Date: Tue, 23 Apr 1996 18:29:48 -0700 (PDT)
To: press-releases@WIRED.COM
From: pr@WIRED.COM (Wired Public-Relations)
Wired Wins National Magazine Award for Excellence in Design
San Francisco, 23 April 1996 - The American Society of Magazine Editors
today awarded Wired the 1996 National Magazine Award for Design. Wired
Editor/Publisher Louis Rossetto and Creative Director John Plunkett
accepted the award during a presentation at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in
New York.
One of 14 magazines to receive industry acclaim in the annual award
ceremony, Wired was singled out, according to ASME, for its "excellent and
innovative visual presentation that enhances the magazine's mission as the
mouthpiece of the digital revolution." This year's nominees in the design
category were National Geographic, Vibe, Marie Claire, Saveur, and Dance
Ink.
Ellen Levine, editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping, presented the award,
saying, "The magazine for the digital revolution has instigated a design
revolution, drawing attention to the way we will assimilate information -
asking readers, if you will, to rethink the way we think. Wired took its
innovative and adventurous sense of design to new heights this year, with a
series of issues that continued to be as visually surprising as they are
striking. At the same time, it has made a serious commitment to
readability, ensuring that its inventive use of typography, quirky color,
and hi-tech imagery are integrated with the magazine's content - not
competing against it. Wired has made itself into a monthly design event -
demonstrating with passion the power of this new technology."
"From our first discussions about Wired, John and I felt the magazine
should look like it dropped off another planet," Rossetto said. "If you ran
across it lying on the street, you'd feel compelled to pick it up, and
even if you didn't understand it all, you'd want to decipher and connect
with it. I'm glad that ASME connected with Wired this year."
Wired was nominated for The National Magazine Award for General Excellence
for the second year in a row this year, which it had the honor of winning
in 1994, after only one year of publication.
Nearly 1,200 entries from 293 different magazines were considered for this
year's National Magazine Awards. Wired submitted three issues for judging,
including the best-selling January 1995 "White Issue," featuring a blank
cover and an issue designed completely in black and white typeface. The May
1995 Brian Eno cover, with the enigmatic photo by Steve Double, and the
December issue, featuring a digital portrait of Toy Story Director John
Lasseter as a cartoon character, were also submitted.
To receive the award, Plunkett and Rossetto were joined by Design Director
Thomas Schneider, Managing Editor Russ Mitchell, Vice President of
Operations Todd Sotkiewicz, and East Coast Director of Advertising, Laurie
Howlett. Plunkett thanked his partner, Co-Creative Director Barbara Kuhr,
who was not able to attend the luncheon.
Wired was recently named Best Digital Magazine at the Digital Hollywood
Awards, and was awarded Runner Up, Best International Major Publisher by
the Independent Press Association.