Magazines

Issue 304 of Good Woodworking

Welcome…

When you look up ‘redesign’ in the dictionary, the meaning given is the following: ‘to revise in appearance, function, or content’, which is exactly what we’ve tried to do here. As much as we loved how GW looked and I’m sure many of you had become accustomed to the familiar layouts and content, we couldn’t help but think that a change is as good as a rest and what with spring finally having sprung, we thought this would be a good opportunity for an all round freshen up.
We‘ve tried to incorporate a cleaner and more contemporary feel, giving more room to photos of completed projects and the beautiful pieces created by some of the most talented makers in the industry, so we really hope you like what we’ve done. As ever, I very much welcome your comments and feedback, so do get in touch if you have something you’d like to contribute.
When discussing plans for the redesign with my authors, one of the most common themes to arise was for me to, rather than just tell you what’s in this issue, which is obviously important, to also try to give a bit of an insight into my thoughts and opinions as Editor, so here goes!
  
The future is bright 

I think one of the most exciting things to happen recently was for the winner of David Savage’s competition to finally be announced. I remember seeing David’s email land in my inbox and upon discovering who the winner was, I definitely let out an excitable squeal. We are always trying to champion young talent in the magazine, as many of you know, but I suppose this coupled with the fact the overall winner was a female from my neck of the woods made it an even bigger, and better, surprise. You can read more about Katherine’s journey on page 8 and I’m certain that winning this competition is just the start of an amazing career in the industry she loves. In fact, that is one of the main reasons David chose her: he said her enthusiasm was infectious.
  
Have your say 

Another topic that cropped up during our redesign meeting was the possibility of integrating a ‘have your say’ section in the magazine. Whereas now we tend to have the letters, adverts, competitions and reader contributions separately, we discussed bringing all the community elements together to create a whole section of ‘reader stuff’. Obviously this is completely dependent on involvement from you, the readers, but what with the whole magazine being rejuvenated, what better time than to roll this idea out? So, please do get in touch and let me know your thoughts. One of my ultimate dreams is to make GW a magazine and a vehicle for readers to share ideas, techniques with others and of course, to spark some lively and healthy woodworking debate! So please do put finger to keyboard and make contact – I’m waiting to hear from you! 

Enjoy!