I like the view from up here! My column's move from the back of the magazine to its new home is just one of the many changes you’ll find in this issue as we debut our new look. We had been contemplating an update for some time (our last major refresh came in December 2003 – hard to believe it’s been so long!) and eventually decided that this month’s issue, coming on the heels of our 25th anniversary edition, was a good time to roll out the redesign.

A fresh start for what we hope is another 25 successful years!

We’ve kept the core format and content basically the same. We’ve got a new typeface, a new color palette and more options for how our features are laid out. We’re planning to refresh the look of our e-newsletter as well and, once that’s done, our overall aim is to have more continuity of appearance across our various outlets (the print magazine, quirks.com, the e-newsletter and our mobile apps).

We’ve split our departments up a bit, keeping In Case You Missed It, Survey Monitor and Product and Service Update in the front, moving Research Industry News and Names of Note closer to the back and adding in more graphics to give the front sections of the magazine more color and (hopefully) more readability.

Given that this is a monthly print publication, presenting the news has never been our main concern but we still want the magazine to serve as a compendium of industry happenings big and small, whether it’s a major piece of legislation affecting marketing research or Research Company X debuting a new Web site. So we’ll continue assembling the newsier departments as we always have.

You’ll notice a new look to the entries in the up-front departments. To make them a bit more user-friendly, each one will first feature a tag indicating the industry or type of research it’s about, followed by a short headline and then a longer, more explanatory headline. Our aim here was to help you scan the pages for the stuff that’s of greatest relevance to you and get the most out of your time with us.

Truly appreciated

The fact that you choose to spend time with us is truly appreciated – especially these days, with the proliferation of online and other sources competing for your attention. My hope, as editor, is that you’ll continue to see our content – in all its forms, whether it’s this magazine, our e-newsletter or our resource-packed Web site – as valuable, informative, useful and, dare I say it, entertaining.

That’s the same formula we used in our first 25 years and, based on the wonderful comments we received from readers at the Corporate Researchers Conference in Chicago in September, it seems to have served us well. Those of us who were lucky enough to work at our booth in the expo hall were overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection you showered upon us. (I lost count of the number of times the word “love” was used!) It was a gratifying and truly uplifting experience.

As always, we welcome your feedback, positive or otherwise. And not just on the new look. If there are stories you want us to do or topics you want us to cover, let me know. What would you like to see more of? Less of? What keeps you awake at night? What makes you glad to be a marketing researcher each day? Help us shape the future of Quirk’s.