AAN News
Newman: Ivylise Simones' Voice Covers Were 'Brash, Graphic, Funny, Provocative, and Immediate'new
The former Village Voice art director (she left in January of this year) is the latest alt-weekly designer spotlighted by Robert Newman on the Society of Publication Designers blog. "She used bold photography and strong original illustration to give the covers a unique sense of power and imagination," he writes, adding that the look she cultivated was informed by "low budgets, [a] quick production schedule, and [her] own street smart design." Simones tells Newman her influences include NYC street art and Village Voice Media design director Michael Shavalier. "His work in the past 10 years for numerous alt-weeklies across the country blew my mind! I feel our craft in editorial design is one of a kind, and he set the bar," she says. "I used to spend hours just looking at his past covers for ideas."
Society of Publication Designers |
04-20-2010 11:44 am |
Industry News
Independent Weekly Helps Local Animal Protection Group Raise Money
The Weekly recently donated to its graphic design skills to the Animal Protection Society of Durham (APS) in an effort that ended up raising money for the organization. The APS let folks bid on the chance to have their pets featured in public service ads designed by Weekly production manager Nathan Golub, and the bids brought $2,200 to the group. The completed ads will be sent to all of the local print media outlets, as well as news websites.
AAN News |
04-19-2010 12:16 pm |
Industry News
Portland Mercury Readers' Ideas Fuel Bizarre Covernew
Plenty of alt-weeklies have creative covers; some say it's a staple of the genre. But the most recent Portland Mercury cover might be one of the flat-out weirdest we've ever seen: it features an illustration by Andrew Zubko of Betty White, holding a flaming chainsaw, riding John Ritter. This end result sprang from a web poll the paper ran last month to see what readers wanted. (What, no Mercury readers wanted to see Urkel brandishing a kitten atop a dinosaur version of Tim "Tool Time" Taylor?) Gawker calls the cover a "slightly insane, slightly amazing pop-culture mindfuck."
Portland Mercury |
04-19-2010 9:33 am |
Industry News
Designers Turn Copies of L.A. Weekly into Dresses at L.A. Fashion Weeknew
A show called "Paper Dresses" that hit runways during the recent L.A. Fashion Week featured clothes made out of the L.A. Weekly. "It might have had a Project Runway challenge feel, but there was no denying the crafting skills, creative construction and whimsy of each and every piece on display," the Weekly's Lina Lecaro writes. "The presentation also served as a reminder of one thing print journalism will always have over web: cool, colorful cover pages."
L.A. Weekly |
03-31-2010 9:10 am |
Industry News
AAN's Editor Stepping Down
Editor Jon Whiten is leaving the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies; he will be replaced by current Editorial Awards and Advertising Director Jason Zaragoza. Whiten, who joined AAN in January 2006, is stepping down to focus on the local news website and arts & culture magazine he owns and operates in Jersey City, N.J. His last day on staff is March 31, but he will continue as a part-time contractor, overseeing AAN.org, for a month or two, as Zaragoza transitions from his current position into the editor role.
(FULL STORY)
AAN |
03-26-2010 11:25 am |
Association News
Pittsburgh City Paper Cover Artists Get Museum Exhibitnew
"Cartoons Covered: The Art of the City Paper," which opened last Friday at the Toonseum, features 25 cover illustrations from the past decade, from 16 cartoonists and illustrators, curated by City Paper art director Lisa Cunningham and the Toonseum's Joe Wos. "This is a chance for people to get a second look at the rich and varied talent we've shamelessly exploited for years," City Paper editor Chris Potter says.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
03-26-2010 10:30 am |
Industry News
Lingerie Footballers Get Probation for Wearing Too Much in New Timesnew
Miami Caliente players Anonka Dixon and Tina Caccavale have been placed on probation by the Lingerie Football League for wearing too many clothes during a photo shoot for Miami New Times and New Times Broward-Palm Beach. A league spokesperson tells NBC Miami that the problem stems from the players wearing non-sponsored league gear. "One of the covers has an NFL logo and they had on Rawlings shoulder pads and Nike wristbands," Stephon McMillen says. "They were displaying non-league partners. It's a legal issue for us." Turns out the league didn't like the New Times story that much either; the writer, Michael J. Mooney, has been banned from being credentialed to cover any Lingerie Football League or Miami Caliente events.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
03-25-2010 11:48 am |
Industry News
Alt-Cartoonist Mikhaela Reid Ending Her Stripnew
Reid, whose "Boiling Point" has appeared in a number of AAN papers, says she is "retiring from regular weekly political cartooning." Why? She singles out the tough market for political cartoons, the relentless deadlines and her impending motherhood as a few of the reasons. "With the peanuts I was earning for political cartooning, I was theoretically doing it for fun -- but I wasn't really having fun anymore," she writes. In addition to being a full-time working mother, Reid says she will be blogging about sewing and style on her Polka Dot Overload site.
