So I saw the new, re-designed cover of The Atlantic magazine in a grocery store the other day, and it was attractive enough to me that I picked it up. What can I say; I am a sucker for heavy, black, gothic typefaces (and of course, the color red).
Turns out, the redesign was by Pentagram New York, under Michael Bierut’s leadership. It figures: Bierut’s style is very mid-century modern, with a whimsical typographic bent (and yes, I am a fan). Here’s what Pentagram says about the redesign. The Atlantic’s web site also has gone through a revamp.
We at Design Kompany are somewhat obsessive about periodicals design. So what do I think?
Anatomy of re-design
Initially, severe and modern typography did appeal to me, but I wondered if it was too at-odds with the photography-driven news world. But, in the end, I believe it’s the right call; the folks at the Atlantic and Pentagram (and ad agency Euro RSCG, that came up with the slogan “THINK. AGAIN.” which I like quite a bit), I’m sure, did a lot of thinking about what made the Atlantic stand out. How they are different from, say, The Economist or Newsweek.
While the redesign of each part seems pretty pedestrian—Titling Gothic, used for headlines and on the cover, after all, is widely used in other news publications and magazines, and the typography on the cover isn’t exactly inspired (would’ve been cooler to use algorithm-driven layout, a la wordle, here)—the strength of the redesign is in its consistency and subtle cues that align the contents with presentation.
For example, the horizontal rules that are used effectively throughout the printed magazine to offset section titles are also used extensively in the web site design. These rigid lines, combined with the headings in extra-bold type, connotes seriousness, reliability, forward-leaning, vigor in thinking and investigation—matching the editorial contents, and the overall brand adjectives (as I’d imagine) of the Atlantic. The color choices in its background created by the new nameplate/flag also help bringing the overall color of the magazine together, further buttressing the impression it’s a serious publication.
Bierut sums it up, in his own write-up of the redesign process for the magazine:
…every magazine that you and I like has a personality. We are drawn to it, issue after issue, by a combination of the comfort of familiarity and the promise of surprise. The process of redesign, then, is simply one of discovering the right visual analogue for a distinctive editorial voice, one that allows for both constancy and change.
In other words, the design was driven by the editorial contents. And, to look at design at that core level means to re-focus your brand as a whole, and to sharpen its core ethos. I couldn’t agree more with this approach Pentagram took in taking this project on.
In the same essay, Bierut says his team “will be able to guide the design’s development” and more improvement is afoot for the coming issues. We will be watching it for sure!
I’m glad i came across this article, a very positive read indeed