Spy
(1986–1998)
Name: Elaine Bradley
My Title(s) Are/Were: Design Director, Art Director, Designer
I Work(ed) at These Magazines: National Geographic, Harvard Magazine, Outside
My Magazine Career: Continues 😁 !
Magazine I Miss: Spy
I Miss It Because: The writing was first class, the satire was spot on, and the design was fabulously fresh.
A favorite memory of my early magazine days was poring over an issue when it first arrived in my mailbox. My roommate and I would fight over who got to be first to crack up and say, “who knew that’s what he looked like without a body?” I adored the packed pages of “Naked City,” and, of course, the hysterics of “Separated at Birth.”
But what really brought it to a new level was the design: so fresh, so perfectly daring.
Alex Isley become my hero with his penchant for silhouetted heads (especially Donald Trump's), his all-type feature openers that always wowed (“Rat City,” for example), captioning photos with bold leader lines and bullets, and his use of italics.
I recall reading a letter to the editor (which I also pored over in full each issue) where the writer asked, “Where would Spy be without italics?” Then he answered himself by saying simply, “nowhere.”
I would love to see Kurt Anderson, Graydon Carter, and Alex Isley's version of today’s Spy magazine.
