Word magazine is discontinued

 
The Zurich magazine Word has met a slow death. The last issue, number 45, was published last August, but it was only now that editor-in-chief Fideljus Berger informed his freelance colleagues that the magazine for urban culture was being discontinued. "At a meeting with the management, we had to realize that the continuation of Word magazine - despite all the efforts and innovations in the past - can unfortunately no longer be realized in its current form," wrote Berger, whose predecessors also include the current Viva music director Jubaira Bachmann, in a brief email. He left open the question of whether Word will continue to exist in another form as a source of information and entertainment. Once successfully launched, the magazine with a circulation of 50,000 copies quickly found many followers and admirers at home and abroad. Daring design and fluffy texts turned the magazine into a visual event. However, due to a number of changes in the editorial and management teams, as well as shifts in ownership, the conceptual direction of the magazine was repeatedly undecided over the years. As a result, the magazine, with articles on music, fashion, trend sports, graphics and niche culture, probably failed due to its inadequate positioning.
Until recently, the magazine was designed by the Zurich design agency Raffinerie, which also produces the graphics for Swiss Inboard magazine and, more recently, the magazine Kinki, which is not dissimilar to Word. Raffinerie was most recently also the main owner of Word.