My little house is in the middle of some big changes. With a new baby on the way, my husband and I are contemplating everything from pastel hues in the nursery to major renovations in the kitchen. It’s called nesting – and I certainly want my “nest” to look as cozy and appealing as possible for our new addition.
In our image-saturated world, visual appeal is critical. I’m not an advocate of frantic and continuous attempts to keep up with the latest trends (which is impossible in terms of time and cost, and probably not a very wise way to steward our resources).
However, research indicates that our visual surroundings can profoundly affect our moods, productivity, and even physical well-being. Sometimes small cosmetic changes can have a huge, positive impact.
In that spirit, we’ve taken a hammer, some nails, and a fresh coat of paint to the Herald. As you flip through the pages of the magazine this month, you’ll notice a brand new look, including full-colour pages throughout. The redesign – our first since October 1995 – is the result of nearly two years of consultation and creative brainstorming.
When the Canadian conference surveyed its members at the end of 2004, we heard some important comments that helped us determine the direction we wanted to take. We’ve been mindful of the diversity of readers who open these pages each month – from twentysomethings, to new Christians, to retired leaders. Our desire is for all readers to be drawn into the
magazine.
Inside, you’ll find familiar content – news from local churches, world events, cultural trends seen through the eyes of Anabaptist evangelicals, and articles written by gifted Canadian MBs – all presented with a fresh layout on low-gloss paper (in order to prevent glare). We trust you’ll find these changes refreshing, appealing, and user-friendly.
You can use the colour-coded page headings to flip to your favourite part of the magazine with greater ease, or consult our updated table of contents. We’re pleased to note that this clean, streamlined look will allow us to publish more content each month – something readers told us
they wanted.
On the outside cover, you’ll notice our logo has changed. Gone is the stylized trumpet and in its place is the new Canadian conference logo. We wanted to find a way to identify more closely with the ministry of our national conference, and decided that sharing a logo was a great way to do it.
As with any renovation project, we anticipate having to tweak our design over the next few months. For that to happen, we invite your feedback and comments (mbherald@mbconf.ca). Happy reading!
—Laura Kalmar
