Revitalizing the brand.

YOU may have noticed some subtle changes this month to the magazine's look and name. And perhaps you headed here, in search of enlightenment. Beginning this month, we have changed the publication name to Printed Circuit Design & Fab. And much like Readers Digest, Sports Illustrated and other subscription magazines, each issue will feature multiple covers--one version highlighting design, the other focused on fabrication. Your job function, as indicated on the subscription form you filled out, will determine which version you receive.

But be aware that the variance is only skin-deep: The editorial contents are identical. We will continue as the industry's strongest advocates of design and fabrication.

For those of you with a decade or more in the industry, the light bulb has probably already gone off. But newcomers who don't know the history of the magazine might be wondering about the new name and look.

Here's the backstory. Through March 2003, Printed Circuit Design and PC FAB were two distinct magazines. (In fact, PC FAB began as Printed Circuit Fabrication and morphed over the years.)

Prior to 2003, each magazine had its own specific readership, and there was little crossover. But, as we know, the lines between design and fabrication were blurring. To help spur the process, UP Media Group took the early lead in supporting communication between these professions by folding these two leading brands into one dynamic product.

During this same time, the world was changing rapidly, and many of the large North American fabricators moved offshore or simply went out of business, sharply reducing the domestic industry on the fab side of the house. America's loss was Asia's gain. Readership abroad climbed as the magazine spread to a new body of engineers in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and elsewhere. At the same time, printed circuit design continued to thrive, and designer subscriptions grew. Today, the magazine truly has a global reach.

The fusion of design and fab has really caught on, as our steady growth in readership on both sides of the printed circuit equation readily supports.

The mission of Printed Circuit Design & Fab is to combine the best of both disciplines--design and fab--into a family of products that provide electronics industry professionals with a single source for all their technical, news and market requirements.

Through the reintroduction of the PC Fab identity into the magazine's brand, we are revitalizing our overall message of balanced design and fab content. Take heed: We are not overhauling the content. Rather, we are striving to underscore a message that was getting lost: that fabrication is a vital part of our editorial package.

Our readers--be they designers or fabricators--appreciate the education and communication opportunities that Printed Circuit Design & lab creates within the supply chain. To paraphrase veteran designer Kelly Dack, "Get the fabricator and designer talking, and they can rule the world." We know, as you do, just how critical a common platform--be it the circuit board or this magazine--is for product and program success.

P.S. Alert readers will also notice the ad for Virtual PCB (pg. 42), the industry's first virtual trade show, where PCB design, fabrication and assembly equipment and materials buyers can interact with fellow attendees and exhibitors without the hassles and expenses of traveling. We have been researching virtual shows for seven years, and the technology has finally caught up to where it actually looks and feels like a "real" show. While we don't intend for Virtual PCB to replace the face-to-face experience, it will greatly expand readers' ability to keep up with what's going on in the industry.