Style bible I.D. magazine, folded after 55 years

I.D. magazine, the oldest and foremost design magazine in the U.S., is being folded, after 55 years. Its January/February issue will be the last. According to a post on the Fast Company blog, the magazine -- which had about 30,000 readers -- had not turned a profit in seven years

and was beset by competition from shelter magazines and mainstream glossies, which have been aggressively adding design coverage, owing to rising interest in design among mainstream audiences.

The magazine's sister title Print will keep publishing and subscribers to I.D. will receive Print instead. A statement from F + W Media, the publishers, said:

Ceasing publication of an iconic brand like I.D. is never an easy decision, but there are several forces that have worked against its sustainability. Certainly the downturn in print advertising has contributed to this decision, but other factors include the fragmentation and specialized information needs of I.D.'s core readers (product designers) and the plethora of information resources available to them – some for free (online and B2B) and others that are highly specialized and targeted to specific industries served.