The Washington Post talk us through the redesign of its weekly magazine

The Washington Post has been a major daily American newspaper since its inception in December 1877. You might remember that Jeff Bezos — Amazon owner and the richest man on the planet — paid $250 million in cash for the publication in 2013. Yesterday, 2 October 2018, it announced an overhaul of its weekly offering, The Post Magazine.

Both the print and digital editions of the magazine have been affected by the design decision. The three main features of the re-rub include an expansion of the Postoni family of typefaces they use both in print and online, the introduction of a rotating cast of eight artists who will produce weekly Washington-related illustrations, and a new photo feature called Outtake, which will “showcase a full-spread, Washington-based photo that is extremely visually striking, along with an expanded caption.”

The first issue of the redesigned magazine arrives in the mailboxes of a few hundred thousand Americans on Sunday 7 October, and will feature a cover story by Post chief political correspondent Dan Balz on the state of the Democratic Party as it begins to look ahead to 2020.

“Great design should be one of the key building blocks of a strong physical publication. It gives the first impression of the magazine’s priorities, focus and voice,” says the Post’s design director, Suzette Moyer when It’s Nice That asks if good design can make all the difference in an increasingly competitive print market.

Suzette goes on to add that, “a creative visual presentation has to be married with captivating stories and smart headlines. For these elements to jell on a weekly basis at The Washington Post Magazine, we have to constantly be searching for creative approaches and solutions so we evoke a reaction from our readers.”

She also believes that, “a good design carries you through the entire product – finding moments to step to the forefront and moments to get out of the way. The complete experience should entice a reader to want to go through the effort of picking up the next physical issue.”