Thanks to American Express OPEN for sponsoring this post as part of the Big Break for Small Business program. Visit FaceBook.com to learn more about the Big Break contest. Enter your small business for a chance to win a trip to Facebook headquarters for a one-on-one business makeover and $20,000 to grow your business with social media. See Official Rules for complete details.

It’s always strange to stop and think about NOTCOT as a business. Usually shiny objects, exciting inspiration, things to see and places to go get in the way ~ and my mind spins off towards some awesome distraction. But as a business, particularly as a super visual internet business, there are partners and products i can’t imagine getting here without! The evolution of all things NOTCOT has been so gradual ~ fueled by following passions and spontaneous experiments ~ i don’t know if there’s ONE thing that gave it a “big break” ~ but there are definitely major moments when you feel the shift ~ transitions from one level to the next! So perhaps the moment i had to start admitting NOTCOT was bigger than a fun project and i needed to start thinking about bringing on help was one of the biggest ones! When American Express OPEN reached out to sponsor content around what gave NOTCOT its “Big Break” ~ i couldn’t resist this excuse to share some of them with you, and also shout out a huge THANK YOU to them! So take a peek on the next page at what powers the world of NOTCOT (besides giddy passion and a continual hunt for inspiration)!

TO PAGE 2 of "5 Things Powering NOTCOT"! ----->

Tags: business - sponsored

2am is a socially acceptable time to admit secret crushes, right? Well i’ve had a long time intellectual and visual crush on SEED. Broke my heart when the gorgeous print mag ceased to be. And the tagline on their Seed Media Group page title “Science is culture.” i adore. Impeccable design. Brilliant insights. What more could you want? Apparently business cards designed by Sagmeister Inc.. How did i never notice these? When they did the branding ~ the logo is apparently reflective on the letterhead… to “reflect the room, etc.” And the business cards… “version of the portrait of the bearer” ~ aren’t they amazing? I can’t believe i only just discovered them tonight! See more images of the logo, the philosophy behind the designs, and the business cards close up on the next page.

p.s. can you imagine Invader adapting these into tile portraits and taking them to the streets?

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Tags: branding - business - graphic - logo

Worth: The Evolution of Financial Intelligence. There are two aspects to this article. Firstly the design - which was actually enticing enough to make me not only grab a copy and flip through it, but to then purchase it at its pricey 20$ price tag to further dive into its Monocle sized uncoated/matte velum glossy covered magazine and take pictures to share its interesting layout/design choices with you. So on the next page you’ll find many examples of some of my favorite visual details of this recently updated magazine.

The second aspect is the business of it ~ as you’ll see in the video and press releases from just a few months ago, this 18 year old magazine title was acquired by Sandow Media (of LUXE and New Beauty) in 2008 ~ and only 2 issues ago completely redesigned. Not only in look and feel, but also focus and revenue model. In a time where we are watching magazines close monthly, print dinosaurs falter, and online advertising still finding its legs (at least conceptually!) ~ Worth magazine has taken on an interesting concept lead by publisher Patrick Williams (from the Economist and Conde Nast’s Portfolio - which while also beautiful and infographic heavy, didn’t last long): “The Worth Leading Wealth Advisor Program” where essentially they have wealth advisors underwriting the profits of the magazine by having them thoroughly vetted, and if accepted they pay for an opportunity to write articles for the magazine and have 100 copies to distribute (to their clients and potential Worth future readers?). This is in addition to their advertisements as a revenue stream… and their bold move not to allow subscriptions (unless you are considered a high net worth reader and happen upon a free subscription), the only way to acquire Worth is to pay their $18.95 cover price. And Patrick even says in the Bloomberg interview that “We want to be known as the 20 buck magazine, which makes us the most expensive magazine in America.” Funny thing is when i first landed on their site, the most surprising usability issue i encountered was not being able to find a subscribe button, usually they are huge, flashing, or begging you to click them on magazine sites. I guess not being allowed to subscribe will make some want it even more…?

Business aside. Its a gorgeous magazine, and i am quite intrigued by their layouts and typographic decisions. The paper also feels stunning to hold in your hand, and it’s quite an interesting read… awaiting future issues to see if it holds up. Oh, and i’m smitten by the fact that they have lovely Object of Desire pages. See pics on the next page ~ as well as the Bloomberg video.

TO PAGE 2 of "Worth Magazine: Redesign"! ----->

Tags: business - infographics - magazines - paper - print - typography