Basically I have problems with a lot of things, especially Condy Nasty.... but I do like The New Yorker. I think the supposition that the staff are editorial perfectionists is absurd—I've yelled out loud over the crappy things I've read within it (they are as guilty of fuck me for an article as any NY magazine), but basically I'm a fan. Strangely enough, I have less of a problem with the design of The New Yorker than it's writing. I love that it has illustrations on the cover, is ACTUALLY legible and doesn't bombard me constantly with garish layouts and photography. I find it fascinating that just as serif typography has come back into (pardon me) vogue and McSweeney's has ushered in a sea change of editorial design, KT Meaney argues for a re-design of The New Yorker.
Meaney uses a 1992 cover (pictured above) to illustrate her point—Edward Sorel's illustration of a punk rocker riding around in a horse-drawn carriage. She argues that the text of the magazine is all forward thinking and up-to-date, but displayed in an out of touch, clunky design. Firstly, this women obviously doesn't appreciate this awesomely absurd drawing (which perfectly encapsulates NY in '92), secondly she doesn't appreciate how wonderful it is when funky people take over old-fashioned things. Being up-to-date with an eye for quality should not mean demolishing what came before. The design of The New Yorker is like a fine old building, that is of course impractical for some purposes, but therein lies it's charm. If anything, this kind of charm only emphasizes the quality and urbanity of the writing. Personally, I would rather live in a nice old Victorian house (years ago I squatted in one, mirroring Sorel's cover) than live in one of those new, hideous glass towers sprouting up all over New York. Please, please New Yorker, resist—don't succumb to all demands for change, especially from a designer who is responsible for a magazine design that is 10 years out of date. Better to be 82 years out of date.
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