January 2017

Our monthly global round-up includes magazines of note from Canada, The Philippines, the States, Spain and Scotland.

LSTW #1
With the rise of independent publishing, we’ve seen more and more titles exploring a diverse range of sexualities and gender experiences – from gay men’s mags Hello Mr. and Jarry to LGBTQ+ titles like Girls Like Us and Archer. Until LSTW (which stands for ‘Lez Spread The Word’), we haven’t seen a publication intended purely for a lesbian audience though. Issue one of the Montreal-based, bilingual, annual publication explores various lesbian communities in Canada. Read one direction for English, or flip and read for French.
lezspreadtheword.com/en/magazine

The Exposed #2
The software behind this magazine’s combination of print and digital underpins Apartamento’s recent iPhone app. The Exposed is image-only, the photography doing just enough to intrigue tease the reader. Using your iPhone, you can easily use the images to access a good range of audio and video content.
the-exposed.com

404 Ink #1
404 Ink is a new, alternative, independent publisher based in Edinburgh and this is the first issue of its literary magazine. Set up by two freelance writers, the title has a definite feminist attitude, and unlike a lot of the other new literary journals that have appeared over the last year, 404 Ink’s message and attitude is determinedly political.
404ink.com/fromthemag

Eldorado #1
The new annual surf publication from Albert Foch and co consists of abstract imagery of surfing in Morocco (each edition will feature a different place). As to be expected from the visually bent publishers, the softcover, 60-paged title is an ambient joy to behold – the foil-blocked bronze/blue circle logo on the cover is beautiful.
eldoradoexperience.org

MIT Tech Review, Jan/Feb 2017
We’re including this ‘Hacking the Biological Clock’ issue of MIT Tech Review here for its playful reversible cover and also to note how the tone of its imagery in recent months – bold typography, looser illustrations and digital, 3D renderings – takes a strong lead from Bloomberg Businessweek.
technologyreview.com

Man Flag Shandy #1
This is utter nonsense, so much so that there might just be something important to its its black and red pages of imagery, distorted text and diatribes. The highlight for me was an inserted slip of paper with suggested reviews of the mag, all of which are relentlessly negative. Example: ‘Man Flag Shandy is either shit, or good in a way that no-one really cares for.’
manflagshandy.com/magazine

Latterly #1
Hand-sized Latterly seeks to bring together writing that combines the standards of journalistic reporting with literary devices – it’s in the tradition of the American essay, but its content has a particular social bent. Latterly online has existed since 2014 as a news site that reports on the ground in over 30 countries. The decision to produce a quarterly magazine is yet another example of how platforms with definitive social goals are beginning to use the form of a magazine to promote specific political causes.
latterly.org/

The Cleverness Biannual #0
Another print mag that’s grown out of a website. This pilot edition comes from the Australian leadership consultancy of the same name, and is an intensely serious take on business, philosophy and creativity, itself led by motivation guru Dr Jason Fox. Well designed, illustrated and produced.
cleverness.com

Signatures #1
Bi-annual Signatures highlights Ghana’s local and international creative scene. Alongside Luxe Noir, it’s another example of a new title that focuses on art from Africa. Bringing to mind Niijournal, it also seeks to promote a black perspective in a magazine-making scene that is still largely white and concentrated around American and European experiences.
signaturesmagazine.co.uk/

Locale #1
Our recent magCulture Meets OOMK night highlighted Malaysia’s growing indie scene, and a member of the audience queried why other countries in south east Asia were lagging behind. Here’s an example from the Philippines, covering local design and designers and making the case for the country as more than a tourist destination.
locale.ph