Monday, March 14, 2011

8617: New Ebony Is A Work-In-Progress.


Picked up a copy of the allegedly new and improved Ebony. There’s definitely potential here, but the editorial staff must continue refining the publication.

For starters, the type is too small. Or maybe it’s too light. Or both. Grandma and Grandpa are gonna struggle reading it—guaranteed. Some of the blurbs are damn near microscopic. And the typography overall is busier than necessary. It feels like the magazine is averaging eight fonts per page.

Don’t mean to sound conservative, but it wouldn’t hurt to graphically calm things down too. Simplify your grid, folks. The cover should have one dominant visual and fewer subheads. Stick with single versus group portraits. The interior spreads with Chris Rock, Mo’Nique and Steve Harvey work well. Others, not so much.

Love the idea of featuring guest editors. However, Ebony can do a lot better than Kevin Hart. He’s not funny in the 2011 Ford Explorer campaign, and even less so in an edition boasting to be “The Biggest, Baddest Comedy Issue Ever.” Sorry.

Again, there’s definitely potential here. Keep it simple. Less is more. Blah, blah. blah.

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