month I've been researching vintage African American magazines for a series of posts on my Facebook and Tumblr pages as part of Black History Month. One recent collection was a set of covers from The Crisis, the official publication of the NAACP, founded in 1910 by W.E.B. DuBois. The Crisis was a remarkable magazine that featured significant writing from many of the important Harlem Renaissance writers, including Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Jean Toomer. It also included powerful graphic covers by artists Aaron Douglas, Frank Walts, and others.

100 years after it started, The Crisis (subtitled "A Record of the Darker Races") is still around and still producing stunning visual covers. Under the direction of art director Wayne Fitzpatrick, the now-quarterly magazine has featured cover illustrations by Edel Rodriguez, Mirko Illic, and more, while continuing the tradition of presenting provocative, pointed, and inspiring political messages.

You can see 100 years of complete scans of The Crisis at Google Books. We've collected some of art director Fitzpatrick's favorites from recent years on the next page.

(Above): The Crisis, Winter 2012. Illustration: Edel Rodriguez

Cover of the Day: Monday Edition

Creative Director:  Dirk Barnett

Dashwood Books: A Curated Bookstore

Story and interview by Greg Pond (A version of this originally appeared in Room 100 magazine)

Dashwood Books is the city's only "curated" visual bookstore. Within this teensy, crammed shop, located on Bond Street, owner David Strettell is unassumingly promoting the work of some of the most radical photographers and visual artists of our time. Carine Roitfeld, the avant-garde former editrix of French Vogue, is a regular, combing the shelves for her next projects, as are many of the city's A-list gallerists and fashion designers, all seeking to snatch up the next big names in art photography.

Strettell knows his imagery, not to mention his fashion (his wife is Anne Christensen, Glamour magazine's executive fashion director). He spent a dozen years working for Magnum Photos, where as cultural director he produced books and exhibits and worked with photographers from around the world. Strettell is building something here: an oeuvre, a post-modern Warhol Factory for visual artists, with the feeling of a hands-on art gallery. Flipping through the thousands of books...oh, the sights you will see. We caught up with Strettell recently and chatted with him about books, photography, and more.

(Photograph of David Strettel by Jesper Haynes)

… MORE

Behind the Scenes: ESPN The Magazine Recreates Iconic Music Covers

… MORE

Cover of the Day: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2013

Creative Director:  Christopher Hercik
Photographer:  Derek Kettela

Maybe, Just Maybe, the
Best Magazine Logo Ever.

2004-2013

May it rest in peace.

Bespoke Magazine No. 17: Uppercase

… MORE

Cover of the Day: Thursday Edition

… MORE

Texas Monthly: TJ Tucker's tour of the redesign. Part 2

Last fall everyone's favorite regional mag Texas Monthly underwent a total redesign under the creative direction of TJ Tucker and his team. Seven issues in TJ Tucker gives us some highlights. In part one we got a look at some of the FOB and typographic details. In this second part we get some insight into their feature well and learn what's next for Tucker and his team… MORE