Flipping Zines
I’ve got a bone to pick with design magazines. I used to buy them frequently based on issue topics. I never subscribe, mainly because I don’t want to confine myself to one magazine; sounds weird, deal with it. I haven’t purchased any new issues in about four months due to the overwhelming amount of advertisements. No-longer can you “flip” through these magazines without getting stuck on paper company ads or booklets on Adobe. The great importance of advertising is understood, however, I just find the current state of ads intrusive to my magazine reading experience. Also noticed is increased diluted content and for these reasons I have ceased my consumption of HOW, Communication Arts, Print and Step.
Until they redeem themselves I’m filling my “flipping” void with Res, Wire, Tokion, Wad, Idn, Colors and Metropolis. These selections aren’t solely devoted to design but I’ve found reading about film, music, culture, fashion, art, and architecture to be much more inspiring.
Comments
km
I love Comm Arts, yet like you, i find myself fending off ad after ad.
Charles G
At the moment, HOW is the only magazine I subscribe to. I do know what you mean about all those annoying paper company ads though, the paper for it is always thicker than the rest of the magazine and makes turning the pages a nightmare.
Jamie
I’m with you on Wire magazine, although I struggle sometimes without my thesaurus! They like to make hard work of great music.
big steve
I agree completelely about the adobe ads and paper samples - but the magazines have become so watered down lately - a few logo redesigns, another top 50 list and that’s it.I, personally, am a magazine afficionado, and though they do not deal directly with design, you might wanna consider VICE, Anthem, WYWS, Found, DIGIT, and Planet — all are hot and cold, but worth a look
Mel Hogan http://www.resolutionink.com
I agree one hundred percent. It’s very difficult to steal a magazine from Barnes and Noble when there are ads falling….oh…wait, I mean, yeah…it’s inconvenient as hell.
Pariah S Burke
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know that this topic has been picked up by the Design Weblog and Magazine Design Weblog.http://design.weblogsinc.com/entry/6706137503747893/
Paul Mayne
I’ve come to terms with the thick annoying paper samples in HOW because I really enjoyed the articles and refreshing content in each new issue so I subscribe. I also subscribe to CA, Print and I.D. You are correct, with the exeption of CA, I have noticed a lack of new and informative content that make the magazines worth spending time to read. I still enjoy the fresh designs showcased for whatever reason. To fill the void on content I’ve spent more time reading Speak Up.
qian
nathan, that’s totally right. How and Step are just junk. Comm and Print are just so so so. there are some mags that I also enjoy besides your list, Graphic (from London), and +81 (from Japan). : )
Nathan Borror http://www.playgroundblues.com/
Amen Brotha, I couldn’t agree with you more.
some guy
as a designer who just so happens to be against advertising and marketing in most forms, i stopped getting magazines long ago. not just the ad-laden “design” mags you mentioned - all magazines. they really are just vehicles for commercials, in the same way that television is, and (to a great extent) the Internet.the lone exception to this are online magazines, presented in HTML or PDF format. well, there is another exception… my roommate got me a subscription to Adbusters last year. i used to be attracted to the “style” (not design) of that magazine, but i now find myself more drawn to the ways that their work functions as a political critique. working with non-profits and government agencies is what i do, and there’s not much place for “style” within these institutions. i prefer it like that. it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find design that is truly refreshing and novel. i can tinker with crazy typefaces and color palettes on my own, but when the time comes for real “design” - that is, making information easy to access, understand, and manipulate - self-restraint is your best friend… since people are so saturated with advertising, ads must become more and more offensive and invasive. with such saturation, the visual novelty of advertisements also decreases. i’m tired of seeing the same typefaces over and over. i’m tired of seeing the web graphics styles of the late 90s painted on service vans for cell phone companies. i can find a parallel between your rejection of the aforementioned ad-laden magazines and what i’ve described above. i think too few people stop to ask themselves how their work is actually helping to make the world a better place. true, most people don’t care about things like that, and they don’t care whose name is on the check as long as it’s a big one. that’s all fine and good, but the problem lies in the actual work that you start to put out when you accept that mindset. look at Josh Davis, who started out on the edge. now he just sells out his style to the highest bidder, using the same old tricks over and over for multinationals that enslave children overseas and at home alike. that’s sad enough, but even more sad is the fact that Phil Knight could care less which new media whiz-kid is sitting at the Mac, as long as his stock goes up, up, and up.it also shows that the editors of these magazines don’t care where the money comes from or how it pollutes the purity of the work they’re attempting to present… as long as there are ad dollars being thrown at them, they don’t care that the ads outnumber actual content by a ratio of 3:1.i support your rejection of the “magazine as commercial” and i urge all so-called “designers” to take a look at their portfolios and ask if any of their hyped-up, glossed-over work is doing anything for the world besides fattening the pockets of the people at the top.
Nathan Borror http://www.playgroundblues.com/
big steve: I’ll definatly check those out. Qian: Graphic sounds familiar, is +81 easy to find?I’m glad I’m not the only one with frustration.
gohlkus
Thank you, “some guy” — I too agree completely.I’m about to move across town and am finally recycling my HOW magazines from 1999 and 2000.