Letter to Jane: The Future of Magazine Apps
I’ve been pessimistic lately about the state of iPad magazine apps. There are certainly some ably-designed apps based on existing magazines, but increasingly they feel like static replicas that are being churned out from an assembly line. A lot of this is due to various publishing strategies, rules, and budgets (or the lack of budgets). […]
Happy 70th Birthday Angela Davis!
Longtime political activist, writer, speaker, teacher, and cultural icon Angela Davis celebrated her 70th birthday on January 26. Angela’s bold, outspoken politics combined with her striking image (and that classic afro!) inspired many memorable posters, graphics, and magazine covers. Here are 10 of our favorites. For more information on the visual image of Angela Davis, […]
5 Great Illustrated Martin Luther King Magazine Covers
This year we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King on January 20 (his real birthday was January 15). During his lifetime and after, King appeared on numerous magazine and publication covers. Here are five of our favorites, featuring illustrations by Paul Davis, Ben Shahn, Barry Blitt, Mark Ulriksen, and Robert Vickrey. Be sure to […]
Society of Illustrators Award
I’m honored to announce that the Society of Illustrators has awarded me this year’s Richard Gangel Art Director Award. The award is given to art directors “who have supported and advanced the art of illustration.” The award is voted by past chairs of the Society of Illustrators’ Illustration Annual, which is definitely a distinguished group […]
20 Classic Motown LP Covers
The Schomburg Center in New York City is presenting the exhibit Motown: The Truth Is a Hit, opening February 1 and running through July 26. The Center says that the show “seeks to explore [Barry] Gordy’s notion of the truth by tracing black music from its African roots through slavery, Jim Crow, the Great Migration, […]
Society of Publication Designers Annual Competition
The Society of Publication Designers SPD49, the “annual competition recognizing the best in design, photography and illustration in both print and digital platforms” will be held the weekend of January 31-February 2 in New York City. Robert Newman will be the chairperson of the Magazine of the Year category at the competition. The Magazine of […]
Judging the Alberta Magazine Awards
I’m judging in the Alberta Magazine Awards this month. The awards are sponsored by the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association. Most of the magazines are based in Calgary and Edmonton, and there’s a very healthy (and lively) publishing scene there. My category is Art Direction Single Issue. The awards will be presented at the Alberta Magazines […]
My Top 12 Favo(u)rite Magazine Covers of 2013
Because of my accident last year I was out of commission for most of 2013. So I missed experiencing the year’s magazines covers as they were published. I was lucky to have the resources of Coverjunkie and NASCAPAS to review the year, but of course your responses are always different (at least mine are) when […]
R.I.P. Gary Grimshaw, Psychedelic Poster Artist and Political Activist
Gary Grimshaw, noted psychedelic poster artist and political activist, passed away January 13 in Detroit at the age of 67. Grimshaw created many of the late 60s posters for the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, and was also closely identified with the band MC5, art directing their first LP cover and designing many of their posters […]
Why We Fight: AIDS and ACT UP Posters of the 1980s and 90s
Why We Fight: Remembering AIDS Activism is a powerful exhibit currently on display at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library. The Library has a huge collection of AIDS activism graphics, and this show draws on that archive as well as including a series of movie and video screenings and panel […]
