1 September 2001
InTech redesign mirrors market's new wave
By Greg Hale
Just a few months ago, Rockwell CEO Don Davis stunned industry analysts when he declared his company and its peers were already in a recession. "People keep talking about how we don't have a recession going on. . . . That does not apply to the manufacturing sector of this economy."
Davis focused on what his company could do to adapt. He said a key area of the growth for his company, recession or not, was in the services arena. He created a new group focused on services and, instead of hiding from the truth, hit the market with a new idea and approach.
Likewise, InTech sees a need to adapt now, despite changing market conditions. We see the world of process and discrete control merging into a single instrumentation, systems, and automation market, one far more reliant on computer technology. As you can see between the covers of this edition, we are redesigning the magazine to reflect that outlook.
The new design retains all the essential editorial and technical elements you currently enjoy in InTech, but it will now have a more contemporary look. We believe this approach will appeal to a wider range of readers, including younger engineers, technicians, and other instrumentation, systems, and automation users.
Art director Vanessa Harris, graphic designer Dawn Miller, and design consultant Anna Rubino have developed a new look that works perfectly with InTech's new direction.
Our departments will now have a different look and feel. The features-the traditional stronghold of our magazine-will continue with their solid technical focus. They will remain a showcase for the magazine.
"The industry is moving faster and faster every day, and our readers need a stronger sensory experience now than ever before," Harris said. "Our goal is to make InTech an exciting visual place for our readers."
"Our new design helps assist in the communication process to the readers," Rubino said. "The magazine needs to reflect upon the ebb and flow of the content. It's a responsibility of the visual media to remain fresh. In the Internet and television environment, it's most imperative that print media keep pace."
Whether it is a technical publication or a consumer book you buy on the newsstand, a magazine needs personality and dimension, and with our new look we have accomplished both requirements. This redesign does not represent the end but rather the beginning as all instrumentation, systems, and automation users, along with InTech, head into new territories.
It's funny—InTech has been around for 48 years and has built a reputation for being an industry leader. This redesign shows we aren't afraid to be out front on the leading edge.
What do you think? Talk to me: ghale@isa.org or (919) 990-9275. IT
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