• The New York Times, Thursday, October 3, 2013 1:42 PM

The relaunch of cult design pub Domino could help write "the playbook for how magazines should integrate e-commerce," as one analyst suggests in this New York Times piece that actually fills in all the details other pubs have been speculating about (forgive us if we seem to have posted too many items about this recently -- we were fans of the original book).

Still, the new print version of Domino -- launched "merely [as] a branding tool" for its e-commerce site, as Beth Fuchs Brenner, its chief revenue officer, tells author Penelope Green, is "a bit of a letdown, ever so slightly ersatz, or maybe just a bit dated," featuring subjects that originally appeared in other venues, writes Green.

While Condé Nast, its original publisher, is "a significant minority shareholder," according to company principals, this version of Domino lacks the editorial muscle Condé could provide. Three top staffers have "shot, styled and written nearly every feature," writes Green. And editorial discretion is going to have to bend to the concept of  "merchandising first."

So what about that merchandising? The Domino website was supposed to go live today, but so far, it's been dormant. Sigh.

Read the whole story at The New York Times »