The Ultimate Barometer of Wealth

Never judge a book by its cover. That’s an adage that perhaps doesn’t quite apply to magazines. Or else, we wouldn’t agonise the way we do over our cover designs. Ask Anjan Das, our new Design Director. We threw him a creative challenge when he joined us a month ago, to create a cover that would help us communicate the proposition, simply and yet with enormous newsstand impact. Anjan, who hails from a family of incredibly talented designers, went to work on a range of approaches. He churned out an interesting array of options (check out his blog post ), many of them based on a smart use of typography.

Traditionally, most magazine covers have relied on images and illustrations. Like some modern designers, Anjan believes that typography can play a significant role in designing clutter-breaking covers. I tend to agree. We’ve picked one that not only breaks the mould, but is also direct, elegant and contemporary. The combination of red, gold and black on a white background oozes wealth and sophistication and provides the perfect start to a collector’s edition.

A rich feast awaits you inside. The Forbes lists have always been the ultimate barometer of wealth. Senior Assistant Editor Prince Mathews Thomas, who anchored this special project, spent several weeks commissioning a delectable menu of must-read features, photo-essays, and detailed infographics that help capture all the action from the world of the 100 Richest Indians. Apart from telling you who’s gained and lost, who are in and out, we’ll also bring you closer to the tycoons that have created enormous wealth, despite a choppy stock market. This year too, there’s a section on the next-gen billionaires, the inheritors who’ve already begun making waves.

We’ve added a dash of lifestyle with our inside track feature on Billionaire Weddings — and a photo-feature on the mansions of the Rich and Famous. And finally, there are two other must-reads: Arun Maira’s thought-provoking essay on Capitalism’s Last Frontier — how Big Business needs to win back societal trust — and the conversation between Bill Gates and America’s youngest billionaire and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz on the importance of legacy.

I hope you enjoy this special edition as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing it to you.

Email: indrajit.gupta@network18online.com
Twitter id: @indrajitgupta