What Do You Think of Our New Look?
We asked, and you answered鈥攚ith a record number of letters about the new Bulletin.
What do you think? Leave a comment at the end of this story to let us know.
Opinion runs 2-to-1 positive with the most frequently expressed complaint focused on the font size鈥攁n issue we鈥檝e addressed in subsequent issues.
Herewith, a representative sampling of what you had to say.
Plus, two Bulletin veterans who apprenticed under legendary editor Skip Shakespeare offer competing views of what their mentor might think.
News of the death of Skip Winter Mason Shakespeare 鈥50 in the Winter 2017 issue was unexpected and sad, but its coinciding with the debut of the magazine鈥檚 鈥╢resh new look was, for me, a sweet reminder of Skip鈥檚 most prominent contribution to the Bryn Mawr community: her many years producing intellectually and aesthetically stimulating Alumnae Bulletins. I served as Skip鈥檚 assistant and associate editor at the Bulletin, and some of the most valuable lessons I learned from her came as a result of our perpetual quest to find dynamic balance between innovation and tradition, between challenging our readers and remaining a familiar space for convening community. Skip鈥檚 professional fearlessness was key鈥. So, I love the Bulletin鈥檚 new format and design (as I believe Skip would have, also) 鈥╢or the energy and thoughtfulness 鈥╥t embodies. May you鈥攏o, may all of us鈥斺╟ontinue to be bold and fearless and to flourish in these balancing acts that are our work and our lives. 鈥碍补迟丑测&苍产蝉辫;狈别耻蝉迟补诲迟&苍产蝉辫;鈥73
With the three attractive 鈥╯tudents in coordinating 鈥╟lothing on the cover I thought it was a retail catalog and luckily took another look before 鈥╰ossing it into the recycle bin. I鈥檓 not objecting to the format, but it might have been a good idea to give us a heads-up with an e-blast. Also, the text in the Class Notes section really needs to be darker with 鈥╰he reduced point size. 鈥惭别濒辞诲别别&苍产蝉辫;厂颈别驳别濒&苍产蝉辫;碍辞谤苍补肠办别谤&苍产蝉辫;鈥60
I LOVE the magazine. I had always read it, but this format helps it reach a whole new level of excellence. And I鈥檓 75 years old鈥攕o please don鈥檛 think that the more zippy look will appeal only to millennials. The content has a great balance in length and subject matter, and I guess more than anything else, the magazine seems to reflect so much of what is unique about Bryn Mawr. 鈥Marilou Hyson, Ph.D. 鈥79
I was once upon a time 鈥╝n assistant editor, 鈥╬hotographer, columnist, and chief bottle washer for the Bulletin, along with editor Skip Mason. Curmudgeonly me took an immediate dislike to the new publication. Not to speak too freely on behalf of Skip, 鈥╞ut she-who-loved-the-鈥╨ayout is probably spinning in her grave. My first impression was that it was a clothing catalog. Once I realized that it was our magazine, I took it out of the trash and really looked at it.
So these are the things I like: The photographs and 鈥╟reative use of a graph on SGA and font sizes. The variety of layout and articles make it interesting and readable. The size means I can throw 鈥╥t in my purse to read.
What I don鈥檛 like: The front looks like a catalog or admissions piece. The size means I almost threw it out as junk mail and not a magazine. The articles are very short. 鈥↖ used to love sitting back and reading in-depth pieces. Less large photographs, 鈥╩ore text! 鈥Libby White 鈥80
Just beautiful. I am sitting here at my desk with little sparkling tears in the corners of my eyes. What more to say than this is just a stunning publication? The new Bulletin is 100 percent a beautiful testament to Mawrter history, diversity, and futurity, and it was just what I needed. 鈥斺Lee Wacker 鈥12
Fresh and bright and so new. BMC leads the way again. 鈥Juliet Goodfriend 鈥63
Although I like the compact size of the new Bulletin, the tiny type is very taxing for my aging eyes! It鈥檚 as if you took the old version and simply shrank it, shrank everything, including the typeface. Sadly and frustratingly, I find it really hard to read. 鈥Elizabeth Rouech茅 Krijgsman 鈥66
Wow! The new Alumnae Bulletin is absolutely 鈥╯mashing. It鈥檚 elegant, easy on the eye, and inviting鈥攋ust draws readers into the always-interesting material inside. Fabulous job: kudos!
鈥Sue Halpern Bryant 鈥53
I liked the older version just fine. If it ain鈥檛 broke, don鈥檛 fix it! 鈥Nancy White 鈥60
I love the new Bulletin. 鈥═he new size makes it easy for me to put it in my purse so I can read it on my 鈥╟ommute to class. I also think the new design and format give it a fresh and exciting look, highlighting both the intellect (it looks like a sociology journal subscription) and creativity of the Bryn Mawr student. Thank you for making me look forward to checking 鈥╩y mail for once! 鈥Jomaira Salas Pujols 鈥13
I do find the new Bulletin both good-looking and interesting. I鈥檓 sorry I missed the first issue; perhaps as as Libby White 鈥80 suggested I threw it out as a catalog? Two suggestions:
1. I鈥檓 sure there probably exists already software which could highlight and count in an entire issue the references to what various alumnae gained by having gone to a women鈥檚 college; once this has been done, I suggest that the editor limit the number of such statements in a given issue. We all, in one way or another, have profited greatly from attending a women鈥檚 college, but the repeated statement becomes irritating after a while. It鈥檚 great to read about the outcome, the interesting and worthwhile things fellow Mawrtyrs have done, but drip 鈥rip 鈥 drip 鈥
2. I no longer have a pica ruler, but a rough line count indicates that Class Notes and the obituaries at the end of that section are in approximately the same font with approximately the same leading. The wider column of the obits is much easier for this elderly alumna to read with her elderly eyesight! 鈥Chris Fischer Lilly '55
When the newly-designed Bulletin arrive a few months ago, I gasped with delight. We had finally got rid of those tacky lower-case letters, making a right turn in the upper right corner. When that version of the Bulletin first came out, I thought, 鈥淲hat? They actually paid someone for this design?鈥 The Roman letters and the wide-armed W are in sync with Bryn Mawr. Don鈥檛 go back. 鈥Judy Mellow '57
Published on: 05/10/2017