Scientific American October issue debuts new look and sections
Magazine and website explore key drivers of global trends, the cutting-edge science and the major demographic and economic forces poised to alter the health landscape
Scientific American today debuted a new look in print and online, the addition of new sections and enhanced navigation. The October issue ofScientific American hits newstands today, and is live at scientificamerican.com.
“With this issue,Scientific American introduces the latest design and content adjustments in its 165-year history, ready to embrace the next 165”, writes Editor-in-Chief Mariette DiChristina in her ‘From the Editor’ introduction to the October issue.
Consumer reaction to the changes was tested in advance of the redesign.Scientific American worked with several proprietary research companies, in addition to leveraging its own 16,000+ audience panel, and conducted focus groups of readers and potential readers.
Scientific American readers place particular value on feature articles. “As always, collaborations with scientists – as authors of feature articles and as sources for top journalists - inform everything we do,” writes DiChristina. In response to feedback, the magazine introduces a variety of in-depth and shorter pieces. Elsewhere, ‘Forum’, provides a platform for external experts to comment on science policy, while the Board of Editors discusses a top science issue in ‘Science Agenda’.
Two new columns reflect readers’ interest in personal well-being and the influence of technology on their lives. The October issue introduces ‘The Science of Health’, edited by former senior health and medicine writer at TIME Magazine Christine Gorman, and ‘TechnoFiles’, from best-selling author andNew York Times columnist David Pogue.
For its print redesign,Scientific American worked with media designer Roger Black, whose design credits includeRolling Stone, Esquire,The Washington Post and MSNBC.com. The print magazine features a new cover design and a new, cleaner layout for articles. Online, scientificamerican.com reflects these changes with a more readable, easier to navigate site design.
The magazine retains its hallmark informational graphics, including a new monthly section ‘Graphic Science’. News remains important – ‘Advances’ provides a monthly roundup in print, while online ‘Today’s Science Agenda’ is updated daily.
To get the cover design right,Scientific American worked with Affinova, becoming only the second publisher to make use of their pioneering evolutionary algorithms. In preliminary research, the October issue tested highest of anyScientific American cover to date, and also outperformed competitive titles.
Scientific American’s presence on nature.com (www.nature.com/scientificamerican) will be updated to reflect the new look in the coming months. The publisher also expects to roll out continual improvements over the coming year including more interactive graphics and enhanced support for mobile devices.
The oldest continuously published magazine in the US,Scientific American celebrated its 165th anniversary in August 2010. Scientific American became part of Nature Publishing Group (NPG) in 2009, after many years as a sister Holtzbrinck organization.
