A sneak peek of LD+A’s redesign, as told by editor/publisher Paul Tarricone in his upcoming Editor’s Note. Keep an eye out for the full issue on or around April 1.
This is the fifth time during my tenure as editor that I’ve had the pleasure to announce a redesign—or more accurately—a refresh of LD+A. The refresh starts on the cover with a new logo and Oxford border framing the page. Senior Art Director Samuel Fontanez notes that the changes to the cover and the pages within are a natural extension of other changes taking place at the IES, from our new programs to the remodel of our office space:
“LD+A should reflect this positive change, this next chapter. My aim with the new nameplate was a modern, confident look that conveys the message that we are
taking our history, our knowledge and charging into the future.”
While the graphic look has evolved, one sacred cow remains—making the reading experience pleasurable. Improving the visual task is part and parcel of what our members do, so the pages of LD+A are no place for clutter and microscopic typefaces.
A legible font is crucial along with ample white space and other graphic guideposts you will discover in a matter of moments. Consuming content is a different experience on the printed page than on a computer screen or mobile device. The presentation should reflect that and leverage the unique benefits of the print medium.
A new department also debuts in this issue—“Project in Pictures” (p. 68). Like most clichés, there’s a lot of truth in the old saw that a picture is worth a thousand words. In this new section, we let the images—supplemented by small copy chunks—do the talking.
Another change: LD+A’s stable of columnists—some of the industry’s key thought leaders—deserve to be celebrated. We’ll do so on the “Contributors” page at the front of the magazine. We also welcome a new columnist in 2019—Jane Slade, who debuted in the March issue.
While this issue is a celebration of what print can enable, we understand that in today’s media landscape, digital content needs to work hand in hand with print. The LD+A section within the redesigned IES website includes project videos and photo galleries of some of the case studies presented in print. LD+A’s online news section will also be beefed up. And we’ll use IES’s social media platforms to steer you to that web-based content.
Finally, IES historians and magazine enthusiasts can turn to page 92 (“Last Look”) for a graphical representation of LD+A’s makeovers since its launch in July 1971.
That’s enough about us. We’ll leave it to you to make your way through the new LD+A.