Less Control, More Circulation

Today there's literally a magazine for every special-interest reader. The industry term for these publications is "controlled circulation."

Mailed to people who simply ask for them, these publications report on topics that appeal to a narrowly-targeted segment of readers. Distributing a magazine this way can offer an advertiser exquisitely focused market coverage. For readers, these magazines offer content that speaks directly to them.

Like their consumer magazine competition, successful controlled-circulation publications try to reach as wide an audience as possible. But their topics are highly specific, and that can be challenging to many good editors and designers. How often can one get excited about LANs, WANs and wireless local loops?

When the folks who produce Global Telephony asked us for a redesign, we suggested letting go of some of their notions about how controlled-circulation magazines ought to behave.

Publication Design Portfolio