"A toast to the vitality of beauty, and everlasting appeal of print design."

After still mourning the loss of I.D. magazine, Print magazine's latest 70th Anniversary issue boasting the tagline "Print Lives!," arrived in the mail. I wondered if the editorial staff knew of the demise of I.D. magazine before or after the covers went to press. Regardless, I was very excited about all the incredible content jam packed into the print-focused February 2010 issue. Just to name a few content highlights: there is a beautiful Editor's Letter celebrating Print magazine's 70 year legacy, an article by Steven Heller expressing "A Love Affair" with the magazine, conversations with past editors and art directors of Print, a comparative text by Rick Poyner looking at Eye and Print side-by-side, "The Art in the Archives" celebrating "seven decades of iconic cover designs," and "Eight Years That Changed Magazine Design History" which takes us from Life in 1936 to The Face in 1981.

The above cover was issued for subscribers only. The splashing CMYK paint cover below is available on newsstands. On the last page of the magazine there is a small feature covering the process behind the special anniversary covers. Many people lent a hand to achieve the final results under the art direction of Alice Cho and associate art director Jessica Walsh. Both covers were photographed by Henry Hargreaves.

For the 70th Anniversary of Print magazine I thought it was a good time to share a vintage volume from my bookshelf. The below is a cover from 1955.

After having the new Feb '10 issue in my possession for just a couple of days, I learned the distressing news that F+W laid of Print magazine's Editor in Chief, Emily Gordon. The message and content of the issue now fails in its attempt to be hopeful, and I worry that it is now only a tribute to what was. The below links may offer a little more insight into F+W's latest strategic move, and how much Emily Gordon is respected and praised within the design community: 

"Is Print Next to Fold? F+W Media Ousts Editor-in-Chief Emily Gordon" (via Mediabistro)

"Editor Out, F+W Looks to Expand Role at Print" (via Folio)

Job posting for new Content Director (via Indeed)

"Multichannel-Bent Publishers Give Longtime Print Staffers the Cold Shoulder" (via Folio)