This article by Anne Perusek, SWE’s director of editorial and publications, was originally published in SWE Magazine in her column, Opening Thoughts.
The print issue of the Fall 2016 SWE Magazine is phase one of an update to SWE’s print and digital offerings. You will discover feature stories and regular departments that have been conceptualized and executed a bit differently than in the past. For starters, we have chosen new fonts, increased our focus on visual elements, and added additional white space. We have reorganized some of our content to make it more readily accessible yet in keeping with the standards and principles that have always guided us.
Results from an extensive readership survey conducted this spring helped inform our process. Promoted on social media, the survey response rate was exceptional. A large number of readers took additional time to submit detailed answers to open-ended questions, providing important feedback and insight — many thanks to all who participated.
To find your way, an “eyebrow” has been added to the top of each editorial page. Look to the top right of the page and the eyebrow informs you in which department you are reading. A gold-tinted tab appears at the top of all the department pages, reinforcing your “location.” Turn a few more pages and the eyebrow points out that you are now in the News & Advocacy section, also a department, which continues through page 23. A new department, Career Pathways, follows the news, replacing the Career Toolbox column that previously ran in the back of the book. (This, because of the number of survey comments requesting more career advice/perspectives and food for thought.)
The feature section, beginning on page 26 with, “As Life Changes, SWE’s Your Constant,” is next and is identified accordingly, with a light-gray tab at the top of the page.
The Yearbook, a long-standing component of the fall, is identified as a special section, beginning on page 50, also with a light-gray tab.
And you won’t want to miss our cover story on Solar Impulse 2 and Paige Kassalen, the only woman engineer on the ground crew of this remarkable solar-powered plane that recently completed its trek around the globe. See “Clean Technology Makes Aviation History” (page 36) for the full story, which we have previewed in recent weeks with a series of blogs on All Together.
A new section, Voices & Views, begins on page 80 with “Working Together to Achieve, Grow, and Thrive: Past President’s Farewell.” Articles here are also regular departments, many of which will be familiar. They are identifiable in the eyebrow with a purple tab above the title.
If the colors in the tabs seem familiar, it’s because they are the colors found in the SWE logo. The tabs are consistent with our overall branding but provide an editorial rather than a marketing look and feel.
With the Conference issue, in time for WE16, we will launch a new magazine app that is responsive to phones and tablets on both iOS and Android platforms. The new app will make it easier than ever to read SWE Magazine regardless of where you might be, using whatever device is at hand.
SWE Magazine Awarded for Publication Excellence
SWE Magazine was recently recognized with five APEX Awards for publication excellence. This international competition, now in its 28th year, honors outstanding work in publishing, from magazines and newsletters to annual reports, campaigns, social media, and websites.
Recognized with top honors was contributor Seabright McCabe, with a Grand Award in the category of writing, for the Advocacy department article, “A Cup of Coffee.” Appearing in the Conference 2015 issue, McCabe’s article detailed issues surrounding family leave and pointed to evidence that paid maternity leave can cost as little as a cup of coffee per employee per week. Compared with the costs of replacing a worker — and the added gains of improved workplace morale and female retention — McCabe maintained that the issue is not, “how can we afford to offer paid maternity leave,” but “how can we afford not to?”
McCabe also received an Award of Excellence for the writing series, “Bullying: Evolving Toward Zero Tolerance.” The articles appeared in the Spring and Fall 2015 issues.
An Award of Excellence in the magazines, journals, and tabloids category was given to me, Anne Perusek, SWE’s director of editorial and publications, for the Spring 2015 issue.
Additionally, an Award of Excellence in feature writing was given to contributor Meredith Holmes for her article, “The Global Infrastructure Crisis,” appearing in the Winter 2016 issue.
Rounding out the honors was art director JoAnn Dickey’s Award of Excellence in design and illustration for the opening spread of “SWE at 65: Women Engineers You Should Know,” which appeared in the Spring 2015 issue.
