Working Stiff

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, August 1, 2002 by Alexander Isley

Byline: Critique by designer Alexander Isley

Hispanic Business Hispanic Business Inc. CEO AND PUBLISHER Jesus Chavarria MANAGING EDITOR Leslie Dinaberg DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES Kenneth Whitney OUTSIDE DESIGN CONSULTANT Garcia Media MISSION Appear more interactive.

COVER

The overall approach of the cover, and the impact it provides, has not changed a whole lot. The new logo is larger and therefore does a much better job of staking out a confident presence on the cover. Any gains achieved by that improvement are eradicated by the use of awkwardly placed (and hard to read) cover lines and the continuing use of undistinguished photography. In the "before" issue, the cover image is just plain out of focus. In the redesigned issue, the photo looks like an enlargement of a washed-out second-generation dupe. What a shame, as so much effort has no doubt gone into the rethinking of this respected publication. They have to showcase their new look with something better than this.

TYPOGRAPHY/GRAPHICS

A big improvement. The body text, while appearing smaller, is actually easier to read. It's typographically much more confident. My only quibble here is the way they've chosen to treat the name Hispanic Business where it appears within the text. There is nothing wrong with highlighting your publication's name, but the way it is boldfaced becomes pretty irksome. I counted 12 instances of this on one page, and over the course of an issue, this tic starts to grate.

The TOC is now on two pages, and is easier to read and access. But what's with the house ad taking up the bottom 20 percent of the first TOC page? In addition to being kind of cheesy, it serves as a barricade to the reader. It's not readily clear that the TOC continues on the next spread, and if you're not careful, you might miss the departments.

ACCESSIBILITY

Navigation seems more open and effortless. The section slugs are easier to read, and the design of the departments helps separate and organize the editorial material. They've made it clear that they want you to refer to their Web site(s), and there are lots of placements of URLs and links for more information. The better use of the four-column grid gives an air of urgency and vitality to the editorial content, while not impeding legibility or accessibility in any way. Graphics and photos are integrated better and more confidently.

COMMENTS

Overall an improvement in many functional areas, but this is an interesting, engaging magazine. Why is it so stiff?