Redesign: New Look for Reader's Digest

The only international magazine most of us in India grew up with has undergone a change.

The January issue of Reader's Digest will debut new cover with a bold new logo, updated fonts and column names. Also, the back-page illustration is gone and will be replaced by self-esteem theme ad from Dove. RD's with Dove also includes an online contest encouraging consumers to contribute and vote on stories of inspiring women, with the winner possibly appearing in a future Dove ad.

The Indian edition of RD will probably have the new logo by March 2008, as will all other international editions.

Awards: Cover of the Year 2007

MPA's Cover of the Year award 2007 goes to September 11, 2006 cover from The New Yorker.

About the cover:
For the five-year 9/11 anniversary cover, John Mavroudis’ concept was to stay away from the surfeit of images that recall the horror and remember the wonder of Philippe Petit’s 1974 tight-rope walk between the towers. The result in Owen Smith’s painting is magical: the walker, in the absence of towers and rope, remains suspended in the white space of a blank page. The two-part cover (a first for The New Yorker) is a memorial to the spirit of humanity and those who died there, and especially to the man who did a perfect dive as he plunged to his death.

You can see winning covers and finalists, and read the stories behind them here.

Trend: IPC offers a Subscription 'MIX'

The Mix from IPC Media is a new subscription format that gives subscribers an opportunity to sample a mix of magazines over a 12-month period.

In a first for the industry 'The Mix' launches in two markets: homes and fashion. 'The Mix: Homes' gives a three-month taster of Homes & Gardens, 25 Beautiful Homes, Ideal home and Livingetc; while 'The Mix: Fashion' gives three months each of Marie Claire, Look, In Style and Now.

According to IPC Head of Subscriptions Marketing, The Mix has been created following research which revealed potential subscribers would appreciate the opportunity to 'pick and mix' titles.