Last week HOW and Print magazines sent a promotional email from one of our clients which promoted stock logos.

This message has produced a firestorm of anger and disappointment over how two well respected brands could endorse something that violates and threatens the basic principles of graphic design. Our editorial teams – who were unaware of the promotional message – were equally outraged, as it reflected poorly on their brands. And all of the outrage is justified.

It is not my place to pass judgment on the products and services promoted by our advertisers; however it is my responsibility to determine whether or not we should deliver the message. We have a process in place to safeguard against promotional messages that do not meet our standards and do not best serve our community. Last week that process broke down.

Unfortunately this has put the editors of HOW and Print in the awkward position of having to defend this message. I am responsible for vetting all marketing messages that carry the HOW and Print names and this one I missed. For that, I apologize.

I can state unequivocally that last week's email does not reflect HOW and Print's sensibilities in regards to the integrity and importance of graphic design. Nor does it represent an editorial endorsement of any kind regarding the usage of stock logos.

We thank you for your input and feedback regarding this matter. Once again I am left inspired by the passion and dedication of our collective design community.

Please feel free to contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Gary Lynch
Publisher
F+W Media Design Community
HOW, Print and I.D.
gary.lynch@fwmedia.com