The Makings of an Award-Winning Magazine

This is where organizations such as APEX come in. They assess the progress of visual quality and editorial content objectively and with deep understanding of magazine publishing in the 2020s, free of opinions about what we’ve published in the past 35+ years. Aside from the boost to our magazine, it applauds our writers, editors, and graphic designers. This humble, hardworking group — like any other — enjoys an occasional pat on the back.

This year was the first time MultiLingual entered for consideration to the APEX award. I waited to take a chance until we had solidified our new tone and standards. After all, the chance of rejection was strong, too. So the fact that we were able to win this year is a tribute to both individual and collective efforts of our small team.

Here’s a peek at how our cover story production worked in 2023: I would start by identifying and reaching out to potential subjects based on my understanding of viable topics and underexposed personalities in our industry. Then, I would work with the editor to develop a set of interview questions covering not only the basics, but also less-common topics. Finding a balance that didn’t offend the reader or the interviewee was crucial, yet we also wanted to offer something “meaty” and original. During the writing process, I would keep an eye on the text but not interfere with the editor’s daily work. I suggested what to ask about, but never spelled out any questions to avoid an incohesive interview.

Once the sentiment of the profile was clear — professional, lighthearted, personal, provocative — my wheels would start turning about a style and poses for the photo shoot. We rely on professional photographers within reach of the subject. In the case of the December 2023 issue’s cover profile of Canva’s Michael Levot, we had a direct line to the photographer who was an acquaintance of Levot. I shared my vision for the poses, and he perfectly executed them in a professional style while also capturing Levot as approachable and open. I personally liked to select the photos for use in the magazine and would choose which one ended up on the cover. My idea for the Levot cover pose was based on Canva templates; Levot holds up his hands to form a frame and peeks through it at the camera. Only when text and photos are seen together can the tone of the article be set. This specific pose honed us in on the word “focus” for the article’s title. This is the holy trinity of cover profiles: text, images, and title.

Our designer would then put together an attractive layout for the print and PDF versions, including pull quotes that I helped select. Finally, we would send the files to the printing facility and begin building the digital version on our website.

As you can see, we rely on the buy-in and responsibility of each member of our team, as well as the subject, their photographer, and oftentimes their company’s public relations or media approval divisions. We did this almost every month in 2023.

While the team was honored to receive this award from the publishing industry, the most significant recognition we fight for is our readers’ approval. Despite a handful of imperfect decisions on my part — we are all flawed — the magazine’s popularity has been steadily on the rise since 2021. I would like to hereby personally thank you for the confidence you’ve placed in us to keep presenting our industry’s stories and personalities in an attractive physical format, available for worldwide delivery. Thank you for the honest letters of criticism over the years — they are more effective than public comments.