Noted, 03.01.20

A little looking back and a little looking forward: some magazine stories that hit the mark as we shift from the tens to the twenties.

Best writing
US editors pick their favourite magazine features from 2019 for Folio.com; little doubt about their main reference point, most choose pieces from NYTimes Mag.

Cover design vote 2019
The annual Coverjunkie cover design poll took place over the break. This typically clever ZEITmagazin double-cover won – check the rest.

Back in the USA…
Another collection collects controversial covers from 2019, a miserable list of call outs for racism/politics/anti-this/anti-that.

Stack vote
The winner of Stack’s Magazine of the Year twitter poll was New Philosopher.

Predictions
One: ‘I feel confident we’ll see more signals of a slowly emerging tech backlash among young people.’
Two: ‘Publishing is jam-packed with some of the most innovative, smart, tenacious and resilient people I have ever met.’

Rotter Tower expansion
Our friends at Noble Rot finish their year on a high with plans for a new Soho restaurant.

Yes yes yes
Like Steven Heller, we love books about magazines too.

Huge
One of the books mentioned in the above link is Fabien Baron’s vast monograph, which slipped out just ahead of Christmas.

Cassette culture
Good to be reminded of this little eighties gem: Touch magazine, a cassette tape and a Neville Brody-designed poster each issue.

Meanwhile…

Hidden but happening!
Tucked away on the D&AD site, ‘Designing for Publications’ sees our own Jeremy Leslie chair a discussion about magazine design with people behind Kinfolk, It’s Freezing in LA! and The Plant.

RIP Vaughan
The graphics world was shocked and saddened over the holidays by the sudden death of designer Vaughan Oliver. Here’s why.

Farewell Paul
Since we opened our Shop we’ve been buying our bags from Gardners Market Sundriesmen. Today this Shoreditch shop is closing as it moves out to Leyton. We’ll miss Paul and the papery chaos of his Commercial Street cave.