Land+Living: death of a GIANT

death of a GIANT
Category: DesignBOT
Posted by: Adriean on 7/19/2006 10:31:00 PM | Digg | Stumble It! | del.icio.us
review of issue 13

For those of you who follow entertainment magazine GIANT on a consistent basis, recently released issue #13 was quite a shot to the gut.

What once catered to the average Joe now seems geared towards those featured on MTV's 'Cribs'. I think the bit about the new Editor-in-Chief co-hosting a tasting of "the oldest and most exquisite cognacs of Hennesy's cellar" drove home the message to the old readers that they're no longer needed. This was now a VIP party that even Puffy would be envious of.

Now for those not familiar with GIANT, it was originally launched as 'The Ultimate Entertainment Magazine' which at times really was not that far off from the truth. It's coverage of everything from video games to cult movies to attainable fashion made you hold onto it like a collectable. The photos were big, bold and eye catching like one would expect from a mag called GIANT. It was just something you looked forward to every other month that helped take your mind off the daily grind and just chill. Though it could be dismissed as 'fluff', it was still ours and we loved it.

Current issue #13 still maintains some of the same content, but the feeling is just not there anymore. I mean do we really need 14 pages dedicated to Beyonce? Even seeing the revamped cover for the first time was enough to make you say 'uh-oh'. Gone was the big, bold title font only to be replaced by a dumbed down, VIBE knock-off. Plus the fact they shrunk the size of the magazine made it somewhat amusing. I mean really, it's called GIANT not 'Little Person'. Overall the entire mag feels like sifting through 160 pages of Calvin Klein ads circa 1992 as opposed to a modern day explosion of information and entertainment.

This review will no doubt remind L+L readers of the question raised about DWELL where we asked if they should continue with their path at that time or maintain their image to appease the original readers. The response was and still is overwhelming, which just shows how passionate readers really can be about their beloved mainstays.

Link: GIANT

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fully agree
Posted by Nik on 7/20/2006 9:05:00 AM

What a terrible redesign this was. I'm no design guru, but I know enough to know I don't want to read future issues like this one.

Posted by Rob Austin on 7/20/2006 10:04:00 AM

Folks - if you don't like the redesign - email the "big guys" directly:

Founder/President: jamie.hooper@giantmag.com
Editor: smokey.fontaine@giantmag.com

Let them know how much they screwed it up.

--*Rob

Agree
Posted by Ex Giant Fan on 7/20/2006 10:11:00 AM

The new GIANT really is a tragedy to the publishing world. One of the few magazines I bought, and read every word of. The new GIANT didn't have a single article worth reading. And the look is just awful. Like if VANITY FAIR merged with VOGUE. A magazine originally intended for males who outgrew MAXIM is now for women who also read GLAMOUR.

Also, email the letters to the editor at letters@giantmag.com

so sad
Posted by wow on 7/20/2006 10:50:00 AM

this jaime hooper guy must be a complete moron

Giant Gossip
Posted by Anonymous on 7/20/2006 2:38:00 PM

http://tinyurl.com/hwj2v (jossip.com)

Did everyone see this?

The Reasons?
Posted by Also Agree on 7/20/2006 2:42:00 PM

It looks like Jamie or Smokey has started posting on the Giant site. A message from this afternoon that was fairly nasty was probably from one of them.

From looking at the jossip site (which I had never heard of before today) I think I see the reason. They have items that the magazine wasn't doing well, and that Hooper was trying to sell it to Mark Ecko (who is profiled in #13). The redesign is most likely an attempt to find a new buyer, to get rid of it.

10 Reasons Giant 2.0 Sucks
Posted by Scott in Columbus on 7/20/2006 8:37:00 PM

Giant 1.0 was like a beloved visit from a cool (yes, slightly nerdy) fanboy. I posted on the Giant website the following:

10 Reasons Why the New Giant Sucks:

1. The table of contents. Should help the reader–this is a dump.

2. Giant Profiles. Wow. Really, wow. Reeks of pr kiss and pay offs. Who cares about the hustle of writer Marisha Pessl (in a Karen Walker belt), art dealer Zach Feuer (in a Sean John tie) or fashion stylist June Ambrose (in HER OWN necklace). Who. Really. Cares.

3. Pictures of the New Editor Smokey D. Fontaine enjoying a Hennessy XO

4. Guidance Counselor Proclamations of Giant’s Worth. “Giant testifies that living the dream is not just possible, but assured. These pages present the talent, ambition and success of our generation as a mirror. We are our own heroes. Celebrity has a new definition. The dream is big. The magazine is Giant.” Testifies? Assured? Mirror of …? While this makes no sense, it does make me giggle like a schoolgirl.

