Communication Arts logo |
|
| Frequency | Bi-monthly |
|---|---|
| Circulation | 63,043 [1] |
| Publisher | Patrick Coyne |
| First issue | August 1959 |
| Company | Coyne & Blanchard, Inc. |
| Based in | Menlo Park, CA |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.commarts.com |
| ISSN | 0010-3519 |
Communication Arts is the largest international trade journal of visual communications.[1] Founded in 1959 by Richard Coyne and Robert Blanchard, the magazine’s coverage includes graphic design, advertising, photography, illustration and interactive media. The magazine continues to be edited and published under the guidance of Coyne’s wife Jean and their son Patrick Coyne. Currently, Communication Arts (CA) publishes six issues a year and hosts six creative competitions in graphic design, advertising, photography, illustration, typography and interactive media and two Web sites, commarts.com and creativehotlist.com.
Contents |
The first issue debuted in August 1959 as the Journal of Commercial Art.[2] Among a number of innovations, it was the first U.S. magazine printed by offset lithography.[3] It was also perfect bound. Since there were no commercial perfect binders available, issues were bound by hand in an experiment under an arrangement with Stanford University Press.
Within six months, paid circulation grew to 10,000. Paid advertising, however, was low and CA was not a financial success. After Blanchard left to go into business by himself, Coyne and a small staff continued to write, design, and produce the magazine. Eventually, paid circulation increased to 38,000.[4]
CA’s current audited paid circulation is 63,043[1] and an average of 3.1 people see each issue, giving Communication Arts an estimated reach of 189,129 readers.[5]
To generate additional income and editorial content, CA began an annual juried competition in 1960. Within a few years, the annual competition grew, and eventually segmented into four annual competitions: graphic design, advertising, photography and illustration. A fifth competition, interactive, was added in 1995. All the CA competitions are juried by respected creative professionals who help to establish the annual competitions as benchmarks for excellence.
CA was the first major design publication to launch a Web presence (Communication Arts) in 1995.[6] In addition to showcasing creative work in visual communications, it included job listings. This section grew, and was relaunched in 2001 as a standalone website, Creative Hotlist.
CA’s companion website (Communication Arts) was relaunched in January 2008 and was designed to provide daily inspiration for creative professionals through multiple features. Exhibit features new and innovative projects in graphic design and advertising from around the world. Fresh features the latest work from people, firms and agencies that have been working professionally for five years or less. Webpicks features examples of Web design selected based on a combination of aesthetics, technical expertise, functionality and overall experience. Insights provides inspiration and ideas from well-known/established creative personalities.
These two websites receive approximately three million page views and 250,000 unique visitors per month.[7]