September 2016
The magazines have been piling up at magCulture HQ; so much so we’ve had to exact a pretty ruthless cull for with this month’s Coverage post. These ten magazines are the highlights from our postbag over the past month or so.
Religious Flyer Review #1
Charlie Bowden has been collecting religious flyers for ten years, and this is his first published collection. Presented one by one, they reflect how we’ve reached a place ‘where religious teachings that lasted millennia are discected… and handed out on the street corner with questionable impact.’ and yes, he does review each one in detail, covering design, langauge and production techniques. There’s enough humour and enough seriousness to keep you guessing how Bowden really feels about the flyers.
religiousflyerreview.com
A Coefficient of Drag #1
Lovely looking piece of Risograph printing right here. Issue one of the bike zine/ magazine has been handmade in Salford by designer, illustrator and cycling enthusiast Steve Hockett. It’s refreshingly rougher than the highly stylized and minimal bike titles that we’re used to and that’s its aim: it calls itself the ‘cycling magazine for those who don’t usually like cycling magazines’. Personal highlights include an article about getting onto Eurosport and the pull out print by illustrator Thomas Slater.
The Fourth Trimester #2
We’ve seen a few magazines about fathers but this is surprisingly the first one we’ve come across for new mothers. It’s positive that there’s a title providing support for and focusing specifically on life after birth, but it’s a shame that the visual language of the publication often falls into twee stereotypes.
fourthtrimag.com
Grand Circus #3
I’ve never visited Detroit, but this biannual magazine about the city does a good job of persuading me it’s worth the trip. The hefty 122 pages guide the reader around the art, culture and history of a city that most people might assume had had its best days.
readgrandcircus.com
WOTH #1
WOTH stands for Wonderful Things. The new Dutch interior and design title thinks of itself as somewhere between a big magazine like Elle Decor and a small indie start up – its visual language is a muddle of the two. The husband and wife team behind it have been in the industry in the Netherlands for decades, and they launched in September after a successful Indiegogo campaign. Issue 1 includes interviews with new designers like Sabine Marcellis as well as established names like visual artist Tom Hoogerwerf. We’re intrigued to see how the title grows, as it’s another example of a magazine that blurs the distinction between what we associate with ‘mainstream’ and ‘indie’.
woth.co
Dog #1
If fellow dog magazine Four & Sons is slightly obscure in name, this new magazine couldn’t be clearer. The title sits boldly above a photo of a rare Stabyhoun dog on the cover and inside we meet plenty of the animals. We visit that breed’s home territory of Friesland, meet various dog owners, observe a set of Ukranian street dogs and read about the companionship the animals provide. It’s a simple, smartly produced publication that will easily appeal to dog lovers but maybe not persaude others.
readdogmag.com
Delayed Gratification #23
Another solid issue of slow journalism mag Delayed Gratification. This issue’s cover art is by Scott Albrecht, there’s 18-pages of in-depth Brexit analysis, a look back at the massive wildfire that swept through Fort McMurray in Canada, and analysis of the rise of Trump.
slow-journalism.com
Blad #5
Gardening is one of those subjects that attracts such passion that I wonder why there aren’t more small magazines about it. Blad — the word is Danish for ‘leaf’ is a neatly put together gardening title that has some great photography and illustration but is hampered slightly by the bilingual presentation. The small page size and the double texts (English and Danish) rather overwelm the imagery.
blad-journal.dk
The Small Things #1
I first came across this magazine as a concept in the mind of a couple of Falmouth Uni design students; Rosie Stevens and Molly Fenton wanted to make a magazine that encouraged political engagement among their generation. The result is The Small Things, presenting simple ideas that people can use to create change. It’s really a guide to better living, a positive voice that cuts through the clutter to offer useful suggestions.
Casebook #1
Published by Freddie Fraser Forsyth, founder of London-based creative agency Topsafe, Casebook looks at contemporary independent film making in Britain and beyond in an ‘impressionistic’ way. This first ‘No Issue Issue’ was designed by Michael Bartz and is a ‘showreel’ of carefully selected stills and words from contemporary independent filmmakers. Highlights include a look at the relationship between brothers Archy (King Krule) and Jack Marshall through the lens of film-maker Will Robson-Scott, and a spread where London independent film-maker Josh Church debuts stills from his film 12 days, Still.
shop.topsafe.london