Anna Wintour on Fashion Blogs & the Internet

Like any evolution in the industry, they force you to become better at what you do. Vogue’s in-depth articles and beautiful fashion stories, along with coverage of the arts within a fashion context, is not something that exists in the same way on blogs. They force us to dig deeper for stories, but we’re not competitors; we serve different markets. ...

Every medium serves a great purpose to reach our readers. It’s not about forcing how we choose to present our stories into the same mold. It’s about seeing how our readers interact with each medium, and what we feel each medium has to offer the reader.

— Anna Wintour on how fashion blogs have affected magazine content and whether photography and fashion editorials can exist on the Internet, in an interview with Opening Ceremony.

industry leaders on innovation, print and the web

Samir Husni – that's Mr. Magazine to you – has published a series of brief videos in which industry leaders talk about magazines:

Part 1: Eleanor Griffin, editor-in-chief, Southern Living, on the soul of a magazine; Howard Greenberg, design director, Southern Living, on the differences in innovation between print and web.

Part 2: Jim Sexton, senior vice president and editorial director, Southern Progress Corporation Digital Network, on how print and web complement each other.

Part 3: Lindsay Bierman, editor-in-chief, Coastal Living, on innovation in reinvention.

Part 4: Vicki Wellington, publisher, Food Network magazine, on extending the brand.

Part 5: Trisha McMahon, editor-in-chief and senior vice president for communications and public relations, Morris Visitor Publications’ New York division, on the value of print.

matthew teitelbaum on leadership

CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Matthew Teitelbaum shares a few words in a video on the Globe and Mail website. Here's a bit of what he had to say about managing the Frank Gehry renovation...

On leadership:

"My job as a leader was, in a general sense, to give people the tools to do the best job they could."

On goal setting:

"Keep alive the short-, medium- and long-term goal."

On change:

"At the very root of this project is the notion of change. And in any change process, there is an extraordinary sense of loss. My experience is, if you don't anticipate the loss, if you don't somehow talk to what people have to give up, then you can't keep them with you. So you have to talk about what they're giving up in the language of what you're going to create for them. And when you do that, you can keep diverse interests together because everyone feels that they're part of the end goal."

On relaying a vision:

"Leadership is about clearly articulating, to the best of your ability, the path to the goal. Repeat the goal, repeat the goal. ... Keep your eye on the goal and find effective, powerful ways to communicate that in different ways."

On work relationships:

"To lead a process of change, you have to empathize both with what people are getting and what people are giving up. So stay close to the people who you need as your community and really listen. Stay close to them, create the relationship, listen so you can move forward because a change process is painful."

words of wisdom from designer chris pullman

At his retirement party back in October, Vice President for Design of public broadcaster WGBH Boston Chris Pullman shared a few thoughts on what he's learned over the years, from Design Observer.

"Work on things that matter. ... Given all the ways you could use your skills and your valuable time, pick something that serves the greater good."

"Work with people you like and respect. ... Since April, when I first announced my intention to leave WGBH, the private expression of these feelings has been so gratifying, both personally and professionally, that I recently suggested that maybe we should institute the policy of encouraging individuals to make periodic “mock retirement” announcements, with the goal of releasing more regularly the flow of kind remarks for the nourishment of the individual, since we are otherwise so reticent to praise or encourage others in our busy, self-centered daily lives."

"Be nice. And be positive. And be respectful of the work of others. Strive to understand each others professional contributions and then respect them (as you would want them to respect you) with your actions and your comments. Remember: we are all applying our own particular skills towards a shared objective."

"Have high standards. Don’t settle for “whatever.” The corrosive Dilbert mind-set is depressing and demeaning. Wherever you choose to work, don’t give it a foothold. I prefer the “see you and raise you one” escalation of good ideas, even crazy ideas."