Mikhaela.net |
03-24-2010 5:44 pm |
Industry News
San Antonio Current's Covers Have 'Intelligence and Graphic Power'new
Chuck Kerr is the latest alt-weekly art director to have his work spotlighted by Robert Newman on the Society of Publication Designers' blog. Kerr, who won an AltWeekly Award for Cover Design in 2007, says he has a "pretty simple" cover design philosophy -- "sell the story in under five seconds." He adds: "The more complex the story, the more I try to create imagery that elicits an emotional response or plays off a well-known pop culture icon -- anything to plant my idea in the reader's head as quickly and permanently as possible."
Society of Publication Designers |
03-09-2010 8:28 am |
Industry News
VVMH Plans to Roll Out Glossy Covers for All its Publications
SF Weekly's debut of a new four-color glossy cover this week makes it the sixth Village Voice Media Holdings (VVMH) print publication to adopt the sleek, magazine-style format, and the company plans on rolling out glossy covers at all of its publications within the next eighteen to 24 months, according to a release. "The glossy is the next step in our evolution," president and chief operating officer Scott Tobias says in a statement.
(FULL STORY)
Village Voice Media Holdings Press Release |
03-05-2010 2:30 pm |
Press Releases
SF Weekly Goes Glossy
Starting with this week's issue, SF Weekly is becoming the latest alt-weekly to go with a high-quality glossy cover. "We feel that this attractive new format will increase the visibility of our cover stories and award-winning journalism," publisher Josh Fromson and editor Tom Walsh say in a release. "The upgrade also shows that SF Weekly continues to invest in its print product."
(FULL STORY)
SF Weekly Press Release |
03-04-2010 9:15 am |
Press Releases
Bartash Wins Six Printing Awards in National Competition
Bartash Printing Press Release |
02-22-2010 9:57 am |
Press Releases
Santa Fe Reporter is One of the Country's 'Best Venues for Illustration'new
That's Robert Newman's take, as he profiles yet another alt-weekly for the Society of Publication Designers' "Grids" blog. "The Reporter has an editorial budget for an entire issue that is less than what most national magazines pay for a spot illustration," Newman writes, praising cover designer Angela Moore's ability to create "engaging, timely covers, designed to drive circulation and appeal to the Reporter's readership." She says that despite her small budget, artists like to work for the Reporter because she trusts their instincts. "I'm always being told by illustrators how rare it is to work with someone who doesn't over direct, and I think that's why so many work for us even with our small budget," Moore says.
Society of Publication Designers |
02-16-2010 10:48 am |
Industry News
Texas Observer Undergoes Redesignnew
The Observer recently unveiled a redesign that was overseen by Austin-based Em Dash. "The challenge was to create a template that could be produced by one part-time art director with a $450 art budget per issue," Robert Newman writes. "The result: a sharp, smart, right on, low-budget, high-impact design, perfect for the magazine's mix of muckraking reporting and liberal politics." The Observer has also launched a redesigned website.
Society of Publication Designers |
02-11-2010 10:03 am |
Industry News
Longtime VVM Illustrator Takes Top Prize
Brian Stauffer has received the Society of Illustrators' highest honor for a cover he conceived for Phoenix New Times. The winning illustration will be printed in a hard-bound book later this year. "I can't really describe how surreal this experience is for me, given that I started out in this business 18 years ago assigning illustrations to the industry legends I now consider close friends," Stauffer writes on his blog.
(FULL STORY)
Village Voice Media Holdings Press Release |
02-11-2010 8:49 am |
Press Releases
