Mail: Change is Hard

Readers offer positive and negative reactions to Inc's recent redesign. Also, an update on J'Amy Owens, the Diva of Retail.

Our recent redesign has inspired a fever of letter writing -- passionate communiquÉs expressing both displeasure and delight. We're listening to all the critiques and hoping for more. By shooting E-mail to editors@inc.com, you too can weigh in. We look forward to hearing from you.

Change Is Hard
Some longtime subscribers have expressed the fear that the transformation of their trusted business bible came at the expense of meaty content.

Lots of pictures and one-page articles may work for People magazine, but I would much rather see in-depth and insightful reporting that gives me ideas on how to run a better business. Historically, Inc has been the only magazine that is truly tailored to the information needs of the owners of small and midsize businesses. Please don't abandon that heritage in the interest of a slick format and additional advertising space.

Michael Edmonds
President
Cobb Tool Inc.
Mableton, Ga.

I started my own magazine-publishing company in 1984 and shortly thereafter became a subscriber to Inc. Of all the business magazines I get, this one has been most relevant to my needs over the years. Imagine my surprise, then, when Inc arrived disguised as Fast Company: same size, same stock, same bold headlines, and same colorful illustrations. While I agree that a redesign was necessary, your new look is not easier to read or navigate. I did find an interesting article after wading through the whole messy thing. At least the writing hasn't been tampered with.

Brad Hughes
President
Fanfare Communications Group
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Editor's note: Inc and Fast Company do share the same design director, Patrick Mitchell, who won a National Magazine Award in 2000.

Oversized typefaces, in-your-face photos, sensationalist or tabloid-style writing with little or no organization -- all portend very bad things for Inc. I think I'll start up a Web site called "f****dmagazine.com."

James Butt
Owner
Art Casuals
Elkins Park, Pa.

The new look is very cool, very hip, with lots of good pictures. In fact, any given page of the editorial content is just as eye-catching as the ad it faces. Which is precisely the problem -- there is no clear typographical or design distinction between the advertising and the articles. I normally read Inc cover to cover, but this issue made my head hurt. In contrast, Inc's Web site is easy to read, offers quick access to content, and provides ad copy that is noticeable and distinct. Now I actually know what was in the magazine.

Dr. Mary Z. Fuka
President
Quetzal Biomedical Inc.
Durango, Colo.

At the risk of reflecting my 68-year-old traditionalist perspective, I must state my disappointment with Inc's "new look." Rather than being big, bold, and dramatic, it is cumbersome, trendy, and annoyingly confusing. The conservative, understated dignity of the publication has apparently been sacrificed to the visions of millennium creative types who could not resist messing with a format that so many of us found acceptable. Nonetheless, I wish you well in the years ahead.

Edward H. Kuljian
Consultant
Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Thumbs Up
Not all readers were rattled by Inc's revamp. For some, it deepened their sense of attachment. One lapsed page-turner even says it persuaded him to give us a second try.

Just when other magazines seem to be fading out or starving, it was a shot of confidence to see the investment that Inc has made in this nation's entrepreneurs. I enjoyed everything from the look and feel of the magazine to its on-target content, and I easily spent twice the time with this edition as I did with the old ones. And I feel I got three times more value out of it.

David Shepherd
CEO
David Shepherd & Associates
Austin

Congratulations on your extraordinary new design, expanded content, and even more professional "look." I have always valued Inc's thorough reporting and broad coverage of so many topics of importance to owners and managers of growing companies. The articles are even more informative than those that characterized the "old" Inc.

Erik L. Johansson
West Hartford, Conn.

You have earned at least one reader back. Your team is right on the money with the magazine's wholesale redesign and fresh new approach in terms of tone and editorial lineup. Thank you for retooling your product. Small, medium, and growing businesses need a true voice. Inc has recaptured it.

Lyle Goodis
Vice-President of Marketing and
Corporate Development
Axiom Interactive Inc.
Toronto