Another One Bites the Dust
by habituallychic
12 . 11 . 07
Bye Bye Blueprint. According to a memo sent yesterday from Susan Lyne at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Blueprint is folding. First House and Garden and now Blueprint. Am I going to have to start my own shelter magazine just so we have something to read?! Jeez. Good thing the UK and Australia continue to publish fabulous magazines, otherwise, my local newsstand might have to go out of business soon.
From: Communications Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 10:51 AM
To: MSO Subject: Memo from Susan Lyne
MEMO FROM SUSAN LYNE
After much discussion and analysis we have made a decision to produce Blueprint as focused special interest issues within the home category, which we will introduce to brides-to-be through our Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. Bluelines, the Blueprint blog, will continue and we plan to grow Blueprint digital content across our websites. We will discontinue publishing Blueprint magazine on a stand-alone basis after the January/February 2008 issue.
Our strategic plans also call for continuing to build our overall Martha Stewart Weddings business by adding destination weddings issues and further developing our weddings website.
We believe Blueprint will be more sustainable if leveraged as part of the established Martha Stewart Weddings franchise. Both appeal to women at a similar life stage and we believe this strategy will allow us to better take advantage of the synergistic relationship between the two publications. By publishing Blueprint in a special interest format, we can provide newlyweds with useful ideas and inspiration for their homes; and advertisers with a targeted platform to reach this highly desirable consumer.
The moves enable us to redirect a portion of our investment dollars into other high-potential digital media initiatives, further develop our Martha Stewart Weddings franchise and create efficiencies in our Publishing business. There will be a reduction in staff associated with not publishing Blueprint as a full-frequency magazine, but we expect to re-assign a core team of employees to existing businesses and new projects at MSLO.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Sarah, Deb, and Amy, and the entire Blueprint team for the talent, passion, and devotion they brought to this start-up. We love what they created and we’ll miss reading Blueprint in print on a regular basis. But we believe these changes will position the company well in this evolving marketplace. We look forward to working with Sarah, Deb, Amy, and other members of the Blueprint team on the new special interest issues and other company endeavors.
Susan
And what are us single gals supposed to read??? I’m not buying Martha Stewart Living Weddings for design advice, thank you very much! If Elle Decor or Domino ever fold, I’m gonna cry!
32 Comments
oh this is so sad! i really loved this magazine & thought it had a great market.
*sniff*
That’s really really upsetting being I’ve just began reading this magazine!!
I’m so sad to hear this. I just discovered this magazine this year and it quickly became one of my favorites.
Seriously…I liked this magazine because it wasn’t geared towards weddings, babies and household things. Guess no one is interested in single women demographics which stinks because there are a lot of us!
Seriously…I liked this magazine because it wasn’t geared towards weddings, babies and household things. Guess no one is interested in single women demographics which stinks because there are a lot of us!
I really liked this magazine too. I guess I will add it to the pile of magazines they no longer publish that I am now collecting. Sniff sniff indeed.
I hadn’t read this before (I could never find it on the newstands here)…so looks we might all have to chip in together to start our own magazine!! I think I might write a letter to Elle Decor HK and insist they start publishing bi-lingual!
Beach Bungalow 8 must be dancing in the streets. She hated Blueprint with a vengance.
I’m a Blueprint subscriber (free offer), however, I must say, all MSL titles have a certain coldness and lack of soul that puts them right up there with AD in my book. So I really won’t be missing it much.
Now domino, on the other hand, has me on the edge of my seat every f*cking month! It usually arrives late, by which time I’m panicked (did it get lost? when is it coming dammit!). It’s truly a magazine for these times. There are at least half a dozen new things in it that grab me each month. (Hello? Chloe Warner, how cute is that girl’s apartment?) I wish they’d make it fatter, meatier and turn it into a weekly! i can’t take the wait between issues!
To hopefully fill the void Blueprint leaves: our little Aussie homes & lifestyle mag http://www.reallivingmag.com.au
Suzy, You should definitely contact Elle Decor HK and suggest your plan! You have nothing to loose and maybe you can help launch it! Carpe Diem!
