The folks at Maclean’s are on fire.  The September 27th issue, featuring Bill Gates as the Cover Boy, hits stands in what they are calling a first-ever “landscape format.” Maclean’s partnered with General Motors of Canada as the exclusive advertising sponsor of this issue…making the editorial experience an uncluttered and seamless experience for magazine readers.  The ads feature a QR code for mobile device activation, another Canadian first according to Maclean’s press-release.

Jason Logan put it this way:

“It really was an interactive cover in the sense that you can’t help but pick it up and turn it. It was fun to work sideways while keeping the logo in its classic position.  We had to test to make sure it would stand up,  but I’ve noticed that some newsstands have it on its side which looks nice too. I have been playing with the apostrophe too (normally a maple leaf) in this case its an arrow symbolizing change and directing you to look at the magazine sideways.  Our own Andrew Tolson photographed Bill Gates for the cover.  Ken Whyte did the interview. Once people pick it up, I hope they check out the inside too, it actually feels really nice to read, pictures look great, somehow it just feels like a luxuriant format though its exactly the same size.  Kind of proof that this old industry still has room to play.”

Another fantastic cover from Jason Logan. This is the stuff that makes publishing sexy, fun and exciting. I can’t wait to see the newsstand sales on this fabulous cover.