I love my iPod. I wear it more than shoes. Not only does it hold all my old favorites, but by downloading new artists it enables me to constantly expand my musical horizons. Most important to me, it never fails to get my creative energies flowing (and yes, I'm listening to it even as I write this). Technology's funny that way. It can completely reshape your daily routine, almost overnight. More important, if used correctly, it can help you be more creative.
You're holding the premiere issue of Live Design, which is clearly not a high-tech piece of gear — it's a trade magazine after all, albeit a pretty darn good lookin' one — but we're hoping it'll have a similar impact on your life.
We've created this new magazine in part as an answer to the technological advances in lighting, staging, and projection, which are dramatically changing the way projects are being designed, built, and teched. Our goal here is to bring you a fresh way to look at these converging disciplines, from both a creative and technological standpoint. Our tagline, “Envision. Build. Tech. Go.,” describes the process involved in any project, but it's also a breakdown of the kinds of stories you'll find within the magazine. We've taken the best components of Lighting Dimensions, Entertainment Design, and Staging & Rental Operations — columns by industry leaders, timely, in-depth reports on the latest projects, uniquely positioned technical pieces — and brought them to this new book, along with a few surprises. You'll see familiar names (the Bonniols, Patrick Dierson), but also some new voices (Zak Borovay), familiar sections (How I Did That, Problem/Solution), but also new features (Burning Question, Still Life).
So why a new magazine? Why now? Our stellar advisory board, listed at right, told us it was time, as did feedback we received from others in the industry, not to mention our own gut instincts. We've talked about our reasoning at length leading up to this day, online, in print, and in person. But perhaps there's a simpler explanation: sometimes you just gotta shake things up. There's a line in a song by Franz Ferdinand, currently cued up on my iPod, that asks: “What's wrong with a little destruction?” What's wrong, indeed? Sometimes, that's when the really interesting things happen.