CL Fan, I was thinking about Megan at BB8. Maybe she was sticking pins in a voodoo doll!
I can see your point about the coldness but I think they always had amazing photography and interesting ideas.
I also wish Domino was bigger. I will say that they pack a lot into a small package but maybe they can add more to the website to keep us satiated between issues. I used to have a subscription but I hated seeing it on the newsstand before it arrived and I ended up buying a second copy. I was obsessed!
Belinda, I love Living Etc. and Australian Vogue Living. I hate paying more for them but it’s always worth it!
When I first heard of the decision I was a bit bother because I think I just renewed my subscription. Ugh….
Major bummer. I really liked this magazine too. It really makes me sad that cool design mags like this can’t thrive. 🙁
Chic, I think with your fab taste, contacts galore and plethora of readers… you should simply begin an underground mag. Gone are the days of these glossy ad infested rags… obviously they see the market has change and they close because they run it as a business…we all like a good bottom line, but let’s see a fresh approach that will focus on US! The audience is there, just need the right combination of ideas, writers and photographers to join in the fight for design. Luke, it’s your destiny.
Me, Myself and I, Rumor is that you will probably get Martha Stewart Weddings instead now which could be weird if you’re already married or even single. Not sure I’d want to explain that to my boyfriend. He’d probably run for the hills.
Cakespy, I hope this is the last magazine to fold for a while. As much as I love the internet, nothing beats flipping though a shelter mag and ripping out tear sheets.
Lissa, I’ve already been doing a little brainstorming. I’ll keep you posted!
Something is definitely happening in the magazine industry. Dare I say blogs? I adore Blueprint and I believe they pulled the plug way too soon. I’m 40+ and it’s one of my favorites. They’ve missed the mark on the true demographic of the publication.
I cringe every time I do it, because I’m a devout singleton, but I do buy Martha Stewart Weddings. I just love all the ideas for party planning etc.
At least they’re keeping Blueprint as an online entity. As a blogger and online writer this is good news. Our medium is finally being recognized for flexibility, immediacy and community.
Libert Post Editor, I was talking to a friend about how the future of magazines is online but I still enjoy reading a paper magazine. If magazines become obsolete, what am I supposed to read on a plane when I can concentrate on a book and have no internet access? I think there is room for both but it seems like the publishers don’t think so.
As for Blueprint, I enjoyed it and so did my mother. I was under the impression that it appealed to a wide audience but I guess I was wrong. Oh well.
Jane, I too have purchased MS Weddings but then felt compelled to hide it for fear some guy I was dating thought I was crazy. It does have great ideas.
I wonder if the Blueprints site will change at all now that the magazine is folding. It will be interesting to see what happens. I’ve looked at it a few times but thought that myself and other bloggers were writing about more intereting topics.
No kidding, what is going on? Are they really not making that much money ….it really sucks, i loved their magazine too.
Jen Ramos
‘Earth Friendly DESIGNER Cards’
http://www.madebygirl.com
I am sad and unhappy.
What the heck…my sub will turn into MS weddings???? I’ve been married 9 years already!
Jennifer, I have been discussing magazines non-stop with friends and it’s so sad that ad sales determine the success of a magazine even if it’s beautifully designed. I feel like they didn’t even give them that much time to make a profit. Such a shame.
Vie Chaotique, I am sad and unhappy too!
Me, Myself and I, Maybe if you contact them, they will substitute MS Living or Everyday Food, that is if you don’t already subscribe to them.
I was browsing around some blogs & stumbled upon Habitually Chic… terrific blog! But I didn’t know about Blueprint being discontinued and I’m disappointed to hear that – it’s such a great publication for simple design ideas
If there are any other magazines you want to get rid of, just let me know and I’ll renew my subscription (it happened with this and H&G). I’m a little nervous about sending my card back to Vogue!?!?
Thanks Meredith! It really is a shame about Blueprint. I hope something else comes along to replace it but I’m not gonna hold my breath 🙁
Laura, I would like to think Vogue is safe since it’s been around forever but you really never know these days! I love Men’s Vogue but I am scared they are going to be the next to fold.