Backbone's newly appointed art director Deborah Burns has redesigned the mag for greater readability and easier navigation. The refreshed look was unveiled in the June/July 2013 issue.

Burns adopted a pared down grid-based layout for the mag's interior, and a sans serif font aiming for a "classic business look." The cleaner style is reflected by a simplified logo. "The new logo pops off the cover," said Burns. "I also reduced the amount of text design on the cover to allow the cover image to stand out on the page."

Burns comes to Backbone with 10 years of design experience. The Vancouver-based art director has worked for Taste Magazine, BCBusiness, TV Weekly and Jewish Bulletin, as well as the Vancouver Opera and Vancouver Art Gallery.


Backbone covers technology and business innovation for Canadian businesses. It is in its 13th year of publishing and is distributed nationally predominantly through The Globe and Mail via paid subscriptions, as well as at tech trade shows, on newsstands, and through industry associations and corporate distribution partnerships.