Saturday, April 11, 2009

May - In Living Color



The May issue of Martha Stewart Living arrived in my mailbox this afternoon and is loaded with color. Lots of color!

From the cover alone, it appears that Martha Stewart Living is taking a bit more of a fresh, younger 'take' on Living. Say, 10 years ago, this shot probably would not have made the short list of possible covers. At first, I was a bit taken back by the cover (not a traditional Martha cover), then I wasn't sure I liked it, and now, it's grown on me. It's bold, it gets your attention, and it makes you wonder what's inside. Isn't that what a magazine cover is suppose to do?

Inside, we're greeted with the first letter from Gael Towey, Acting Editor in Chief and Chief Creative Officer for the company. I've always loved Gael. She's been with Martha from the very beginning (August 1, 1990, as she points out in her letter). For those that have Sirius/XM radio, you can catch "Design Trends" with Gael Towey. Her guests are always interesting and sometimes she even gives listeners a sneak peek into the creative world of MSLO.

The issue covers color. From colors the editors love, to a wonderful article on the culture of color, readers are sure to be informed and inspired with the theme of this issue.

Martha takes us asparagus picking in her garden, there are plenty of 'good things,' and a great gardening article on ornamental grasses.

I won't spoil the rest of the issue for you... Oh! It wasn't an April Fool's joke in the last issue... Martha's calendar is here, chocked full of things to do and gentle reminders for the month of May.

For subscribers, the issue should be hitting your mailboxes any day and it will be hitting the newsstand on April 20.

5 comments:

Sarah H said...

Another Blueprint inspired cover, much like the cover with Martha on the ladder stenciling LIVING on the wall from awhile ago.
I like it because it isn't what you'd expect.
But I do have the same thoughts that I had when I saw the Martha on ladder cover: I miss Blueprint!

Alan said...

I agree -- I miss Blueprint too - I wonder where all those talented editors from Blueprint went ..

I am glad Gael Towey is the new editor - she will bring back the "martha" into Martha Stewart Living - which for a while seem to have been missing ..

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

Hmmm... I'm not crazy about the cover. It might be a little TOO simple...as in Real Simple. But maybe it will grow on me. I'll read it cover to cover, regardless!

Kate said...

I am not a fan of this cover. It just does not look like a Living cover. It looks cheap to me.

mike said...

It's a great attempt to appeal to the mid-century modern lovers (molded plywood chair) - not my cup of tea, but it's different, that's for sure! Looking forward to browsing through it!