Vanity Fair

Tina Brown made Vanity Fair recognizable on any page through packaging. Under Tina Brown the magazine was built so it was recognizable when opened to a random page, and she obsessed over covers. Visuals and attitude set the reader's mindset before the first word.

Brown's test was that the magazine thrown on the floor should open to a random page and you still know which magazine it is. Brie Wolfson says Harold Ross likewise got the look of the New Yorker right before the content. She laments that Substack publications all look alike and asks how a reader should feel on arriving. Quote: "The packaging of it really matters."

How I Write▶ 22:56

Vanity Fair stayed light and surprising by mixing high and low culture. Under Tina Brown it combined high and low culture and avoided the muddy middle.

How I Write

Vanity Fair's house style calls for very long paragraphs, unlike the Times. Nick Bilton adopts each outlet's house style when he writes for it. For Vanity Fair that changes the page layout but not his voice.

How I Write