This week a dark cloud passed over the world of design as the 55-year-old I.D. magazine announced that they were folding.

Of all the magazines that we subscribe to here at Sequel, I.D. was the one that I most often found hijacked from my desk. I.D. played a significant role in exposing designers to the broader world of design—which is an acknowledgment, that as design disciplines are becoming more specialized they are, paradoxically, converging as well. Product designers are driving brand identity, digital interfaces are integral to more and more products, and, like the design of physical spaces, all disciplines of design are now about creating experiences.

As the world of interactive design was exploding in the late ‘90s, I.D.’s Interactive Design Annual was required reading. And, by way of walking the walk, the annual had a companion CD-ROM whose design exceeded some of the work contained within. As an early precursor to the open-source movement, the disc even contained a copy of the uncompiled source code.

So, what happened? The obvious culprit is the economy and failing ad sales. This past Wednesday BusinessWeek Innovation columnist Bruce Nussbaum posted this on his blog:

The fact the ID couldn’t find enough advertising to keep it going reflects the ongoing failure of American business culture to understand, value and support creativity and innovation. Yet you can pick up a dozen design-based magazines in Shanghai or Seoul or Singapore, fat with advertising. What is wrong with the US?

With cities like Shanghai being emblematic of the rapid growth that China is experiencing, one could argue that at least two of the three Nussbaum referred to are playing catch up to the U.S.. And the question here is, why didn't I.D. push harder to expand into these cities? No, let's blame the ignorant American business culture.

But there's more to the story here however than ad sales. As we've discussed in several past posts here on our blog, I.D. has joined the ranks of other publications that have failed to adapt and evolve to how we now consume our media - online. The economy only accelerated the inevitable.

For designers, our days of sitting down with a cup of coffee and a stack of monthly design magazines have been replaced with mornings with our daily news feeds, Twitter feeds, and podcasts published by enthusiasts, agencies, industry luminaries, and digital-only publishers. It's free, it's immediate, and it includes further color with user dialog. In most cases the writing and insights aren't of the quality of I.D., but across all areas of online content consumers are settling for good enough.

I often wondered why I.D.—as a magazine that championed innovation—seemed the only one among its peers not even trying to experiment with extending its brand online. And while most of the other publications have integrated daily content into their publishing process, the fact is that they're still limiting themselves to a publishing mentality - rather than a service mentality. Communication Arts, one of the magazines that actually “got it” early on with their Creative Hotlist service, dropped the ball while many younger companies (or individuals) more at home online created newer, better services. It's depressing that I barely see any of the magazines that years ago were at the center of the dialog around design mentioned in the blogs and Twitter feeds I follow. It's a sad irony that the publications that are about how design enables communication, relationships, and experiences aren't leading by example.

We join the legions of agencies and individuals that mourn the loss of this once-essential beacon of design. Unfortunately we're all now left to wonder, who’s next?