Joining Jackie’s art department in 1971 and currently working on My Weekly, the design editor has worked on eight magazines during her career including Blue Jeans and Annabel.
One of Dorothy’s early bosses was journalist and broadcaster Nina Myskow, a former editor of Jackie. Nina was the first female editor at DC Thomson and played a vital role in bringing Dorothy out of her shell, says DC Thomson. Upon discovering that Dorothy could tap dance, Nina encouraged her to dance in front of the TV monitor at C&A one lunchtime, which Dorothy claims cured her shyness.
Dorothy said: “It’s hard to believe but I was painfully shy when I started in this trendy office and found it quite daunting from meeting celebrities to being part of a team when the magazine sold over a million copies a week in 1973.
“Not long after I started Nina asked if I’d like to meet Elton John. She took me to a great concert then backstage to meet him. I also narrowly missed out on getting a lift home in his Rolls Royce back to Fife.”
“Meeting David Essex was like a dream come true. I saw his concert then back to the Angus Hotel to meet him. The shyness kicked in so I didn’t actually say anything, but I did share a plate of chips with him which is my claim to fame.”
When Dorothy joined the art department there were no computers - the tools of the trade were a drawing board with card held on with drawing pins, an em’s-ruler, scalpel, rapidograph, cow gum (liquid wax) and a spatula to stick the type and images onto the page. This was the case up until Dorothy’s time with Classic Stitches in 1994. However, Dorothy says that while the tools may have changed, creative ideas are still the lifeblood of the company.
One of Dorothy’s career highlights was her role in the launch of Looking Great magazine in 1987.
She said: “My proudest moment was seeing my idea for a fitness magazine come to life. I was involved with every aspect, from concept through to content and design. It was exciting to see it looking great on the newsstands.”
“Only two of us worked on the magazine, designer and editorial. We used to go down to London to do interviews and photo sessions, come back, put the magazine together and then go down six weeks later and do it all again. On one occasion, Dolph Lundgren, the Swedish actor and martial artist was at Pineapple studios working out while we were visiting, so I asked him if he would mind doing an interview and photos session, which he did.”
Dorothy added: “It has been a real joy to work at DC Thomson my whole career. I’ve worked with a lot of talented designers, picture researchers, editors and editorial over the years and I’ve enjoyed every minute and continue to do so.”
Congratulating Dorothy on her incredible milestone, DC Thomson Chairman, Christopher Thomson said: “Dorothy has been a fantastic colleague, friend and mentor to many, many people during her time with DC Thomson. From a junior in Jackie’s art department to our most experienced design editor, Dorothy’s work has been exemplary. I want to thank her on behalf of the board and the wider team for her incredible commitment over the last 50 years.”
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