The digital era may not seem like the most auspicious moment in time to start a print publication, but Ivy Baer Sherman begs to differ. “The advancement of technology should not be deemed antithetical to the advancement of/existence of print. Au contraire,” maintains Sherman, the entrepreneurial editor in chief of the singular Vintage Magazine.
A portable literary salon, celebration of the arts and testament to the power of creative typography, printing techniques and graphic design, her biannual publication gives readers reasons aplenty to glory in the pleasures of paper. And true to its name, Vintage Magazine, launched in November 2009, “showcases history in ‘vintage’ fashion,” bringing the past into the present in “new and exciting ways.”
The publishing world has applauded her efforts from the start. Within its first year, Vintage won four awards, including Folio’s 2010 Eddie and Ozzie for Best Design, Consumer; and Media Industry Newsletter’s 2010 award for Best Art Direction. And the reception from readers has also been gratifyingly laudatory. “People will respond to a magazine that is beautiful and informative and novel, despite the assertion by many that the (hey) day of print has come and gone,” she says. “Rather, the time is ripe to showcase the possibilities of the printed page.”
Sherman’s inspiration for Vintage is Fleur Cowles’ Flair, a short-lived publication (1950–1951) that’s become legendary over the generations for pushing the boundaries of print, font, color, photography and texture. She first encountered her printed muse in 2003 at a retrospective and was struck by its sheer beauty, “judging the magazine, as were are taught to never ever do, by its exquisite cover. The distinguishing feature of a Flair cover was a die cut, which offered an artful glimpse onto the world within.“
And each turn of the page piqued her interest, revealing enchanting foldouts and illustrations and captivating stories written by artists and authors of the day about art, travel and fashion. “I left the show acutely attuned to the extraordinary physical draw of a magazine: the lure of stunning design; the striking sensation of ink on paper; the ravishing commingling of keenly wrought-words and fine art and editorial flair; the tactile quality of the read,” she recalls. “I knew then and there that I wanted to create a magazine in the spirit of Flair.”
The parallels are indeed palpable, but Sherman, who worked as director of publications at Manhattan’s Friends Seminary prior to founding Vintage Magazine, has also put her unique stamp on her 21st–century creation. “The magazine greets you with its trademark open binding — a spine spun through with colorful thread, offering readers a glimpse into inner workings of a magazine,” she explains. Each Vintage spread is sublimely textural and packed with surprises. Flipping through is virtually impossible; lingering is inevitable. The pages within, she says, “showcase the work of some of today’s finest artists and writers who bring aspects of history to the fore with insight and creativity.”
She spends months producing every edition, allowing for lengthy intervals in between installments, a deliberate spacing that encourages readers to “take time with the magazine, to revisit it, to take pause.” Her latest labor of love, dubbed “the Troisieme issue” (oui, number three) is due out any day.
The outer cover, a teaser of sorts, opens to the charming cover shown here, a picture of the artist’s father who designed cereal boxes, including that now-rare find, Post Cereals’ Alpha-Bits. And what’s between the covers? “An article by food historian Cathy Kaufman that traces the evolution of traveling tools, with a fabulous pop-up Swiss Army knife created for this issue by Chicago-based paper engineer Shawn Sheehy; The Official Preppy Handbook/True Prep author Lisa Birnbach takes on the high/low of prepdom; travel writer Kate Winick takes us on a tour of Morocco’s magnificent La Mamounia…and much more,” says Sherman.
Like the first two issues, the third Vintage Magazine uses a mélange of paper stocks, each imaginatively custom-suited to the feel of a particular story. Her aim, above all: “to inform and delight the reader.”
Vintage Magazine is sold in fine bookshops and museum stores throughout the United States and abroad (full listing www.vintagezine.com), and by subscription.
Past Meets Present on the Pages of Vintage Magazine
Much more than paper and ink, Ivy Baer Sherman’s riveting Vintage Magazine pushes the publishing envelope.
The digital era may not seem like the most auspicious moment in time to start a print publication, but Ivy Baer Sherman begs to differ. “The advancement of technology should not be deemed antithetical to the advancement of/existence of print. Au contraire,” maintains Sherman, the entrepreneurial editor in chief of the singular Vintage Magazine.
A portable literary salon, celebration of the arts and testament to the power of creative typography, printing techniques and graphic design, her biannual publication gives readers reasons aplenty to glory in the pleasures of paper. And true to its name, Vintage Magazine, launched in November 2009, “showcases history in ‘vintage’ fashion,” bringing the past into the present in “new and exciting ways.”
The publishing world has applauded her efforts from the start. Within its first year, Vintage won four awards, including Folio’s 2010 Eddie and Ozzie for Best Design, Consumer; and Media Industry Newsletter’s 2010 award for Best Art Direction. And the reception from readers has also been gratifyingly laudatory. “People will respond to a magazine that is beautiful and informative and novel, despite the assertion by many that the (hey) day of print has come and gone,” she says. “Rather, the time is ripe to showcase the possibilities of the printed page.”
Sherman’s inspiration for Vintage is Fleur Cowles’ Flair, a short-lived publication (1950–1951) that’s become legendary over the generations for pushing the boundaries of print, font, color, photography and texture. She first encountered her printed muse in 2003 at a retrospective and was struck by its sheer beauty, “judging the magazine, as were are taught to never ever do, by its exquisite cover. The distinguishing feature of a Flair cover was a die cut, which offered an artful glimpse onto the world within.“
And each turn of the page piqued her interest, revealing enchanting foldouts and illustrations and captivating stories written by artists and authors of the day about art, travel and fashion. “I left the show acutely attuned to the extraordinary physical draw of a magazine: the lure of stunning design; the striking sensation of ink on paper; the ravishing commingling of keenly wrought-words and fine art and editorial flair; the tactile quality of the read,” she recalls. “I knew then and there that I wanted to create a magazine in the spirit of Flair.”
The parallels are indeed palpable, but Sherman, who worked as director of publications at Manhattan’s Friends Seminary prior to founding Vintage Magazine, has also put her unique stamp on her 21st–century creation. “The magazine greets you with its trademark open binding — a spine spun through with colorful thread, offering readers a glimpse into inner workings of a magazine,” she explains. Each Vintage spread is sublimely textural and packed with surprises. Flipping through is virtually impossible; lingering is inevitable. The pages within, she says, “showcase the work of some of today’s finest artists and writers who bring aspects of history to the fore with insight and creativity.”
She spends months producing every edition, allowing for lengthy intervals in between installments, a deliberate spacing that encourages readers to “take time with the magazine, to revisit it, to take pause.” Her latest labor of love, dubbed “the Troisieme issue” (oui, number three) is due out any day.
The outer cover, a teaser of sorts, opens to the charming cover shown here, a picture of the artist’s father who designed cereal boxes, including that now-rare find, Post Cereals’ Alpha-Bits. And what’s between the covers? “An article by food historian Cathy Kaufman that traces the evolution of traveling tools, with a fabulous pop-up Swiss Army knife created for this issue by Chicago-based paper engineer Shawn Sheehy; The Official Preppy Handbook/True Prep author Lisa Birnbach takes on the high/low of prepdom; travel writer Kate Winick takes us on a tour of Morocco’s magnificent La Mamounia…and much more,” says Sherman.
Like the first two issues, the third Vintage Magazine uses a mélange of paper stocks, each imaginatively custom-suited to the feel of a particular story. Her aim, above all: “to inform and delight the reader.”
Vintage Magazine is sold in fine bookshops and museum stores throughout the United States and abroad (full listing www.vintagezine.com), and by subscription.
-Randi Gollin