Veteran art director Robert Priest has just been named design director for Portfolio, the forthcoming Cond&#233 Nast business magazine. He had been working as a consultant for the publication, which is scheduled to launch in spring of 2007.

Priest, the founder of Priest Media, has previously worked at Cond&#233 Nast’s GQ and House & Garden. In his role as consultant, he was responsible for the leaning-F “Portfolio logo on the magazine’s prototype covers.

“Robert Priest is the Michaelangelo of magazine design,” Portfolio editor in chief Joanne Lipman wrote via e-mail when asked about Priest’s hiring. “He’s done brilliant work on publications ranging from Esquire & GQ to H&G and Newsweek. We are extremely lucky to have him.”

Priest did not return a call seeking comment.

-Michael Calderone