Entering The New Infoworld

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, July 1, 2003

Byline: Critique by Robert Newman, creative director, Real Simple

MAG STATS

InfoWorld

Company: InfoWorld Media Group, a division of IDG CEO and editor: Kevin McKean Publisher: Jeff Wellington Executive managing editor: Kathy Badertscher Creative director: Tim Downs Mission: To deliver more content to readers and shed the magazine's tabloid format

InfoWorld has recast itself from an oversize weekly trade publication on cheap stock to a slick weekly. This is one of the most successful recent redesigns I've seen, a textbook case on how to change and refine a magazine without upsetting its essential DNA.

The existing logo was strong and contemporary, and the designers wisely decided merely to make it smaller. A lot of clutter on the cover was eliminated, including the clumsy "Above the Noise" slug. The focus is now on one strong story, with nicely played and positioned secondary lines. The cover image is smart, clean, and bold, and there's a sophisticated hierarchy to the cover info. The cover is much more exciting, authoritative, and focused overall; the magazine itself feels the same way.

TYPOGRAPHY & GRAPHICS

The designers have taken a much more elegant and refined approach to typography, and have paid a lot of attention to detail. They have used a very simple color palette - red, blue/gray, gray, and touches of blue - and added rules, with a variety of weights, that serve to organize material and give it a sense of energy. Strips of white space at the tops of pages are another great touch.

Much effort has gone into developing a distinctive graphics and charts style. The new charts are very readable and attractive. While the old TOC lacked authority and information, the new TOC is much more elegant and is packed with info. However, the running-into-the-gutter logo, a design device to indicate that there is a second page, looks like a mistake when it bleeds into the facing ad. The "Editor's Letter" is a good example of how the columns and pages have been nicely tweaked. The editor's photo was added, and the display typography has been toned down and made more sophisticated.

ACCESSIBILITY

The content has been nicely reordered and reorganized. Columns have been positioned at the end of each section. A new front section, "Tech Watch," has replaced the clumsier "Platforms." Opening the section on a spread, instead of a page-and-a-half, gives it more graphic impact and a sense of importance. The product tests, which used to be strewn throughout the mag, have been collected into a new "Test Center" section. This section ends with "Leaderboard," a very useful and smart capsule collection of recent reviews that also directs the reader to online sites or back issues. It's a great idea. The features have been given a much more "magazine-y" appearance. However, the execution is not quite as refined as the rest of the package, and might benefit from tighter formatting and restrictive font usage. When the serif face is used for display, it looks too soft and "feature-y" for this magazine's content.

SUMMARY

The old InfoWorld had too many sections, and they weren't well defined from one to another. Collapsing and consolidating the sections was a good idea. The new architecture is much more accessible and focused. It was a smart idea to retain the typography and basic graphic feel. It still feels like the same publication - just updated, better organized, more thoughtful, and with greater impact. The editors deserve credit for reconfiguring the pacing and formats, and for realizing that their presentation needed to be reimagined. And the designers have done a brilliant job in advancing and brightening the visual package.

FACE-LIFTS COMING

Fast Company

New editor-in-chief John Byrne puts his stamp on the G J USA title, moving it from inspirational to edgy. The design was tweaked last year; will this new look stick? September.

Vibe

Like the urban music it covers, the magazine will undergo a design evolution, by adding more visuals, shortening the features, and including more behind-the-scenes pieces. Will readers feel the vibe? October.