Sound + Vision Redesigned

What's the audience for Sound + Vision? Who is your average reader?

The traditional S+V audience is a fortysomething tech-savvy male, and in terms of spending power and influence, our readers are comparable to Esquire readers. We've been the No. 1 brand in the A/V tech-related category for decades and that's a great thing indeed, but we know we need to bring the next generation into the high-fidelity/high-quality fold. Applying our high-definition values to however people use their electronics gear these days shows any generation that the "S+V way" is something that's exciting and worthwhile to pursue and enjoy wherever they are - at home, in the car, and/or on the go. And the magazine's redesign gives us the proper, forward-thinking platform for doing just that, something that's reflected quite well in our new tagline: "Quality Entertainment. Everywhere."

What is the niche for the magazine - what differentiates it from other entertainment magazines?

Sound + Vision is uniquely positioned in the marketplace in that we cover the technical aspects of entertainment from the experts' point of view. Artists and musicians like discussing the merits of sound quality and recording techniques with us exclusively because they know we speak their language - and, quite tellingly, that we can get those kinds of details across to a mass audience in an interesting way. In addition to that, manufacturers of products like high-definition TVs, speakers, media servers and other gear and gadgets come to us first with their top-drawer products because they know our long-respected, no-nonsense experts evaluate gear from both the test bench in the lab and in real-world applications. For many manufacturers, getting the S+V Certified & Recommended stamp of approval is a product's Holy Grail.

S+V has been around for 53 years and counting, and in our previous life we were known as Stereo Review. So we've been at the forefront of showing readers how to get the best out of their audio and video hardware and software choices for decades. Our competitors range from Rolling Stone and Spin to Home Theater and Stereophile, but none of them can do what we do the way we do it.


What was the biggest challenge in doing the redesign?

The biggest challenge was actualizing the idea that all stories do not have to unfold in a purely linear fashion - i.e., that they do not have to follow a strict column-by-column format. Luckily, I had Creative Director Sam Syed on the case - he's a true design visionary who inherently understood how to bring S+V to the next level visually by coming up with bolder layout designs, vibrant fonts and colors, and eye-pleasing story flow. It's a great template that sets the stage for where we can - and will - go next.


What is the coolest thing with the new magazine?

The coolest thing has been seeing the new S+V literally come to life on the iPad - it's the digital extension of the brand and its exciting future. Again, the magazine's redesign has given us the necessary platform to bring the core concepts of sound and vision into the interactive 21st century. Reading an exclusive new or longer review or interview while hearing an audioclip or watching a videoclip related to what's being discussed really brings it all together. It's exciting to actually assign, direct and sometimes write a story knowing that it will be presented in multiple layers and have a number of access points that all serve to enhance the readers' enjoyment and enlightenment of the subject at hand.


What's been the reaction so far?

Passionate! New and younger readers love it and have embraced it right out of the box. Longtime readers are embracing it as well, though it's true that the senses of some of the, shall we say, more traditional readers have been "challenged." But that's ok too; what all of these reactions tell me is that our audience is very enthusiastic about the subject matter and its presentation, and is deeply invested in our ongoing future. And the future of S+V looks quite bright from where I'm sitting.