This month: Inside Supply Management

Issue: March 2006
Frequency: Monthly
Launched: January, 1990
Circulation: approx. 40,000
Editor: Roberta J. Duffy
Publisher: Institute for Supply Management
Creative Director/Art/Graphics: Bates Creative Design Group, LLC

Concept: The Institute of Supply Management adopted a new mission statement: “To lead supply management.” In order to revamp its publication, the institute outsourced to an external design firm, Bates Creative Group, to come up with a fresh idea for the April 2006 issue. Senior Art Director Roger Selvage says he literally just cleaned house, typographically and structurally, with the revolving door graphic and the redesigned masthead. The old style was murkier and collage-oriented, while the new cover features bold colors, simple lines and something the magazine had rarely featured on the cover before: People.

Production: Selvage says the process was fairly simple. Three designers from Bates Creative merged their ideas together along with the opinions of the ISM staff to create the final look, playing around with color and the number of people they wanted to show coming and leaving. They reworked the name, highlighting the word “Supply” and setting the text apart from the art to showcase the title.

Our design panel says: “Revolving door concept isn’t exactly fresh, but the from-above perspective and minimalist treatment breathes new life into it…Has a nice b-to-b feel—It seems to me that the designer understands his audience…A clever headline and more editorializing in the art would have made this stronger…I would like to see some human element in the design… I’d pick up this magazine from a waiting room coffee table.”

The Panel: Jandos Rothstein, Design Director, Governing Magazine; Charles Brucaliere, Forbes; Stephanie Faucher, Computerworld; Mayumi T. Hudgins, Meetings & Conventions.

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Have a unique “cover” story? Contact Folio: Assistant Editor Linda Zebian at lzebian@red7media.com [1].