A magazine's design is more than decoration, more than simple packaging. It expresses the magazine's very character. The Atlantic Monthly has long attempted to provide a design environment in which two disparate traditions -- literary and journalistic - can co-exist in pleasurable dignity. The redesign that we introduce with this issue - the work of our art director, Judy Garlan -- represents, we think, a notable enhancement of that environment. Garlan explains some of what was in her mind as she' began to create the new design: 'I saw this as an opportunity to bring the look closer to matching the elegance and power of the writing which the magazine is known for. The overall design has to be able to encompass a great diversity of styles and subjects -- urgent pieces of reporting, serious essays, lighter pieces, lifestyle-oriented pieces, short stories, poetry. We don't want lighter pieces to seem too heavy, and we don't want heavier pieces to seem too pretty. We also use a broad range of art and photography, and the design has to work well with that, too. At the same time, the magazine needs to have a consistent feel, needs to underscore the sense that everything in it is part of one Atlantic world.' The primary typefaces Garlan chose for this task are Times Roman, for a more readable body type, and Bauer Bodoni, for a more stylish and flexible display type (article titles, large initials, and so on). Other aspects of the new design are structural. The articles in the front of the magazine, which once flowed into one another, now stand on their own, to gain prominence. The Travel column, now featured in every issue, has been moved from the back to the front. As noted in this space last month, the word 'Monthly' rejoins 'The Atlantic' on the cover, after a decade-long absence. Judy Garlan came to The Atlantic in 1981 after having served as the art director of several other magazines. During her tenure here The Atlantic has won more than 300 awards for visual excellence, from the Society of illustrators, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club, Communication Arts, and elsewhere. Garlan was in various ways assisted in the redesign by the entire art-department staff. Robin Gilmore, Barnes, Betsy Urrico, Gillian Kahn, and Lisa Manning. The artist Nicholas Gaetano contributed as well: he redrew our colophon (the figure of Neptune that appears on the contents page) and created the symbols that will appear regularly on this page (a rendition of our building), on the Puzzler page, above the opening of letters, and on the masthead. Gaetano, whose work manages to combine stylish clarity and breezy strength, is the cover artist for this issue. Part of the new design is to be concerned with the following EXCEPT