An Interview with Yankees Magazine Designer, Marc Miller 3/16/13

Hey baseball fans!

I have an interview for you today! This interview is with Yankees Magazine graphic designer, Marc Miller! He lives in my town, so I thought that it would be cool to interview him. Anyway, here's a short biography of Marc, just in case you don't know who he is.

Marc Miller is the founder of Grandstand Design, a firm that focuses on graphic design. Here's the link to Grandstand Design's website: grandstanddesign.com. Anyway, Miller started his career at Classic Games Inc. and Topps Company Inc., working on the design and production of trading cards, packaging, advertising, and special web-based projects. He then joined Goodspeed & Associates, where he supervised the design management for clients such as Major League Baseball, USA Home Entertainment and the New York Yankees, and eventually formed Grandstand Design in 2002. So on that note, let's get to the interview.

Matt: What does Grandstand Design do for the Yankees?
Marc: Grandstand Design is a graphic design firm, specializing in publications and packaging for sports and entertainment clientele. We design and layout the monthly Yankees Magazine, which is available at newsstands, as a print subscription, as a digital subscription for your smart phone or tablet, as well at Yankee Stadium. We also design the annual Yearbook. We create every non-advertisement page from cover to cover. We also do various other publications and graphics for the Yankees, including information guides, sales materials and promotions.

Matt: How long have you been working with Yankees Magazine?
Marc: Grandstand Design has been in business since 2002, working with the Yankees the entire time. Our first issue was the June, 2002 Yankees Magazine & Scorecard.

Matt: When did you start doing layout design?
Marc: I started way back in high school, laying out my high school’s newspaper on a Mac Classic.

Matt: Have you always been a Yankees fan?
Marc: Oh yes. My grandfather lived in the Bronx. My parents were born there, and I’ve been a Yankees fan for as long as I can remember. My first baseball memory was Chris Chambliss’ pennant-clinching home run in 1976.

Matt: Who is your favorite baseball player currently and historically?
Marc: It’s really the same guy. Mariano Rivera represents, for me, everything that is great about baseball. His on-field performance, and off-field personality are unmatched. He always seems to be the classiest guy in the room, and the most reliable player on the field.

Matt: How many baseball parks have you visited?
Marc: Let’s see…. Obviously both the old and new Yankee Stadium, plus I’ve seen the Mets, Phillies and Orioles at both their current and previous homes. Coors Field, Dodger Stadium, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (A note from Matt: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium is the old stadium for the Braves. They currently play in Turner Field.), Fenway Park. A bunch of minor league parks. That’s about it, I think.

Matt: What sports did you play and watch as a kid?
Marc: I’ve always been a baseball fan, and I played a bit of little league. I also love watching the New York Rangers play hockey. I played in a street hockey league as a school kid. In high school the only organized sport I participated in was wrestling, but there’s not much opportunity to do that recreationally after graduation. Now I watch my children play soccer and try to get to Yankee Stadium whenever time allows.

Matt: Do you think it’s important for the younger generation of fans to learn about baseball history?
Marc: I always enjoyed reading about Yankees of the past. I read the biographies of Mickey Mantle, Graig Nettles, Lou Piniella and others when I was younger, and it helped me learn about and appreciate the game as a whole. Getting a historical perspective shapes your opinion of the game and the players of today.

Matt: What was your favorite Yankees Magazine issue you worked on and why?
Marc: So many to choose from! Designing the postseason programs are always fun because it means another chance for the Yankees to play in October. In May 2010, we created an anniversary issue, where we printed an image of every cover in the 30-year history of Yankees Magazine. Derek Jeter was honored with a special commemorative issue after hitting his 3,000th hit. But that issue from June, 2002 will always be special, because it was the first one I worked on from cover to cover.

Matt: Do you have any big plans for Mariano Rivera’s retirement?
Marc: As far as Yankees Magazine’s plans, I’m sure the editors who supply the content have an appropriate honor in mind.

Well, that's the interview. Shoutout to Marc for letting me interview him. Thanks a lot, Marc! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed conducting it. Thanks for reading and check back in a couple of days for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz".