When Blueprint magazine called it quits last year, a little part of my heart went with it. The layout, design, coverage … it was mainstream, but still crafty and independent. But under the umbrella of the other Martha Stewart publications, I guess I was able to process its demise. Not really, but I accepted its passing. I mean, it's Martha. How long did we think she was going to let the quirky, younger sister publication hang around?
But DOMINO?! That was a true shock. I wanted to blog about it as soon as the news hit, but needed some time to digest. Maybe not everyone and their mothers were reading Blueprint (they should have been, though), but I feel like a really diverse mix of people were reading Domino. Corporate ladies on the subway, hipster chicks in Brooklyn and your average, middle-of-the-road shelter magazine lovers were leaning back, cracking open their Domino magazines and getting inspiration. Come on, my own Grandma was fixing up her apartment in Florida based on what she read in Domino (“I heard stripes were in for carpets so I just bought that black and white one from IKEA for the entry way. Oy, now where did I put my bottle of chardonnay?”).
So I know the world of publishing is a mess, but what is going to fill the void left by these two stellar magazines? And, although advertising revenues are dropping, why couldn’t either magazine raise the rate of subscriptions? Most of its readers would pay more to save a favorite magazine. Or why not make it quarterly until the economy bounces back?
Sigh. Domino. Blueprint. You'll be missed.
1 comment:
i, myself, a, unemployed as the result of the shelter magazine that i was working for, folding. it's too bad. these were two of my favorites too!!
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