Lately I seem to be writing too many comments on other peoples blogs when I should be writing on my OWN blog! Especially about all this Editor Vs. Art Director (started by a simply competent editor on a completely disposable magazine) hullabaloo. I'm just going to put up one of my comments. I mean, If MagCulture can quote me, I can quote me. Read the comment thread here.
Posted on the Folio site:
"Just because someone is a good editor of the written word, a skilled writer and proofreader, does not mean they are good at editorial arrangement and editorial concepts. “Editorial,” in the sense of periodicals, includes everything about a magazine. A magazine that has a staff that sees “editorial” and “art” as separate, opposing forces is a poor, poor magazine indeed. So, yeah… the majority of magazines, though their contributors may be highly skilled, are pretty crap. There is an art to putting a magazine together; someone who is skilled at cutting text and assigning articles is not necessarily the best at accomplishing a brilliantly conceived and arranged magazine. Conversely, someone who is good at “making it look pretty” may not have the best interests of the editorial whole in mind, and is therefore useless. To be a great magazine the art director and editor must have equal power - but only of course, if they are completely on the same page. If not, the solution is a “Creative Director,” who is equally qualified in the visual and narrative, who has the best interests of the editorial whole in mind and who can reign the disjointed impulses of the art director/designer and the editor."
Also I'll swipe magCulture's link: Designing Magazine's funny and well considered argument
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Comments (2)
Right on!
I agree completely.
Posted by Valdemar Lamego | March 29, 2008 2:00 PM
Posted on March 29, 2008 14:00
this is a really interesting topic.
I am naive in the complete sense of the world in terms of labels such as "creative direction" but I would argue that a creative director would, like you noted, "reign the disjointed impulses".
My zine has just been printed after months and months of working on it and one thing I learnt is people are so picky about positions and how their efforts should come across.
Posted by aulelia | March 31, 2008 2:57 PM
Posted on March 31, 2008 14:57