Magazines in the news

Two UK magazines have appeared in the features pages of newspapers recently. First up, a rare piece on magazine design, or more specifically typography, in The Observer discusses the redesign of Blueprint magazine.

And second, news that fashion title Pop magazine is adding a third annual issue to its schedule made several newspapers including, again, The Observer.

Its great that the wider media is picking up these stories. In the case of Blueprint the right angle has been picked. Overall I think the redesign is rather disappointing, the new typeface being the most interesting part (sample below). Blueprint was a dramatic reinvention of architectural publishing when it first launched; I hope after this relaunch issue the design can be let off the leash and let rip a little.

Pop, meanwhile, is one of those magazines whose influence reaches far further than its sales figues would indicate. It is essentially a fashion trade magazine, full of lengthy shoots of models and celebrities by the latest photographers. It does this very well and deserves its self-given title 'The World's First Superglossy'.

But something strange has happened to Pops' design. It's never quite discovered a visual language of its own, every issue featuring different design, but previous issues have looked much better than the new one. Perhaps I'm missing a subtle fashion world irony in its apparent desire to look like late-eighties Interview at its most banal, but I didn't enjoy Franklin Gothic Demi Bold in pink first time round and seeing it again my view hasn't changed.