You may be slightly surprised when you open this week’s annual Show Jumping Issue of the Chronicle. But don’t be alarmed. Some aspects of the magazine may look different, but I’ll assure you that the content hasn’t changed.

You might recall last September when the traditional black-and-white format of the magazine evolved to full color. We received tremendous feedback from many loyal readers after this milestone change— primarily positive—with a great number of suggestions to further improve and enhance the magazine.
   
So far, we’ve taken several of these suggestions to heart. Our first issue of 2008 included an increase in type size throughout the magazine for improved readability. One grateful reader even called to say she felt 10 years younger now that she didn’t have to find her reading glasses each time she picked up the Chronicle.
   
This week we’re taking yet another step in the evolution of the magazine with the addition of an art director to our masthead for the first time. Sally Summerall has joined us after 30 years at National Geographic, where she was an award-winning designer.

Over the past decade the Chronicle has seen several design enhancements, including one in 2000 that was termed “revolutionary” by our standards. But through these changes we’ve maintained the look of the Chronicle, which has always been old-fashioned and conservative, and rightly so.

The magazine’s founders, Stacy Lloyd and Gerald Webb, sought to emulate the look of the great sporting journals of the 19th and early 20th centuries when they published the first issue on Sept. 17, 1937. The magazine was born as a tabloid-sized newspaper and gradually evolved over decades to a slick, magazine format. Throughout this time, however, the publishers and editors sought to maintain the unique flavor of the Chronicle while also improving the content and appearance. But most of these changes have been gradual.

Now, in the 21st century, the Chronicle has continued to evolve, but never more so than in this past year. We’ve taken some big steps, and we’re really excited about the changes we’ve made and those that we still plan for the future. We’ve added two new feature departments over the past six months—Behind Barn Doors and Free Rein, which you’ll find in this issue (p. 14 and 34)—and we’ll unveil even more this year. In addition, we’re re-establishing a popular series from 1996 called Road To The Olympics, where we follow six athletes (two from each sport) as they work toward fulfilling their Olympic dreams (p. 10).

As I said last September when we transitioned to full color, I hope that you’ll continue to provide feedback and suggestions to help us improve the magazine. And we trust you’ll join us in celebrating a cleaner and more refined look to the Chronicle, which we hope will again increase the pleasure you find each time you pick up the magazine.