Here's an appealing soft-focus glimpse of a spread from the upcoming issue. It's an abecedary of writing. I spent an entire day laying out this spread over the Christmas break, and it was totally worth it! It was completely enjoyable to immerse myself in design, with no distractions of running the shop or answering the phone or shipping orders.

With issue 4, I have indulged much more time into finessing the page layouts and typographic details. When you're the publisher, editor, art director and designer, I figure you can do things like that! It might mean that occassionally it takes longer to get the issue off to the printer, but if a few extra days allow me to put the icing on the already-delicious cake, then that's ok. I want each issue to be the best possible experience for our readers, but also for me as a designer: to push my skills, learn about design and refine my abilities.

As a result of my growth as a publication designer, confidence in our content and intimate familiarity with the magazine, I've introduced some new features to the design, typography and organization of the magazine. I look forward to sharing these with you in the weeks leading up to the launch of issue 4.