When I heard the news of Gourmet magazine folding a few months back I was very sad. My parents had been subscribers since the 70's and it was always laying around the house, ready to provide inspiration. They had discontinued their subscription a few years back due to editorial changes they felt comprised the magazine's integrity - and I'll admit I followed suit a year later. But I still picked up an issue at the newsstand from time to time; the entertaining section was unrivaled for the quality of food, photography, styling and location.
Now comes news that Metropolitan Home is closing. Or rather being folded into a far lesser title - in my opinion - Elle Decor. I have subscribed to Met Home for almost 10 years. When I bought my apartment I had torn hundreds of pages from back titles to get design ideas, and the bedside wall-mounted lamps I own were on a 2005 cover. It greatly saddens me to see this title closing, as it was a very focused and pure publication - modern design and architecture in the city and country.
The end of titles such as these are a great loss. I love magazines and newspapers - the tactile nature of them, the glossy photography, the scale - such experiences cannot be replicated on the internet. I understand ad sales are down, but it is the choice of which titles to close that alarms me. Books like Gourmet and Met Home were targeted to a very specific niche. And all creative product - be it an ad or a magazine or a commercial - has to know its audience to be great. The publishers have chosen to keep titles such as Bon Appetit open - a far more mass-audience title and in my opinion lower quality.
The problem with trying to appeal to everyone is that you appeal to no one in particular. Look at what has happened to the Gap versus the success of J.Crew. J.Crew has its target right in the crosshairs. And because of this they have a distinct voice that allows them to merchandise and market in a specific visual manner. You either love it or hate it. That kind of boldness and risk taking loses out when the bottom line becomes the only measure of success.
Recent Comments