Popular Mechanics is an American magazine covering science, technology, automotive, DIY, and home improvement topics, first published in 1902. Its visual identity has evolved through two significant typographic milestones: a custom slab serif typeface introduced in 2004 and a new wordmark created in collaboration with typographer Henrik Kubel that debuted on the October 2015 cover.
Design and History
Popular Mechanics was founded by Henry Haven Windsor, who served as editor and publisher, with the first issue dated January 11, 1902. The magazine was purchased by the Hearst Corporation in 1958. For decades, its tagline was “Written so you can understand it,” a phrase the publication’s own about page confirms was used at its founding. In 2014, the tagline was updated to “How your world works,” as confirmed by then-editor-in-chief Ryan D’Agostino in an interview that year. [1] [2]
In 2004, type designer Christian Schwartz created a custom typeface for Popular Mechanics, commissioned by Robb Rice at Danilo Black, Inc. Schwartz described the brief as “I want DIN, but with slabs,” referencing the German engineering sans-serif DIN and the slab serif genre. The resulting face, named Popular, was drawn in Thin, Light, Regular, Medium, Bold, and Black weights with italics, and was made available to publication designers through the Font Bureau Studio Library. [3]
The most recent logo change came in September 2015, when the October issue of Popular Mechanics debuted a brand new logo. Adweek reported that the new logo was created in collaboration with Henrik Kubel, a typographer whose recent projects included new fonts for The New York Times Magazine and a redesign of signage for the Moscow subway system. The magazine’s own editor’s letter in that issue described the new mark as featuring “bold letters comprised in our name, the clean lines, the capital letters.” [4] [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2015 wordmark was described by the magazine’s editors as a natural fit for the publication, with the editor’s letter noting that if readers did not notice the change, “it would signal that our new logo suits us.” The letter emphasized the clean lines and capital letters of the new design. [5]
The earlier Popular typeface from 2004 was explicitly designed to blend the “no-nonsense engineering charm of DIN” with the structure of strong slab serifs, reflecting the magazine’s practical, hands-on editorial focus. Schwartz’s own account of the design process confirms this intent, noting that the face borrowed DIN’s “clunky proportions, low contrast, and straight-sided curves.” [3]
Typography and Design
The current Popular Mechanics wordmark, introduced in 2015, is set in capital letters with clean lines, as described in the magazine’s own editor’s letter. The collaboration with Henrik Kubel produced a sans-serif logotype that replaced the earlier slab serif treatment. [5] [4]
Before the 2015 redesign, the magazine’s nameplate used the Popular typeface designed by Christian Schwartz in 2004. That face was a custom slab serif with low contrast and straight-sided curves, drawing on DIN’s proportions while adding slab serifs. It was available in six weights with italics. [3]
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