Snap judgment: Are these new print mag moves worth it?

I’ll admit it: “innovation” is not something people typically associate with a centuries-old medium like print magazines. (Fun fact, the first known print magazine launched in 1663.)

And yet!

In my ceaseless quest to understand print magazines more deeply, I’m always seeing new ideas, approaches, and twists on familiar concepts. I’ll never get tired of it.

Here are four things I’ve noticed in recent months — and my assessment of whether or not they’re worth adapting for your own institution’s publication.

1. Mystery quote as a secondary cover line

I’ve been talking about cover lines for years.

(Yes, really!)

In short: yes, you should have them. And you should probably have more of them!

Northwestern Magazine offered a fresh cover line take in its most recent issue: a mystery quote on the top right as one of its secondary cover lines, followed by a page number.

Who said it? And why? FIND OUT ON PAGE SIX.

Erin’s snap judgment: Big thumbs up here.

I like that the quote was integrated with, but separate from, the rest of the (more traditional) secondary cover lines.

I think there’s plenty of room to run with this idea. You could use a quote that is unexpected, potentially controversial, or just plain weird.

That slight mystery is smart: people want answers, and cracking the cover of your magazine allows them to close that open loop — and perhaps explore more than they might have otherwise.

2. A print table of contents item with an “online only” tag

I like the New Yorker’s exceptionally clean table of contents.

In recent months, I’ve noticed that in some of its special issues, about quarter of the stories listed aren’t actually in the print magazine.

They’re somewhere online, denoted in the publication’s physical pages by a little red arrow and “online only” notation.

The idea, I think, is to show that the magazine goes beyond print. It conveys that their online work can carry the weight and status of anything that appears in print.

Erin’s snap judgment: I could not give this a more extreme thumbs down, zero stars, hard pass.

First, I think this is a bad idea for any magazine. A print magazine is an escape from online chaos! It’s like finally arriving at a serene resort, only to find brochures in your room urging you to head back into the city traffic.

(It’s especially perplexing for the New Yorker, a magazine famously known for a cadence so relentless that subscribers often have stacks of its magazines that they haven’t gotten to yet.)

One of the joys of a print magazine is its “complete-ability.” Unlike the infinite internet, you really can finish a magazine. An online only tag suggests that you’re not done with a magazine even if you’ve read every single word in the issue. Noooooooo thank you.

3. Multiple QR codes on one page

The University of Minnesota’s Landscape Arboretum ships out a quarterly magazine to its members, and it recently underwent a really nice redesign. (Kudos to editor Elise Bremer.)

But you can imagine my initial reaction when I, noted QR code skeptic, turned the page to see a three QR codes on a single page.

So what’s going on?

Well, the Arboretum magazine is a little different from most institutional magazines in that its readers are members of this actual, physical space in the world, and most of those readers head over for an IRL visit at least a few times a year.

In this case, almost every QR code was linked to a registration form where people can reserve a spot for a class, a lecture, or an event.

Erin’s snap judgment: I’m intrigued!

In this case (and maybe this case only), I like it. I’ve used the QR codes myself!

The reality is that QR codes are almost always best used as a way to take a specific, meaningful action, like registering for an event or making a small and specific gift. (Not “to learn more.”)

I think it absolutely works here, but I also suspect this publication is an n of 1 (or an n of almost 1). The lessons it offers should be applied sparingly.

4. A unique trajectory: online → print-integrated → standalone print publication

I recently got the third edition of The Cut, New York magazine’s fashion title.

The Cut started out as a blog in 2008, and eventually morphed into a standalone digital vertical for New York magazine.

In 2012, The Cut became somewhat weirdly integrated with two issues of the print New York magazine each year as a “flipped” publication: New York magazine was on one half, and when flipped upside down and backwards, The Cut was the other half.

Then, in 2023, The Cut launched its very own standalone, annual print publication. It was billed as an experiment. Now it’s on its third issue.

Here’s how editor Lindsay Peoples describes it: “The goal is bigger than traffic. It’s an opportunity to catch up and connect with you, IRL and uninterrupted. In short, it’s The Cut making it out of the group chat.”

Erin’s snap judgment: I absolutely LOVE it, five stars.

The approach from online to print was stair-stepped, methodical, and beautiful. The actual magazine is weighty, gorgeous, and has a really nice hand feel — a true luxury object.

It took more than a decade, but it has earned its place alongside the iconic New York magazine.

I think there are lessons here for alumni magazines that have, for cost reasons, moved to mostly online updates, or for online projects that might earn their way to print, like research publications or department- or college-level publications.

Print publications, done well, have true value and power for your audience, but you can move in this direction care and thoughtfulness.