VM+SD magazine won first place in the nationwide Ozzie competition for Excellence in Magazine Design. The Gold Medal was for there design the magazine debuted in October 2000.
The awards, sponsored annually by Folio: magazine, were announced at the 2001 Folio: Show at the Hilton Hotel in New York, in October. VM+SD won first place in its category: Best redesign for a magazine with a circulation of less than 35,000.
In entering the competition, VM+SD associate publisher Carole Winters wrote: “As a trade publication for a specialized design-savvy readership, we practiced what we preach: Good design is good business.”
VM+SD worked with Gensler, the well-known San Francisco-based architecture and design firm, on the redesign. Gensler was the 2000AIA Architecture Firm of the Year. The actual design work came from Gensler's Washington, D.C., office.
The new magazine design features an asymmetrical grid, more white space, new typefaces, new logo and more opportunities for large photos as well as detail shots.
The 2001 competition drew entries from nearly 1800 publications around the country. Folio:, the prestigious trade magazine for the magazine publishing industry, is produced by Media Central, a division of Primedia.