Library, n.3: Favorite magazines of the recent times
For waiting times—before a flight, a dental cleaning, a long metro commute—there's no better feeling than opening a good magazine and freely navigating the pages
For waiting times—before a flight, a dental cleaning, a long metro commute—there's no better feeling than opening a good magazine and freely navigating the pages.
It's been a while since the extremes of reading tired me, and I've been looking for a middle ground. Social media is all about headlines that I forget faster than I can lock the screen, and books that are too long or too deep to absorb after a long Tuesday.
Substack is a great example of this happy medium: content with a conversational tone, with current subjects that are quick but not instantaneous, and texts condensed in less than 10 minutes. They clearly take the time and dedication of the writers, and there is the weight of reputation behind each publication. But the paper is missing, with texture and colors that rest the screen-tired eyes and caress the fingers.
It has to be a good magazine, of course. That's where magazines gain strength, especially niche ones. We at the studio use these publications as references in our library with the same importance as the books. To get to know new names, brands, places, and arguments: that's where we go. With that in mind, we invite you to discover some of our recent favorites.
Magazines
Cabana is a highly regarded Milanese publication that epitomizes luxury, design, and travel. Founded by Martina Mondadori (yes, from the Mondadori family and Italy's largest publishing group) in 2014, it has become known for its meticulous curation and distinctive aesthetic.
I would say that the theme that ties all the subjects together is the art of living a life well lived. That's because, in addition to architecture and interior design, it has a lot of content on product design, jewelry, floriculture, fashion—a little bit of everything. It's very much about aesthetics and repertoire.
The pace of publication is less frenetic, and this is evident in the final result: the texts are dense but objective, and the photographs always seem to record environments that have been shaped over time (nothing too posed). Each editorial is a universe in itself and as a brand communicator, it is very interesting to play at identifying the key elements of each composition.
The name Cabana evokes a sense of escapism and leisure, whose meaning is reinforced by the bio found on the site:
"The German word gemütlich summons the Cabana vision, conveying an inviting feeling of warmth and sense of space. Whether it be a palazzo, a flat, a folly or a hut, the Cabana mood is an appreciation of the sensory and experiential characteristics of interiors."
There are all sorts of papers being used inside the magazine, making any graphic designer's dreams come true. But the pièce de résistance is the cover, made in fabric in collaboration with big names like Gucci, Etro, Loro Piana, and many more. Pure delight. We mentioned the publication previously in the article Whispering elegance: Quiet Luxury applied to graphic design.
Acne Paper has a lot in common with Cabana: it is biannual, very reliant on high-level printing, and delivers references that are as rich as they are diverse.
It's quite curious how a brand magazine managed to be so interesting, if not one of the most interesting in the market in general. It's as if several specialists of different ages and backgrounds had been incorporated into a single personality that then beautifully orchestrated the content, which is the epitome of cool, chic, cultured, avant-garde. Here's a good extract from their website:
"While the fashion stories featured clothes from multiple brands, the editorial topics ranged from 15th century tapestry to LGBTQ culture, from master painting to street photography, from theatre to sculpture, from dance to meditation."
[...] expanding to 500 pages, a revised format and higher production values. Noteworthy for both its design and interdisciplinary editorial approach where the past informs the present, Acne Paper continues to focus on culture in the broadest sense, exploring an eclectic variety of subjects through photography, fashion, art, literature.”
The publication is in its second phase, as it ran from 2005-2014 and was revived in 2021. The House of Acne Paper edition has recently been released and it is shockingly beautiful. I'm sure this magazine will be very much consulted when I'm looking for fresh references (mainly art pieces, prints and experimental editorial photography). Final tip: if you buy it directly from the brand’s store, it’s cheaper and comes in a very nice package.
While Cabana and Acne Paper are more eccentric and even weird beauty, Kinfolk is about pretty beauty. The weight of the magazine certainly lies in photography, which pleases both Greeks and Trojans with the perfect harmony of colors and compositions—and for that reason a strong reference for some types of commercial photography.
Also, Kinfolk is an excellent tool for unfolding concepts, in which each issue revolves around a theme in the same way we do with the project of brand communication. Every quarter a new issue with a different theme—the most recent one, n.48, is called The Water Issue. Other examples are The Mind (issue 43), The Weather (issue 44), and Interior Special (issue 45). How is Water can be worked within design, fashion, interiors, arts & culture, food, music, and travel? Kinfolk will give you some answers, it will exercise your eyes.
Two last notes: first, the magazine has some interesting developments, such as the version aimed at children called Kindling and some special edition books. Second, I highly recommend you get the Instagrams of these professionals from the magazine: Christian Møller Andersen, Alex Hunting and Cecilie Jegsen.
Now, where to find them
It's disheartening to observe how airports or supermarkets offer an extremely limited range of options. Luckily, these magazines sell on their own websites and it's super easy. BUT, if you want to see them in person and browse around, I highly recommend these gems:
The first, Casa Magazines, as described in her Instagram bio, is a “Magazine lover’s mecca, over 2,500 titles from fashion glossies to niche interest mat'ls & more”. The store is small but the quantity and variety are absolutely shocking. I was there last week and Mr Mohammed who owns the place is a personality (he was moving some supply boxes that had arrived, and I helped him move them while we were talking, really nice guy!). In doubt about which magazine to buy? Want to explore a new subject? He helps you like nobody else. Not only do I love this little place and its regulars, but after all, Casa occasionally appears in The New York Times and on TV, as in the recent And Just Like That. There are also 46,000 followers that the store has on Instagram alone. Important note, they ship worldwide!!!
Now, if you're walking around New York (or live in the US and want to shop online), Iconic Magazines is just as wonderful. I find it a little easier to navigate through their offerings if I'm by myself, and the website helps a lot. They carry such special and rare magazines that sometimes it is there that I have my first contact with their existence. If your eyes need more room to see covers, maybe Iconic should be your first stop.
Signing off,
Isis May
