The Quality of Genii

[Magicbob]

Am I the only person who appreciates the graphic quality of the Kauffmanized Genii? Now the mag has graphic elegance that the Larsen family never knew. Now how how about the Cheap Linking Ring, when will it begin to improve starting with the upgrading of all of its paper. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs Kauffman!

[Guest]

But he shall never...ever...match the true beauty of a Larson woman....
Steve V

[Richard Kaufman]

I appreciate the compliment, but we really need to get the spelling of the names right:
"Kaufman" with one "f"
"Larsen" with an "e"

[Guest]

We were skillfully hiding your true identity and that of the lovely Larsens. You saw right though it though, very observant.
Steve V

[John Pezzullo]

In my opinion, the graphic enhancement of "Genii" is simply the 'icing on the cake'. The most important aspect of "Genii", as far as I'm concerned, is the quality of its content, which continues to improve year after year.

[Guest]

As a long time reader, I have to say the quality goes up every year -- it just gets better and better. Off to re-subscribe...

M Pete

[Dan Magyari]

First off, I love Genii. The only reason I don't subscribe is, it gives me an opportunity to visit the local shop several times a month hoping that it's early once again (here in California my shop gets it before the individual subscribers do).

But, am I the only one that had a hard time reading the Derren Brown article because of the mass of colorization throughout the article? Personally, I would like a more judicious use of these cool graphics as I find them a detriment to the content of the articles. Simply said, I don't want to have to struggle to read the articles and would appreciate a little bit more balance in the use of graphics.

[Michael Kamen]

I agree that the Derren Brown article used color that made it a bit more difficult to read, for me. Come to think of it, the cover photo struck me as not very flattering to him -- I am not quite sure why. Somehow I would be surprised if he approved it before hand. Just my two cents worth.

[Pete McCabe]

The thing that makes the Derren Brown article so difficult to read is not so much the color as it is the use of reversed (i.e. white) text, which is hard to read, and exponentially more so when the colored background is not consistent.

If Genii never uses reversed text again, that will be great with me.

[Edwin Corrie]

Some parts of the Derren Brown article do look a bit blurred and hard to read because of the reversed text. It was the same with David Groves' piece in the January issue. Maybe it's because the background colours are not strong enough.

Apart from a couple of online forums (and book purchases) Genii is now just about my only point of contact with the magic world, and I always look forward to it. The standard of writing is very high, and even the articles not relating to my main areas of interest usually turn out to be enjoyable anyway.

[sleightly]

Reverse text (i.e. white text on black background) will also appear smaller than the same size text set black on white. For this reason, most designers set reversed text at least one point size larger in order to compensate...

Don't believe they do this at Genii (although I would certainly recommend it).

[James]

I too was going to mention how difficult it is to read knockout type. There have been studies done that show how much more difficult it is to read. In the direct marketing field, it's almost a running joke that if you DON'T want someone to read something -- use knockout type.

If there's anything I would like to see Genii change it's to stop using knockout text for its articles. Why make it more difficult to read?

Just my two cents,

James

[Guest]

I also agree.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Michael Kamen:
I agree that the Derren Brown article used color that made it a bit more difficult to read, for me. Come to think of it, the cover photo struck me as not very flattering to him -- I am not quite sure why. Somehow I would be surprised if he approved it before hand. Just my two cents worth.

I agree. He should have worn a kilt. :eek:

[Bill Mullins]

Originally posted by James Demas:
In the direct marketing field, it's almost a running joke that if you DON'T want someone to read something -- use knockout type.

So, if you _really_ want to keep the secret of your effect secret, then: Publish it in a magazine, and use knockout type.

[Guest]

What is knock out type?
Steve V

[Richard Kaufman]

Light colored type dropped out of a darker background.

[Steve Hook]

Richard:

One thing to consider:

Many of the subscribers like me and those older than me don't see as well as we did when we were 21.

Something to consider. Cutting-edge is one thing; practical-edge is another.

Thanks for the account of the DB Russian Roulette routine. That was one of the most genius routines I've ever heard about. I didn't see it so have to reserve a bit of judgement, but it sounds genius, and thanks to Genii for describing it.

Steve H

[Richard Kaufman]

All comments noted!

[James]

< So, if you _really_ want to keep the secret of < your effect secret, then: Publish it in a
< magazine, and use knockout type.

And, of course, no photos or illustrations :-)

J

[Linds]

Many of the subscribers like me and those older than me don't see as well as we did when we were 21

I second that motion. Personally, I'm on the cusp as I can manage the b/w text without the readers, but need their aid for the features. I find those pages a treat to look at but hard to read without my specs.

I'm sure a designer as talented and skillful as Mrs Kaufman has many other layout and design options at her disposal that will both maintain the high quality look of Genii and ease the eyestrain. I look forward to enjoying them in future issues.

Regards
Lindsay

[Guest]

I have no idea what happened with the Derren Brown article. I had trouble reading bits of it myself (the poor lighting in the restaurant where I was reading didn't help any, either). But as the former editor of a publication or few, I've had similar mishaps myself.

The designer and editor can knock themselves out making careful choices in order to "insure" readability in a cool design. Everything can be tweaked and polished until everything is Just Right on the computer screen and print-outs. Then something happens once a real press and real inks are involved and the pages come out just slightly -- and that tiny difference knocks the page over the legibility line. Bloody frustrating for publisher and reader alike.

It's best, I've discovered, to err well on the side of caution. But having been there, I tend to be forgiving of a glitch here and there. Especially when the article is so worth reading.