Mag Men: Fifty Years of Making Magazines

Legendary and pioneering magazine designers Bernard and Glaser illuminate their work in this entertaining illustrated look at New York magazine and others they worked on. Understanding the limited attention span most people had for reading, they agreed that a magazine’s design should have “constant interruptions—headlines, subheads, drawings, jokes—all to prevent reader fatigue.” Their joint history of their collaboration, which began in 1968 with the founding of New York, is presented in a similar way, complete with graphics, illustrations from their publications, and sidebars that put developments in historical context. Despite their distinguished track records (Bernard received a lifetime achievement award for his work at Time; Glaser, who created the “I Love New York” logo, was the first graphic designer to be awarded the National Medal of Arts), neither shies from sharing missteps, such as the failed New York Film Review, and an unsuccessful redesign of the Washington Post Magazine. Given the state of magazine publishing today, this essential history could almost be seen as a requiem. (Dec.)