It’s fascinating to see the indie magazine scene flourishing — if I set to subscribe to a new title every month, I’d end up suffocating under a pile of paper. What is more fascinating is that most of the titles I’m discovering today are edited and printed in an array of countries and cities from around the world — and each is trying to hone in on a peculiar, unique subject. I stopped by my favorite magazine shops in New York (list at the end of the post) and picked up some new culture and design titles to enjoy this summer.
1. Real Review
@realrvw
Part scientific, part artistic investigation, the UK-based Real Review looks closely at architecture and the design of everyday objects.
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Subscription: 4 issues a year /$40.00
2. Lost
@lost.magazine
A magazine about self-discovery through travel – featuring personal reflections and epiphanies from people around the world. Travel is about immersing oneself in someplace entirely foreign to feel uncomfortable enough that one can learn from it — it’s not merely an act of leaving one place for another, but a state of mind.
Country: Singapore
Language: English, Chinese
Subscription: Per issue / $30
3. The Drawer
@thedrawerrevuededessin
Combining contributions from artists, graphic designers, architects, and illustrators — the magazine celebrated all things drawn and sketched.
Country: France
Language: English, French
Subscription: Per issue / €19.00
4. Elementum
@elementumjournal
Elementum focuses on the intersection between ecology and travel — in a Kinfolkian way and aesthetic. The idea is to live in accordance with the rules of nature, without overwriting its importance.
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Subscription: Per issue /£15.00
5. Nez
@nezlarevue
The first magazine focusing entirely on scent design is itself well-designed and bound with a selection of great papers. My favorite part is the laser-cut logo on the front cover — a beautiful touch adding to the idea of designing for the senses.
Country: France
Language: English, French
Subscription: Per issue / 19,90€
6. Slanted
@slanted_publishers
In every issue, Slanted travels to a different city and highlights the work of local typographers, graphic designers, and illustrators + includes a small culture and travel guide at the end. In the best traditions of graphic designers going wild, the title is meticulously designed with many different paper types and bold layouts.
Country: Germany
Language: English, German
Subscription: Per issue /18.00€
7. Rakesprogress
@rakesprogress
A contemporary gardening and style magazine for urban gardeners based in the UK that began merely as an inexperienced gardener learning to grow and grow from it.
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Subscription: 4 a year /£40.00
8. Minchō
@minchomag
Minchō is a magazine about illustration and graphic arts. This particular issue is dedicated to humor in its broadest graphic and conceptual spectrum, from the visual gag and conceptual illustration to posthumour and satirical art.
Country: Spain
Language: English, Spanish
Subscription: 3 a year / 25 €
9. Tate Etc.
@TateEtcMag
The titles explores the visual arts scene on an international scale. From essays to interviews, from cutting edge studio work to archive highlights, the magazine follows the work that sparks the most interesting debates and explores its context, history, and meaning.
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Subscription: 3 a year / £18
10. Standart
@standartmag
A magazine about the beauty of specialty coffee culture told through conversations with baristas and coffee connoisseurs.
Country: Slovak Republic
Language: English
Topics: coffee, brewing, counter culture
Subscription: 4 a year / $45.35
11. Record Culture Magazine
@record_magazine
A bi-annual publication that focuses on niche music communities around the world and their intersection with art, fashion and culture. Think of Record Culture as your admission into the lives of these musicians and producers – their homes and studio spaces become the gallery from which you learn about them.
Country: Australia
Language: English
Subscription: Per issue / $20
12. Mortise & Tenon
@mortise_and_tenon_mag
An annual magazine bridging the worlds of furniture making and scholarly exploration of the woodworking culture through interviews, tutorials, and analysis of artifacts. Mortise & Tenon ships in the most beautiful craft cover I’ve ever seen on a magazine.
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Subscription: Per issue / $24
13. Harvard Design Magazine
How design works in today’s culture is at the very center of the magazine’s focus – it’s a place for distinguished and unexpected voices to engage with design is a broadest sense, cross-pollinating different fields of design and culture.
Country: U.S.
Language: English
Subscription: One year subscription /€ 35.00
