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6th December 2007

Dear Playboy

I am currently studying for my degree (Bachelor of Arts) in Graphic Design and have been asked to study Playboy magazine covers over the decades. I would be most grateful if you could provide me with some information to assist me in my studies towards my degree.
It would be very helpful if you could help with the following:

1 How many designers contribute to each Playboy cover?
2 What size is the artwork team? How is the artwork department organized?
3 Is the cover artwork designed “in-house” at Playboy? Or is it outsourced?
4 Who has final say on the artwork? Is it a head designer? Mr Hefner?
5 What design software and packages do you currently use? Quark? InDesign? Illustrator etc?
6 How were the early covers produced?
7 By whom? And how?
8 Do you use Apple Macs or PC’s?
9 How are the artwork files set up – bleed, slug etc?
10 Is a test print of each cover produced? Or are the proved digitally as PDFs etc?
11 What fonts are used on the covers? Are these specific to Playboy?
12 What software did you previously use? And when did you change? And why did you change?
13 What lead time do you require for each issue? How far in advance do you begin to design each cover?
14 How long does each cover take to design?
15 Are the colour schemes of each cover designed to compliment the hair and skin tones of the cover model? Or are the covers designed with out knowing which model will appear?
16 Does Playboy have to comply with any legal requirements concerning what can appear on the covers?
17 Do you self regulate with regards what goes on the covers?
18 Have any covers had to be stopped at the last minute? And why?
19 Who decides where the bunny is hidden on each cover?
20 Do the international covers get designed at Playboy HQ in the USA or locally in the various countries?

I hope you can help with as many of these questions as possible. Any further help would be most appreciated.

The project is due to be handed in before Christmas 2007 – I realize time is short but I hope you can take the time to assist me.

Regards

Gavin Dimmock