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Maxim Is Getting Yet Another Redesign

Photo: Maxim/Facebook

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Maxim is going back to the drawing board. After bringing on former T style director Kate Lanphear as editor-in-chief, Maxim attempted to drop its lad mag roots. However, with sales still dwindling (sales of the magazine dropped from 131,099 in February of this year to 95,471 in June/July), Maxim is going to reimagine the magazine again, according to WWD.

We've already seen a new version of Maxim, which featured Idris Elba as the first ever man to cover the magazine solo, but this new new version of the publication will attempt to go even more upscale. The new magazine is larger, WWD notes there's 10% more trim size and 20% more white space, and uses better paper stock. There's several potential covers for the newly styled magazine, set to launch in late November: close-up photos of women's body parts — lips and a bikini shot — a nude woman sitting in a beach chair, and a portrait of Gigi Hadid.

Guiding the new look is former Man of the World and Elle designer Guillaume Bruneau, who has been brought on as art and design director. Joining Bruneau at Maxim is another former Man of the World employee, Jacqueline Miró, who is now the magazine's story editor.

Maxim is also slashing its base rate, the amount of circulation guaranteed to advertisers, from 2 million all the way down to 900,000. Publisher Kevin Martinez explains to WWD that the cut is "a decision that reflects the media landscape and realistic rate base levels today." He added, "We want to go for luxury, but we must take some time to experiment — like a chef."