“As followers of the UnBeige Twitter feed learned only seconds after it was announced this afternoon, F+W Media has closed 55-year-old I.D., which covered the art, business, and culture of design,” reports Stephanie Murg on MediaBistro.

“The January/February 2010 issue will be the magazine's last. The news, which has been greeted with shock, horror, and an abundance of exclamation points in the design community.

“’Ceasing publication of an iconic brand like I.D. is never an easy decision, but there are several forces that have worked against its sustainability,’ wrote F+W Media publisher and editorial director Gary Lynch in a statement issued today, pointing to the downturn in print advertising as well as ‘the fragmentation and specialized information needs of I.D.'s core readers (product designers) and the plethora of information resources available to them—some for free (online and B2B) and others that are highly specialized and targeted to specific industries served.’

“The company will continue producing the I.D. Annual Design Review, the international product design competition, in an online format. Meanwhile, I.D. subscribers will be switched to Print, may it live long and prosper—in print.”

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