magazine junkie

Coolness Personified - design director Edward Leida

Cool. Smart. Sophisticated. Simple. Chic. Beautiful. Modern. Just a few of the adjectives I'd use to describe the work of W's design director, Edward Leida. Though admittedly W is no longer one of my "must-buy" magazines, every time I pick it up I'm always so pleased with the gorgeous photography and the innovative and fresh use of typography.

In 20 years as design director for W, Edward has become one of this country's most respected magazine designers. His design for W was nominated by the National Magazine Awards for Excellence in Design in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005, and was nominated for Magazine of the Year in 2007 by the Society of Publication Designers.

Besides W, Edward also designed and established the formats for Details Magazine, Women's Wear Daily, and the now defunct Jane Magazine.

Recently, Edward shared some of the ideas behind some of his favorite layouts, and reveals how the photography and the story drive the design. I found it very inspiring. Check out the video here.

You can also learn more about Edward and his career in this great interview on mediabistro. 

Lastly, Edward's minimalist designed apartment as featured on The Selby recently, is an extension of his love for clean and sophisticated design. This guy is truly the epitome of coolness. Check it out

My Idol

Fabien Baron is the reason I became a graphic designer and the reason I started collecting magazines.

Harper's Bazaar, under the creative direction of Baron, is the first magazine I was obsessed with. He visually reinvented the magazine with his use of typography, and minimalist photo shoots. To this day, I have boxes filled with old issues of Harper’s that I can never get rid of. Fabien has also worked on French and Italian Vogue, Arena +, and is also the current editorial director for Interview magazine. 

Baron is also responsible for Madonna’s (my other obsession) “Sex Book”. I, of course, bought the book the moment it came out (pre-ordered it actually) and it, along with tons of magazines featuring Madonna, are kept nicely stored until the day I have the space to properly display them.

Baron’s firm, Baron & Baron, have an extensive portfolio that includes product and package design, tv and print advertising, magazine and book design, and lots, lots more.

Check out Fabien’s and his team’s amazing line of work and be inspired!

Baron & Baron