R.I.P. Create Magazine

Yesterday, as on any given business day, I went to log in to the site of the U.S. design industry publication Create Magazine - and it was gone. In its place was the home page of Graphics.com with the following posting:

Create Magazine Joins Graphics.com Network
(Posted on 2008-06-12 16:03:39)

A few weeks ago, Create Magazine merged with Dynamic Graphics magazine. Beginning with the July/August 2008 issue, this new magazine will feature the best collection of news, tips and insights for creative professionals. (Paid subscribers will continue to receive the magazine, without interruption.)

I'd heard the rumblings of the merger, and of the layoffs of Create Magazine staff, in recent weeks - so the merger wasn't a complete surprise. What is a major disappointment is the death of one of the better online design magazine presences. Create Magazine did it right. With over 13,000 online members, the publication's website provided its readers with online portfolios, the posting of an article each day from its archives, a job board, online chat, image battles, a true sense of community, online versions of the current issue for paid members, and so much more.

The print version of Create Magazine was a great example of a true news publication for the creative industries. The geographic regional editions provided readers with a true perspective of local news and events - something lacking in most design industry magazines. I was privileged to have Jeff Fisher Logomotives news published in the magazine on numerous occasions. I was sometimes quoted in articles in the publication, and the editors were kind enough to plug my book, Identity Crisis!, earlier this year.

It will be interesting to see how the merger with Dynamic Graphics evolves. I've always been a fan of Dynamic Graphics - in fact, my marketing packet is featured in an article in the current issue. Unfortunately, the web presences of Dynamic Graphics and sister publication STEP Inside Design, are not match for the late, great Create Magazine site. I personally feel that design industry professionals deserve, and expect, better from representative industry journals. I do hope that the Graphics.com network takes that fact into consideration as they move forward. Some of the plans - and immediate implications of the merger - are addressed on the Graphics.com site.

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*: Dynamic Graphics featuresmarketing efforts of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

The marketing and promotion methods of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives are featured in the June/July issue of Dynamic Graphics magazine. In the article, "Ingredients of a Successful Capabilities Presentation", designer Jeff Fisher's customizable media kit is displayed and his advice on capabilities presentations is shared. One of his company's familiar "Toot! Toot!" press releases illustrates the article and the blog promoting his recent book, Identity Crisis!, is noted.

Author and management guru Guy Kawasaki, Kevin Potts of Graphic Push and Ashworth Creative's Eve Ashworth provide additional presentation recommendations for the Dynamic Graphics piece. Daniel Schutzsmith, a professor at the School of Visual Arts and principal of DSGN + DVLP, wrote the article for the publication.

Dynamic Graphics presents design ideas for the real world for creative professionals, taking readers behind the designs in showing how to apply the techniques of industry leaders to projects.

Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity, is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. His book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands, was recently released by HOW Books. His first volume, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, appeared on bookstore shelves in late 2004.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Dynamic Graphics takes a look at 2007 logo designs

In the article "Logo Designs: Year in Review," the industry publication Dynamic Graphics invites readers to "look and learn from some of the best identities from the year 2007." Writer Jonathan Selikoff takes a look at redesigns, and new designs, that were unveiled last year in an piece illustrated with examples from around the world.

I especially enjoyed Selikoff closing the article with the statement: "The logos featured here are all the result of long hours at the sketch pad and in meetings, deep discussions, possible crying jags and a few drinks. It’s hard and serious work, but when the forces are properly brought to bear, the result is a beautiful mark, a happy client and a true measure of the power of design for business."

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives