iPhone Life

Hal Goldstein's latest magazine endeavor (this is the 2nd issue) almost wasn't. Then it was. After all, magazines are folding these days, not starting. But this concept shows great potential and the magazine is finally up and running. If you have an iPhone, you definitely should visit iphonelife.com. I do, and always gain something.

In 1986, Hal had me design his first newsletter, The HP Portable Paper, when the smallest computer was called a "portable". Hal asked me if I'd designed something like this before. I said I had experience because in art school we were told it's is how you get work. Say "yes" and then do whatever it takes to excel in the job even if it requires lots of extra time. Well, that was an understatement. At the end of the project with the deadline looming, I worked around the clock, five days with no sleep, entering a strange state of dementia I will never forget. Was it worth it? Hal has been a loyal client every since, and I designed every issue of that darn newsletter for years, and every cover he's published. And we're great friends, too. OK, it was worth it but I wonder sometimes if I've fully recovered from that weird time warp.

BTW, it has been interesting to see Hal publish for the world of small computers. He had to change the magazine when the "portable" became a dinosaur, replaced by the "Handheld" and later the "Pocket PC" and then the "Smartphone". He changed the name of the magazine over and over. Ouch! A brand's worst nightmare.