February 2012 The Inside Loop

Editor Jay Smith [email protected]

BY NOW most readers should be well aware that we have been working on a redesign of the magazine, especially if you read my editorial in the November 2011 MA. It is not an easy task and we enlisted the help of an outside design firm to assist with the process. It has been seven years since we gave the flagship publication a makeover and that was done completely in-house.
Everyone in the publications group has been involved and provided valuable input. I have spent time in several meetings and discussions that are reminiscent of an eye exam. Instead of the doctor flipping a glass sphere in front of my eye saying is this better, or this better, I am looking at treatments of the Model Aviation logo or different design philosophies for the contents of the magazine.

I’ve also spent time at the local bookstore pouring over all manner of magazines trying to figure out ways to make the magazine even better. We have asked for reader input and engaged some of our advertisers for feedback as well.
We have instituted some changes in the past year and have received generally positive comments. So if you are currently enjoying the magazine, you may wonder, “Why a redesign?” Ultimately, our goal is to continue to improve your magazine. We want our members to consider it a benefit, not just something that comes with membership. We want to improve the readability of the magazine as well as the look. We will be making changes to the font that should make it easier to read. We will freshen up the columns and make it easier to get the information you are looking for. In the end, we want to streamline MA and add a little polish. The biggest challenge with the magazine; however, won’t be solved with a redesign. Our greatest challenge is providing the appropriate content to satisfy 142,000 readers. In a recent conversation with a professional in magazine design, I was told that ours has far too many columns and the trend was either to cut them back to only a few or to get rid of them completely. Those outside of our hobby neither understand, nor can fully appreciate, all the different disciplines we cover. We will continue to provide you coverage across the spectrum of modeling with a little more focus on Free Flight and Control Line in 2012. I already have plans to bring you an excellent Free Flight construction article as well as coverage of the 2012 Brodak Fly-In. If you don’t see the amount of coverage you would like on the disciplines in which you participate, I challenge you to let me know and to provide topics you would like to see covered. Point me in the direction of more people who are willing to write and submit articles on the topic. I’m happy to share with you that the publications department has many exciting things planned for 2012. We are currently working to have a digital version of Model Aviation and a magazine app for tablet readers available. Relaunching the Model Aviation website was phase one of our digital strategy. The website is designed to be a supplement to the magazine with additional content, not a replacement for the magazine. The next phases involve launching a digital magazine, which will be an exact replica of the print magazine in electronic form. By mid-2012, we will also begin offering a magazine app of Model Aviation for viewing on tablet devices such as the iPad. I hope you enjoy this month’s issue and look forward to next month’s redesign and the electronic content we will have available for you. Thanks for being a loyal reader of the magazine and a supporter of the AMA! MA