Design magazines

Hi everyone,

I’d like to make a small poll of your favorite industrial design magazines. We are know renewing subscriptions and it’d be interesting to see what you guys usually read. Feel free to throw in anything design related, architecture or science magazines as well.

I had in mind Axis and the IDSA Innovation magazine, however I’m not familiar with the latter. I checked online and the topics seem to be interesting though.

Cheers,

Ale

We don’t really subscribe to any ID magazines anymore. Blogs tend to fill that roll. We do subscribe to:

Dwell
Fast Co
Wired
GQ
GOOD

AXIS (a Japanese / English magazine that is pretty content heavy, less pretty pictures.)
Popular Mechanics

Besides the more straight forward design mags, I really like BloombergBusinessweek.

It has a sense of humor and I’ve found it to be very inspiring and informative, also in my design process.
Awesome magazine in my opinion.

Thanks for the replies!

AXIS is what I had in mind, looks quite promising.
Has anyone ever read the IDSA magazine? Some of the topics looked interesting, seemed to be a bit more in depth than the average article you can find online.

We have some graphic design magazines, Fast Co, Monocle and VOGUE at the moment. The problem is that nowadays most of the articles are available online, but it’s quite nice to just grab a cup of coffee and read for a while on paper instead of sitting down in front of the computer. In my opinion, we already spend enough time doing that.

Metropolis
Dwell
Wired
Axis
Popular Science
Popular Mechanics

I also think a little money that can go a long way in terms of diversity of thought, approach, cross-pollination, goodwwill, etc. is to let each person in the studio pick a magazine (or two) of their own choosing, doesn’t have to be directly design related. Should be something this person is interested in that is maybe tangentially (or curve continuously :wink: ) related to design. These shouldn’t be the property of the designer, or stay at their individual workspace, they should still live in the common area to help spread thoughts and shared interest etc.

Never really understood why Dwell is so popular.

Personally I have never gotten a lot out of that magazine that I didn’t get from blogs/feeds/tumblrs and feel a bit disappointed when I bought it.
In terms of interior and furniture design, I always thought Frame was a lot more interesting.

dont hate, appreciate.

I’ve been enjoying Offscreen lately. It’s print-only content, however, it’s heavy on reading content and not so much full-bleed design images (if that’s what you’re looking for).

“Offscreen is an independent magazine about people who use the internet and technology to be creative, solve problems, and build successful businesses. Captured in enduring print, it documents stories of creativity and passion that shape the digital age.”

No hate, Michael.

I just appreciate Frame a bit more :wink:

[ Deleted ]

Here in the UK we have Develop3D which can be subscribed for free by businesses, consultancies, students etc.

It tends to cover more of the CAD area of Industrial Design but its always a very good read. They often put a UK based company, consultancy in the spotlight and interview their MD/CEO. In terms of their CAD content, they always cover latest software, updates and also hardware (including explaining all the technical words, making it easier to understand). It also contains the usual stuff, plenty of adverts and job post areas too!

May be worth emailing their editor to see if you can get some free copies shipped out to you. It’s defo worth a read!

Related: What to do with 45 back-issues of Axis mag? Pulp them? eBay? Nearby design school?

Nearby design school or offer them up here for the (at least) the price of shipping. I’m sure you’ll find someone to take them off your hands.

Both Frame and Dwell are pretty cheap on the Zinio App for those who prefer digital.

I’d really like to get Axis physical copies, but I’m having trouble finding where I can get a subscription. FluffyData, how did you get your copies?

I miss being in school sometimes, as having access to online journals meant all of the Design Issues articles I could ever want were right at hand, as well as several other design/research journals.

Garage Life. Its a Japanese periodical - maybe 6x a year. Sickest garages in Japan, and the wealthy iconoclasts and aficionados that build them.

That is our idea, each one of us is giving suggestions, then we will decide which to subscribe. I agree that magazine shouldn’t stay at anyone’s workspace, they should be on a place where anyone can pick them up.


http://www.axisjiku.com/en/axismag/

At the bottom there’s an email link for inquiries.

I had picked up the very first issues of Dwell. In its early days, it was much more focused on delivering approachable insights into the world of residential-focused, sustainable architecture. It also filled a useful hole between magazines about trendy interior decor and sometimes-stuffy architecture, bringing to readers forward-thinking designs and products along the way.

But a few years on, I think its expansions plans got in the way and suddenly the magazine was filled with ads and showcases of multi-millionaires’ homes. So I, too, dropped my subscription.

Monocle remains the only magazine that I always purchase.

Many magazines seem to go this route and get stale and repetitive over time.

I was a big fan of Wallpaper* when it first came out as was the first really fresh mag that combined art, design, fashion, architecture, travel, etc. After a while, it was on repeat with another Chalet in Switzerland, Old Communist style hotel in the Eastern Europe, etc… I still have issues 8-90 or something like that.

Same thing with Surface. Got back issues from 2000’s around the same time as Wallpaper*

I was a huge Monocle fan when it launched (same peeps as Wallpaper*) and have first 3 or so years of it. Took a break for a while, then subscribed last year, but got old. Another boutique Japanese bicycle manufacturer and artisanal Italian wallet??.. I still really enjoy the larger Monocle books. Guide to Business and Guide to Better Living. Moreno just as a reference and nice layout than even the details of the content. They are now publishing some travel guides that look nice as well.

I used to buy tons of mags (Dwell, ID, Wired, Interni, Complex, Sneaker Freaker, Wad, Vice, V Man, Japanese Sneaker books, etc.) but hardly do any more. I got a bookshelf full of them (about 8’ long x 10" high stacked full) in my Studio I look at the odd time, but hardly that often. Much more is online and it’s easier to reference (copy and paste, screenshot, bookmark, etc.). Enough is enough.

Not to mention now it’s just so easy to google a trend, image, Tumblr, for up to date inspiration.

I do sometimes buy Taschen books such as Illustration Now, 100 Interiors, etc. Recent purchases you can see still waiting to be reviewed on the stool… :slight_smile:

R