As an editor, most of my time is spent reading submissions, sending promising pieces out for review, working closely with authors on revisions, deciding which articles to include in a specific issue, and writing brief issues introductions.

My primary focus is on the journal’s content. It was therefore a real treat to collaborate with the editorial teams at Theatre Survey and Cambridge University Press on redesigning the journal’s new look, inside and out.

There was nothing particularly wrong with our previous design – the white background was crisp, the blend of red, gold, and black text echoed the logo of the American Society for Theatre Research, the association that founded the journal. But book and journal design has changed so dramatically in recent years, driven by the digital revolution in publishing, and the editorial team agreed that it was time to refresh Theatre Survey.

We knew that we wanted something bold and clean and colorful and so Cambridge editor Holly O’Neill commissioned graphic designer Julian Montague to help us out. Julian’s designs (www.montagueprojects.com) have a vibrant, distinctly modernist feel in their use of colour, shape, and negative space – they pop whether you view them on a screen or in your hand. At first we were tempted to go with a completely abstract design but realized that we still wanted the cover to say something about the journal’s content and so we asked Julian for a design that retained the crisp, modernist feel while also allowing us to include new images each issue. I love what he’s given us! The bold sans-serif “TS” in the top-left of the page, the use of negative space on the top right, the flexibility to change the cover colour with each issue, and ample room in the bottom half of the page for an image that reflects the journal’s dedication to theatre and performance history.

We’re grateful to Julian for his designs and to Cambridge University Press commissioning editor Holly O’Neill for supporting this refresh. We hope our readers like it too!