50 Best Magazines

The Chicago Tribune has published their list of the 50 Best Magazines. How is that related to design? Because design is about communication, and these publications are what people are reading, what is ranking, what is getting seen, advertised in, remembered, etc. In some cases, the design is great—in others, not so much. And it is interesting to note that the only mag even remotely related to design in the top 10 is Dwell (interiors). Just a reminder that good design is about more than the visual—an "elite" designer might turn up his or her nose at the look of Consumer Reports or Cottage Living, but clearly something is working (solid content is there, of course, but I refuse to believe that people will struggle to read—legibility has to be clear, presentation is important, etc.) and communication is successful.