Scientific American appoints Executive Editor Fred Guterl and Design Director Michael Mrak

Scientific American is pleased to announce the appointments of executive editor Fred Guterl and design director Michael Mrak. Fred and Michael join the Scientific American staff this month.

“Fred and Michael are both extremely talented with extensive publishing experience and strong leadership skills,” says Scientific American editor-in-chief Mariette DiChristina.  “We are delighted to welcome them both to the team and look forward to their fresh and innovative ideas from both the editorial and design perspectives.”

Fred Guterl assumes the role of executive editor and brings to Scientific American more than two decades of editorial experience. He has worked, among other titles, for Discover magazine (he was senior editor from 1994 to 1998 and has been a contributor ever since) and for Newsweek (2000- 2010), where he held the position of deputy editor. During his tenure there, Guterl spearheaded the magazine’s international coverage of science and technology. As executive editor, Guterl will top edit and create enterprising editorial projects, participate in strategic planning, develop and manage budgets, and represent Scientific American externally.

“For nearly 165 years Scientific American has been the gold standard for reporting science news for a general audience,” says Guterl. “I look forward to helping Mariette and the team to increase its impact and value to its readers across all media."

Michael Mrak comes to Scientific American from Architectural Record where he has been a consulting art director. Prior to that appointment, Mrak worked for titles including Esquire and Discover magazine, where he held the position of design director (2000- 2006). As the design director, Mrak will supervise the art team and oversee all editorial design for Scientific American’s print and online editions.

“I truly love science and it is a privilege to join a magazine with such an illustrious past,” says Mrak. “I am eager to shepherd visuals that match the high-quality authoritative, yet accessible, editorial content.”

Scientific American became part of Nature Publishing Group (NPG) in 2009, after many years as a sister Holtzbrinck organization. These new appointments underline NPG’s stated commitment to invest in and develop Scientific American. The oldest continuously published magazine in the US, this August Scientific American will be celebrating its 165th anniversary. The magazine has been enjoying a robust 2010.  The April 8, 2010 Publishers Information Bureau report stated that the magazine’s ad-pages are up 33.4% in Q1 as compared to last year.