• by Sara Guaglione , February 17, 2017

The Los Angeles Times will debut a new print magazine dedicated to architecture, art and design on May 21, called DesignLA.

The premium glossy will be delivered to Sunday LA Times subscribers, with a digital version available online. A second issue is planned for a fall release. DesignLA will be distributed to about 600,000 home-delivery subscribers with an estimated readership of 750,000.

Los Angeles Times director of communications Hillary Manning told Publishers Daily the city is having a “transformative moment” and “experiencing a boom in development” in areas of culture, art, design, fashion and architecture.

The magazine will focus on the landscapes and architecture of Southern California.

LA Times editor-in-chief and publisher Davan Maharaj stated: “Our readers are very interested in the people who are making Los Angeles the center of innovation, design and architecture. That is one of the main themes DesignLA will explore.”

Manning said the newspaper’s advertising clients “remain very interested in print, and particularly in high-quality, glossy publications that readers keep for a long time. Based on our research, this is a great pairing of editorial coverage our subscribers value and an audience that advertisers want to reach.”

The newspaper has had “strong interest” from its advertising clients and already has “several commitments to run in DesignLA,” but she was  not ready to give specifics.

Chris Argentieri, LA Times SVP/GM, stated that he sees DesignLA as a “companion” to the Times’ regular Saturday, Hot Property and Image sections.

DesignLA will be “a seasonal reference for visionaries, trends and style resources – that readers may return to throughout the year, on their coffee tables and in their bookshelves,” he added.

“Los Angeles Times subscribers and advertisers have a strong affinity for well-made print products,” Argentieri said.

Michael Wollaeger has been named editor-in-chief of DesignLA. He was previously editor-in-chief of Interiors and Western Interiors and Design, and was executive editor of Architectural Digest for 15 years.

Content will come from a mix of LA Times staff writers and contributing editors.