5. You’ve. Smokey D. Fontaine wrote “you’ve.”

6. Hyperbole. Count the times the word “most” is used. You’ve been given your assignment. Start with Smokey da Exagerator’s column.

7. The article “Where Are My Summer Jams” notes that “This year Diddy, Justin Timberlake and even Guns N’ Roses have skipped summer to go after year end profits….” Ummm, G N’ R have skipped lots of summers in delaying their latest release. No Google?

8. Vogue? Lots of glamour shots of lovely Beyonce in fab outfits. Fine for the gay brothers planning their next Halloween outfit.

9. Hustle. From Smokey Da Exagerator’s column to the Giant Profile to the last article on the last page, titled, wait for it, “Hustle.” Jeez the cheeze.

10. That Table of Contents. I am still in awe.

I never worked for Giant. I subscribed after seeing a copy in the gym. The only future delivery from Giant that I am looking forward to is the refund check for $7.97 from Iowa.

SO Disappointing!
Posted by ardramina@hotmail.com on 7/20/2006 9:19:00 PM

I was in shock when I saw this new incarnation! Not at all the same magazine, and I LOVED the old one. As a lover of film and culture other than the mass produced Walmart promoted variety it was a breath of fresh air. Now I wonder what I'm going to read?!?

love thy GIANT
Posted by Adriean on 7/20/2006 10:11:00 PM

Pretty surprised at the response both here and GIANT's website. Show's how people (including myself)really did love the mag.

Hopefully we'll get a response from the Editor as well as the Publisher. Only fair to hear their reasoning behind the revamp.

All about business..
Posted by Rob Austin on 7/21/2006 5:21:00 AM

Posted this on the Giant site:

Two points:

1 - This is not unlike a format flip of a radio station. In those cases, management usually says nothing, stays the course, and blows off all the old listeners in favor of attracting all the new ones. These things are done for business reasons and are usually carefully planned out, with plans in place to deal with advertisers. In fact - the ultimate goal of any magazine is to bring as many eyes to their advertisers. They do this by providing content to hit their target demographic - which appears to have changed.

2 - The difference is that people pay to subscribe to magazines, whereas with radio because it’s free it’s easier to blow off. So - because people paid for one product and now are receiving another - they absolutely should (and as far as I can tell have been) refunding their money. That all said - I think that people are ultimateky disappointed because they created a connection to the magazine - it spoke to them and their lifestyle in a way no other magazine did. But if that didn’t bring in the advertisers or the results for the advertisers they wanted, then management had to do something to get results.

So what’s the point? Business always overrides public passion for a product. Eventually, you get over it. But not without a lot of complaining.

That said - I doubt very much that the staff cares - they’ve made their business decision and will likely stick by it.

It’s funny - I was at the mall yesterday and I saw the new issue of Giant on the news rack in the bookstore. It was merchandised between Smooth and Vibe.

Right below it in the next rack down was the last issue - with Emilie De Ravin on the cover. It was merchandised in between Entertainment Weekly and Premiere. That speaks volumes does it not?

–*Rob

Nice post Rob
Posted by A Giant 1.0 Fan on 7/21/2006 11:02:00 AM

The radio station analogy works really well in this case. Our favorite talk radio station has just gone hip hop. Sure, hip hop is popular, but there are many other hip hop stations out there, and this was the only talk station.

And if they would just admit they made a massive change, rather than say it is still an entertainment magazine, that would be fine.

If it sells less than 60,000 copies on the stands, then I guess I can't blame them. It is disappointing, but that is the publishing industry.

Just like the 70's had National Lampoon, the 80's had Spy Magazine, now Giant has gone the way of both of them.

Huge disappointment
Posted by Risky T on 7/24/2006 11:00:00 AM

Too bad about giant. The subscription was a gift from my wife last year, and it was the one magazine that I looked forward to getting in the mail. Let's face it; it's not coming back. We can only hope that someone notices the gaping hole that it left and starts up a new magazine to fill it.

The best part of the new mag was using it to kill a bug this morning, and tossing it out.

Interessieren. SEHR interessant! ;) http://www.jlondde3.org/tette
Posted by Interessieren. SEHR interessan on 4/9/2007 10:38:00 PM

Interessieren. SEHR interessant! ;) http://www.jlondde3.org/tette

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