Redesigning Facet

You may have noticed, if you’re a longtime subscriber, that this issue of Facet, the museum’s quarterly newsletter, has a new look. The previous design launched in 2011, with the opening of our new wing, almost 10 years ago, and it was time to revisit it, much as we loved the oversized format. We surveyed many of you to find out what you liked and didn’t like about the previous format, the types of articles we include and more. And then we talked. And talked. And talked.

We looked at newsletters and member magazines from museums across the country, seeing how they approached design and content. We made lots of notes on what we liked, what seemed to fit with our needs as an academic institution and what we thought we might be able to do within our limited budget. We wanted to do a diecut on the cover, for example, but nixed it as not cost effective and the kind of thing that might get snagged in mailing machines.

We think you’ll find the new format a little more usable although just as fun and design-forward as ever. You said you wanted more articles on works from the collection. You got it. You wanted a slightly smaller trim size. We did that, too. You wanted us to keep the emphasis on art. That was never in doubt.

We aligned the look more strongly with UGA’s brand guidelines, with fonts and colors that draw from the strong brand of our parent organization. And we thought about some creative solutions. For example, a cover wrap, not visible in the digital version of Facet, protects the outside of the magazine, serves as a table of contents and allows us to do a pull-out calendar of events in an affordable way. We think the new format is more flexible (better for small and large articles alike) and more readable while still being driven first and foremost by art.

You can read the current issue of Facet as well as past issues on our website. To get a print copy in your mailbox, become a Friend + Contributing Member(opens in new tab). For the time being, we’re only printing enough copies to mail to that membership category, but we do plan to return to distributing it in the lobby whenever we feel that it is safe to put out printed material again.