By Michael Liedtke, Associated Press, 12/04/00

SAN FRANCISCO -- After running Wired magazine for five years, Dana Lyon decided that covering the New Economy was old hat. She's now ready to move on to something even more fashionable: the art of design.

Dana Lyon, publisher of One Magazine, poses in the publication's new San Francisco office. Lyon, the former publisher of Wired magazine, is CEO and founder of the new magazine, due out tomorrow. (AP Photo)

"The personal computer revolution is dead. Design is going to be the next big thing," predicted Lyon, who ended a five-year stint as Wired's publisher 11 months ago.

Lyon thinks the country's sense of style is so substantial that she has launched a new magazine, One, that will dissect the beauty in everything from an elegant restaurant to a simple toothbrush.

San Francisco-based One will make its national debut Tuesday with a 192-page edition that includes features on "the best designer you never heard of," Karim Rashid, and basketball star Kobe Bryant's designer sneakers.

Backed by $6 million in venture capital, One is seeking to launch amid a difficult magazine market.

Magazine publishers have enjoyed robust ad spending for several years, but now the industry faces a number of challenges, including higher costs for postage and paper, as well as predictions that advertising growth may cool off as the economy slows.

After increasing by a projected 11.8 percent this year, national advertising in all media will rise by a more modest 6.3 percent next year, according to a forecast made Monday by Robert Coen of Universal McCann.

Like any new magazine, One will be facing fierce competition for readers and advertisers from well-established publications.

Some, like Metropolis magazine, even focus on many of the same topics that will be covered by One, said Martin Walker, a New York magazine consultant.

"I think (Dana) is going to have a tougher time with this magazine than she did with Wired," Walker said. "Conventional wisdom tells me that this business model won't work, but then that's what a lot of people thought about Wired too."

During Lyon's tenure as publisher, Wired emerged as one of the first national magazines devoted to how technology changed the economy and society.

Magazine industry analyst Samir Husni thinks Lyon is on the right track with her new magazine. He believes a slick magazine celebrating design could hit a nerve with an increasingly image-conscious culture.

"There is definitely a market for something like this because we have become such a visual society," said Husni, a University of Mississippi journalism professor who specializes in magazines. "The key for this magazine will be whether it gives design a white-tablecloth or cafeteria-style treatment."

Lyon, who drives a Porsche, is taking a decidedly upscale approach with her new magazine. The target audience will be hipsters making at least $75,000 annually.

One hopes to distribute 200,000 issues of its debut edition through direct mail and newsstand sales. The magazine starts with about 10,000 subscribers who signed up through One's Web site, www.onemedia.com.

Many of the readers likely will be technology workers, Lyon concedes, but One's content will be very different from Wired's. When One writes about computers, it will be about their looks, not their innards.

Because One is catering to technology-savvy readers, the magazine's Web site will play a key role in Lyon's business strategy. The site will feature unique content not found in the magazine, as well as e-commerce links to key advertisers in the magazine.

Despite its tony look, One won't assume an elitist tone, said the magazine's editor-in-chief, Stacy Morrison.

"We are going to be friendly and accessible," Morrison said. "This magazine won't be too cool for school."