I responded to the Portsmouth Freecycle ad "free Real Simple mags." A few days later, I picked up 10 issues from the front of someone's garage. Great story about reusing and community, right? No, its a story of lies and deceit. I was not picking up the magazines for "my wife." I wanted them for myself.
Confession: I like the woman's magazine Real Simple.
I like its purpose: taking life's complexity down a notch. I like its design: decent fonts and pictures and the best use of white space in journalism. I like flipping through it on a lazy weekend.
The magazine communicates well. The articles are to the point, brief, and personal. The design makes it fun. Unlike Wired and Business Week, you don't have to go hunting for the rest of the article or related pictures.
Professional communicators should read it. They could use the lessons in brevity (use it), personality (have one), and design (art is ok).