by Debbie Millman

Redesigning a magazine is a daunting enough task, but redesigning a DESIGN magazine could be described as nothing short of formidable. How do you redesign a magazine that will be evaluated, assessed, analyzed and investigated by a readership that could very well do the job?

The redesign of How and Print Magazine seminar will pull the curtain away from this intimidating and thrilling undertaking, and will show you the soft and luscious underbelly of the entire process. I will be moderating a session with all the key players of the redesign of both magazines: the two superstar designers: DJ Stout and Abbott Miller from Pentagram, the award-winning editors of both publications: Joyce Kaye and Bryn Mooth, and the art directors: Trisha Bateman and Stephanie Skirvin. You will get a firsthand, never seen before overview of the following:

--a historical review of the design of both publications, from their original launch through the final issues before the redesign
--a peek inside the motivation for the reasons for redesigning each publication
--how each editor chose the design firm and the individual designers to do the reinvigoration
--prototype covers and original sketches
--an inside scoop on the market research that was conducted
--final design templates
--before and after comparisons of every major section of both magazines
--point-of-views and feedback from the staff publication designers that are taking over the reigns internally
--reader feedback
--and then, when you couldn't imagine there could be anymore, we will be eliciting audience feedback!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe first hand how a major magazine redefines its visual image, the strategy behind the decisions that were made and the subsequent results.