Mike Soutar interview
The man behind the launch of UK free titles ShortList and Stylist discusses the magazines in detail. A long but fascinating interview, courtesy of Smarta.
Overmatter
Teal Triggs has a new book about Zines coming out soon and is chairing D&AD’s The Art of the Fanzine in a couple of weeks. On the panel: Alex Zamora (Fever Zine), Cathy Lomax (Arty), Laura Oldfield Ford (Savage Messiah) and Neil Boorman (Shoreditch Twat).
Essentials replaces celebrities and models on their front covers with real women. Permanently? We’ll see.
German tabloid Bild runs a 3D issue. Or is it just bad printing?
Media agencies moan about the smaller audience created by the Times paywall. That was the whole point surely? Less reliance on ads.
Excellent colour piece about the late Raymond Hawkey by Mike Dempsey, from Design Week circa 2001.
It’s Nice That #4
Those nice fellas from It’s Nice That have been in touch with news of the next issue of their magazine, out the end of September. Here’s the cover.
As well as stellar content (interviews with Neville Brody, Miranda July, Trokia, Noma Bar… features by Adrian Shaughnessy, Jez Burrows, Sara de Bondt) there’s a limited edition screenprint (below) by James Jarvis for all orders received before September 30. You have 29 days left…
Broken biscuits
Following Michaels excellent piece about the state of magazine distribution (linked before but here it is again in case you missed it), poetry/illustration magazine Popshot has launched this clever solution for ‘wasted’ copies of their magazines.
Just as biscuit manufacturers have traditionally sold their broken pieces cheaply, now you can buy the slightly flawed copies of Popshot that have been returned from shops unsold, been damaged in transit, or were simply at the bottom of the carton. Most damage is superficial – see the image above – but it means you can now pick up a copy for half price.
Meanwhile, issue four of Popshot is about to be published.
Corinne Day RIP
Photographer Corinne Day, who shot this iconic cover for The Face and in the process launched Kate Moss’s career, has died at the age of 45. More here.
UPDATE: the Guardian‘s obituary.
UPDATE: Dazed’s homage.
Overmatter
The problems of buying/enjoying magazines vs the industrial distribution system. A must-read piece from Michael at LineFeed.
ASME announce this years shortlists for twelve categories for the best front covers of the year. Includes the vital ‘Best Vampire’ selection. It’s a public vote via Amazon.
The latest release from Preston is My Paris: ‘Thank you for travelling with Northern Rail’.
The Guardian’s obituary for Raymond Hawkey, sixties/seventies editorial design hero. Len Dieghton’s book covers, The Daily Express (it mattered once) and The Observer.
Summer reading
Off to the beach, one last summer break before returning for an autumn of magazine love at the start of September.
Meanwhile, if you’re in London check out our map of magazine stores and buy some new issues. Or search the site for your favourite magazines using that clever little field bottom right.
And don’t forget you can buy our magCulture/Paper and a copy of the excellent Kasino Creative Annual from our shop – more magazines coming soon.
Gopher Illustrated
I recently caught up with Lope Gutiérrez-Ruiz, founder/editor/art director of this lovely magazine from Venezuala. His is an insprirational story of launching a magazine against all the odds, against a background of press repression and in an environment not used to independent launches. All of which might lead to a bit of congratulatory ‘good job given the situation’ type of commentary, but Gopher Illustrated would deserve comment wherever it were published.
Overmatter
Another indie gaming magazine is on the way: hello Controller.
UK Supermarket chain Tesco are planning their own series of magazine launches, starting in October with a food title and an interiors one.
Patsy Kensit as guest editor at She will surely have been an easier collaborator than Wallpaper*’s Chapman Bros.
Attitude publisher buys failing men’s title Loaded from IPC. An interesting combination.
Idea Books, sellers of rare magazines and art books, have a pop-up shop at the St. Martins Lane Hotel, London, until September 15.
Wallpaper* subscriber cover
Aah, the dangers of handing the design of your magazine cover to someone else.
Wallpaper* have commissioned many outside creatives to design their subscriber covers over recent years, but with this one for their current sex issue they came up against the wilfullness of brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman. In response to a brief to reflect the sex and fashion theme of the issue, their submission was a pair of photos of someone else’s artworks (allegedly by the artists’ cousin).
On querying the submission, the magazine team received a curt email, ‘…perhaps the mistake occurred at an editorial level when you thought it was a good idea to go into bed with two artists who’s very bread and butter is irreverence on toast…’ Indeed. The email was duly added as part of the front cover design.
