It may seem strange for me to say this, but if you happen to be reading this column on your computer or other digital device, this message really isn't aimed at you. In fact, if you have access to the digital issue of Rubber & Plastics News, please take a look at the Feb. 24, 2020, edition, where this is appearing.
That's because this column is dedicated to the new look of RPN, which we are debuting with this issue. The person to thank for our transformation is Michael McCrady, who just passed his third anniversary as art director of both RPN and our sister publication, Tire Business.
For this project, Michael's marching orders were to look at RPN from front to back and redesign the whole thing. Michael knew there was no sense in trying to re-create the wheel, so he drew inspiration from studying the other publications published by our owner, Crain Communications.
A big part of the redesign was to have a cleaner and more modern look. On the front page, he tweaked the look of our masthead and removed the blue bar underneath, opening it up with a bit more white space. Michael also selected new headline fonts for both our main news pages and our special reports, replacing the classic but dated Times font with ones that are sharper and more modern.
One of Michael's biggest challenges was making our popular Technical Notebook section look more appealing. He gave the first page of the notebook some graphic styling to make it more contemporary and noticeable. You'll also see new designs for page 3 and our editorial page, along with new headers for our special reports and meeting coverage.
Of course, what has not changed is our commitment to bring you the most in-depth coverage of the tire and rubber industry. And if you happen to be reading this on your computer or mobile device, that applies to you, too.
Meyer is editor of Rubber & Plastics News. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @bmeyerRPN.