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If anything could be blamed for the just-announced shuttering of Blueprint magazine, it could be the current issue's cover, in which a pink (!!) tree is out-sparkled only by the sequined frothiness of the bleached blonde holding a gigantic bauble alongside. Inside we see 20-something editor-in-chief Sarah Humphreys, who writes, "... if Blueprint's taught me anything, it's that there's plenty of room for spiced sugar bomboloni at the Thanksgiving table." Umm. OK, Sarah. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) strayed a little too far from the company's audience of blue-bloods and those who aspire to craft like them with Blueprint, a magazine unfortunately titled (evoking architecture of the blue-collar sort, not "where to find candles made of pink glitter"). It was meant to target the young single urbanite; but what newly-married aspirational New Englander wants a magazine full of recycled Martha Stewart Living projects, mixed with lipstick and gilded fashion advice? Evidently, not many.
The "brand" will be re-envisioned as a way to extend the audience of Martha Stewart Weddings past her nuptials, with occasional "special interest format" magazines (think Martha Stewart Baby), and the Bluelines blog will continue. The January/February 2008 magazine (probably already on the way to newsstands) will be the final standalone issue.
When I got together with my most artsy-crafty-design savvy friends to mourn the shuttering of House & Garden, we sat both magazines next to one another and compared. We agreed that Blueprint, with its insultingly-young editorial staff and its focus on pricey glitter over substance, with the unfulfilled promise of its tagline ("design your life") was vastly inferior to House & Garden. And if the superior is ceasing publication (after 100 years!), what chance did this strange intersection of fashion and shelter mags ever have? None. Far less simple than Real Simple, far less stylish than House & Garden, far less useful than Martha Stewart Living, the title was doomed from the start.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-27-2008 @ 5:00PM
collene hamm said...
Hi, just wanted to know if you can find out? Blue print mag . was doing a story on my husbands cherry wooden cooking spoons in March issue. www.Cpbasils.com wooden cooking spoons .We had sent spoons to ny. for photos and he had given a story to a women. They were featured in Dec. FINE COOKING MAG. Do you know if this story will be put in to another of marthas Magazines??? collene hamm in Pa. 610-683-9330 DID MARTHA get the wooden cooking spoons??? Thank you very much if you can please help me ? His company is Chester P. Basils
Collene Hamm
2-13-2008 @ 7:38AM
johnrichardsroth said...
Let me be the first to comment on this lame post. The day Blueprint died, you decide to write that the title was doomed from the start. You should really be renting out your prescience instead of blogging to an empty room.
For a certain set of suburban Stepford Wives like you, Blueprint was too far ahead of its time. Back to the Dress Barn and Costco you should go--with your tiny little head tucked safely inside your offbrand minivan.