« Food for thought | Main | Martha’s spring cleaning »

March 24, 2007

Take a look at Time Magazine’s new design

With its March 26 issue, Time has launched a new design. Like The Wall Street Journal’s makeover in January, the change is not just about a look—although the look is the first thing you notice—it’s also about rethinking the role of a print publication in this era of fast-acting and accessible electronic information.

I encourage you to pick up a copy of Time (since it’s a print publication, you need to experience it tactilely to really get a sense of it.) But for a quick look, you can visit the design firm's web site.

Here’s what’s different about the new Time, and implications for those of us who communicate inside organizations:

More focused editorial. Time was founded in the 1920s as a way to sum up all the important news of the week. But that mission has been made irrelevant in the electronic area, where there are news web sites aplenty and you can search for any topic.

As a result, according to Richard Stengel, Time’s managing editor, the magazine will now “tell a larger story about the world we live in.” To do so, Time is focusing “not just (on) reporting the news, but (by) putting it in context and perspective,” says Mr. Stengel. “We offer clarity in a confusing world, explaining not only what happened but why it matters.”

Implication: Print can’t compete with the web’s ability to be both timely and comprehensive. But it is still a very effective medium for providing “context and perspective.”

Less copy. Time still has a couple of in-depth articles per issue. And it’s still a publication created for readers (not skimmers, as is the case with many consumer magazines). But the vast majority of content has fewer words, and deliberate choices made about when to go long (seldom), when to condense (often).

Implication: Reduce your word count. Please.

Larger, more dramatic photos.The old format had lots of little postage-stamp photos. Time’s new approach is to use fewer photos, but to make them more powerful by giving them space. Also: almost all the photos are of people.

Implication: Photos are an important tool, especially in print.

More white space. Bolder headlines. A very distinctive black-white-and-red color scheme. The use of positive (dark) image and negative space (white) is very interesting. It creates lots of opportunities to focus your eye, and create movement and dramatic tension.

Implication: Visuals matter more than ever.

Hope you find the new design of Time inspiring and consider adapting some of the techniques for your own print communication.

Posted by Alison Davis at March 24, 2007 12:05 PM