Truthfully, HBS Alumni Bulletin feels like two magazines in one: A proper business magazine at the front, and an alumni publication in the back. The editors make no effort to hide or apologize for this. After reaching the end of the first, glossy, full-color publication, the reader turns the page and sees the pagination start over--this time on thin newsprint, with everything presented in just one color.
This bifurcated approach, unexpectedly, works. At the front, Harvard Business School shows that it's at the forefront of business education. In the back, it shows that alumni remain loyally engaged with the university. One hundred forty-four pages of class notes? That's incredible.
Judges admired how well the magazine could compete with other business publications. Its educational mission is evident on its contents page, as a headline promises "8 things you'll learn in this issue" and summarizes key takeaways in an intriguing manner: "How to spot a liar," "What federal agency helped invent Cheetos," "The price per gallon of satellite refueling." Rather than wasting this valuable up-front real estate, the contents page sets the tone for the rest of the magazine in an engaging and visually compelling way.
