Going for Broke

Table of Contents {no.19}

OpArt 3

Icon 4

SurveySays 6

Profile 7

CareerTalk 8

Phil Wrigglesworth 10

Luc Melanson 26

Aaron Meshon

Twenty Questions

Spotlight 59

ProShow Winners

As you can see we’ve embarked on a redesign of 3x3. It’s a pretty risky undertaking, some of you may love it, some of you may hate it. It may lead to more subscribers and sales or dropped subscriptions and failure on the newsstand. What we’ve found out in our nine years producing this publication is that newsstand sales of our annual increase each year while our magazine sales remain static. One reason may be that the annual is a smaller size, getting front row exposure while our magazine rests on the back shelf. So it could be a size issue. It could be that our price point is simply too high on the magazine to encourage new sales. Especially compared to other less well-designed publication that sell for single digits. It could be a combination of these factors. So what we’ve done is reduced the size of the magazine so it can rest on the front shelf, second row at most. And we’ve included our individual show winners in each of our three issues. Three shows, three issues. We will now have three distinct issues, a professional, student and children’s book issue. Each issue will focus on these segments much as our Issue 18 did where we only focussed on picture book illustrators.

Our professional issue will always have a theme—this issue’s is whimsical illustration, as well as showcasing the winners of our 3x3 ProShow. The next issue will focus on the next generation of illustrators and include winners of our student show. And our issue in March will once again focus on children’s illustration and include our children’s show winners. Plus we’ll now feature a total of nine artists in each issue, our three featured illustrators and six additional ones in what we’re now calling our Spotlight section. Nine illustrators in each issue, apropos for 3x3. Certainly we want to hear your thoughts about our redesign but we hope you’ll appreciate where we’re taking 3x3. A front row exposure helps us all, it brings more attention to 3x3 and illustration at large. And giving more space to our winners with larger images will give illustration the prominence it needs, and deserves. Combining our shows with feature articles will justify our newsstand price, especially when our competition is selling their content for much less. Overall I believe it’s the right decision at this stage in our development. We had to crawl before we could walk, now it’s time to run.

Could I be wrong? Certainly but change is never non-reversable, especially in our circumstance.

We call the shots on all design, marketing and advertising decisions, unlike our competition we only answer to our subscribers. So love it or hate it, let us know.

Charles Hively

Publisher

cover illustration, Aaron Meshon. editor + design director, charles hively deputy design director sarah munt production advisor bruce cohen show coordinator ahwon min. writers anna Jane grossman, whitney sherman, gary embury, pol turgeon, gayle gaynin and vicki morgan. photographers marc levitt, stewart chapman, aaron meshon and luc melanson. 3x3, the magazine of contemporary illustration (issn 1546-640x) is published three times a year, (fall, winter, spring/summer) by artisanal media llc, 244 fifth avenue, suite f269, new york, new york 10001 (p) 212 591 2566. subscriptions are available for $54 per year, prices vary outside the united states. digital subscriptions also available. to subscribe go to www.3x3mag.com. limited copies of back issues and annuals are also available. © copyright 2012. all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher. 3x3 magazine is designed by hivelydesigns 631 vanderbilt street second floor brooklyn new york 11218 (p) 718 435 4047. a publication of artisanal media llc. printed in canada.