Size Matters. Save A Tree.

You have, no doubt, realized something new about Live Design for 2009: a new size. Now, before anyone goes off on a rant about us changing our format, not to worry. We're the same as we have always been, with just a slight tweak to our trim size, but there's a very good, very green reason for it.

In planning our 2009 budget and looking at production and paper costs, we discovered something alarming. We used a non-standard size of paper (as printed publications go), which we knew, but we didn't realize that we were wasting a good deal of paper, as it had to specifically be cut to that size. And that paper cannot be reused, as it's just scraps of what's trimmed off the larger sheets. So we decided the environmentally responsible thing to do was to leave our old format behind in the name of saving a few trees.

Of course, there will be a few naysayers out there who will claim we just did it to save money, but that was really an added benefit, and honestly, can anyone in this economy afford not to save a little cash moving forward? Happy New Year and all, but while we're wholeheartedly (and finally) embracing the idea as a society to “save a tree,” the last couple of months have also taught us that 2009 might also be the year to “save a dollar.”

Besides, have you seen what magazines have done to their trim sizes recently? Remember the iconic size of Wired? It's already been a couple of years since it down-sized. And how about Rolling Stone? I'm not putting us in Rolling Stone's league (or am I?), but I think it's safe to say that we're in good company.

And if environmental concerns interest you, you'll be glad to see we're dedicating an entire issue to the matter. Be sure to check it out in April, with a focus on all things green, and let me know what you're doing in our industry to keep your carbon footprint the size of a newborn's.