Communication Arts

The magazine was established in 1959. The first issue debuted in August 1959 as the Journal of Commercial Art.^[1] Among a number of innovations, it was the first U.S. magazine printed by offset lithography.^[2]

After Blanchard left to go into business by himself, Coyne, along with his wife Jean and a small staff, continued to write, design, and produce the magazine. Eventually, paid circulation increased to 38,000.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2021, CA's paid circulation was about 21,000,^[3] down from 59,429 in 2009.^[4]

To generate additional income and editorial content, the magazine began an annual juried competition in 1960. Within a few years, the annual competition grew, and eventually segmented into four annual competitions: graphic design, advertising, photography, and illustration. A fifth competition, interactive, was added in 1995 and since early 2011, CA also introduces a typography competition. All the Communication Arts competitions are juried by creative professionals. The judges hand out awards based on creativity and not ROI.^[5]

CA was the first major design publication to launch a web presence in 1995.^[6] In addition to showcasing creative work in visual communications, it included job listings. The jobs section grew, and was relaunched in 2001 as a standalone website, Creative Hotlist.^[7] These two websites receive approximately three million page views and 250,000 unique visitors per month.^[8]