10 MINUTES WITH THE FOUNDER: MODERN IN DENVER issue 009

10 Q&A

MINUTES WITH THE FOUNDER

MODERN IN DENVER

We at Slifer Denver are a small company and we love to see what makes other local companies tick.

So we created this series hoping to tell their stories from a different angle. Enjoy our conversation with William Logan the founder and art director of Modern in Denver, Colorado’s design magazine.

IN T THINGS E R V IYOU E W: Chantel Ellerington THE FIVE NEED TO DO THIS MONTH

P H O T O G R A P H S: William Logan I S S U E 009

“A community to promote and celebrate the projects and people who are shaping and creating our modern world.”

SECOND HOME KITCHEN + BAR

Founder, William Logan AVIANO COFFEE

The Modern In Denver team at their annual spring event “Design In Bloom.” Architects and designers create unique innovative floral arrangements at this must attend event of the year!

Q&A

CE: Modern in Denver is…

WL: A community to promote and celebrate the projects and people who are shaping and creating our modern world.

A platform for design conversations.

Colorado’s design magazine.

A labor of love.

A lot of fun.

CE: Tell us about the moment the magazine came to fruition.

WL: The first issue was published in July of 2008. The magazine really came to fruition when I was able to find a handful of people and businesses who believed in what I was trying to do and got on board with the magazine. I knew then I was going to make my idea a reality.

CE: “More than a magazine”… tell us more.

WL: What forms the foundation of the magazine is a passionate belief that good design has a real and meaningful impact on our lives. Our motivation arises from a desire to talk about, showcase, educate, and celebrate great design, whether it is architecture, industrial design, graphic design, or fine art. Our objective is to integrate with and help build the design community. We communicate daily through our social channels, put on events, and work hard to become an indispensable partner with our advertisers. The magazine itself is just one component of our participation and integration in the design community.

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CE: What does a typical day look like for you being both Publisher and Art Director of the magazine?

WL: We are a small team at Modern In Denver, and we all wear a number of hats, which can be a bit hectic and crazy but also fun—and always interesting. While every day is different, I can be found on many days meeting with partners discussing how we can creatively help them with their brands, art directing a photo shoot, designing and laying out an upcoming issue, and of course, answering emails and returning phone calls.

There is never a dull moment.

CE: What icon, designer or company do you find yourself continually inspired by?

WL: So many architects, designers, and companies inspire me, but one of my favorite iconic designers is Alexander Girard. His talent seemed to have no boundaries. He was an architect, a textile designer, a graphic designer, an illustrator, a writer, and a furniture designer. His work was smart, clever, fun, and optimistic; it continually inspires me and makes me smile.

CE: The must-attend modern-related event in Denver every local should be at?

WL: In spring, we host our annual “Design In Bloom” event, which this year drew double the amount of attendees and participants from the previous year. For it, architects and designers create unique and innovative floral arrangements. It is a fun and creative event that draws a large segment of the design community, and we look forward to next year being even bigger and better. This event is not to miss!

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With 29 covers to date since the launch in 2008 here are a few that stand out among the rest.

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The NINOX team find inspiration from Boulder Iconic companies. Featured above is Todd Berger and Lucian Föhr of Berger & Föhr a design studio on Spruce Street in Boulder. Their latest adventure includes being the co-founders of Ello, an ad-free social network. More on NINOX.CC

TALK TO US -------

Follow us! Get daily updates on what is happening in Denver on our FB.ME/SSFDENVER Looking for a home? Check out our lovely website. @SLIFERDENVER.COM

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Q&A

“Our objective is to integrate with and help build the design community. The magazine itself is just one component of our participation and integration in the design community,” Founder, William Logan

CE: What is your favorite cover to date?

WL: We are currently working on our 30th issue, so picking just one out of 29 is not easy.

I have been fortunate to work with some excellent photographers whose incredible images have made it on our covers, but if I had to pick, three covers come to mind. One was the cover of our fourth issue. We were shooting a very modern bulthaup kitchen and shot it with models who were dressed in authentic ‘50s clothing with vintage hair and makeup. The contrast between the ‘50s look and the new kitchen was striking and created an amazing cover image. Another was the cover of our winter 2013/2014 issue. We shot an amazing renovated mid-century modern home that had been one of my favorites since before I started the magazine.

Getting to put the house on the cover was a highlight for me. The photographer’s shot bordered on magical and turned out better than I could have imagined. My third favorite is our spring 2014 issue, which featured the art in Dikeou Collection and its sculpture of a 15-foot inflatable plastic bunny. Putting a giant bunny on the cover is a rare opportunity, and it turned out to be one of our most talked about and successful covers!

CE: Local: What does it mean to you to have Modern In Denver on coffee tables around Colorado? Where can we pick up the latest issue around town?

WL: It has been very exciting and rewarding to watch the magazine grow over the last seven years. Helping be a part of such a talented and growing community has been the real reward. You can find us at more than 300 retail locations across Colorado, including Barnes & Noble Bookstores, Whole Foods Markets, the Denver Art Museum, and many other newsstands listed on the Modern In Denver website.

CE: Next up…

WL: The current summer issue features our first op-ed piece penned by architectural firm Arch11. They wrote an essay titled “Modern is Not a Style,” which addresses a current trend in our city where an alarming number of homes and buildings are being built and marketed as “modern,” when, in fact, they embrace little to none of the principles of modernism. We are excited to help facilitate meaningful design-focused conversations and are launching a new series in August of design conversation events called “MinD Conversations.” We hope you join us!

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