We are being told the gloom and end of the printed press is upon us. Hail to the digital world of paying online for news, e-books, e-magazines, kindles, i-books and other ‘i’ or ‘e’ somethings. We have seen many magazines fall from the newsagents shelves like slow-moving ducks on a fairground shooting gallery. Our newspapers are now entering their own ice-age and we are told will become the dinosaurs of our century. I remember books was getting these predictions of doom over twelve months ago but I can see a fight back from the printed material (and I hope so too, as I am at the editing stage of my own book!)
Do we love our newspapers books and magazines enough to buy, read and keep them alive? Only time will tell but I want to dedicate Mondays to magazines. A few e-books may creep in as will other printed media but I think we need to celebrate the love of the printed page and keep them alive – IF that is what you want.
I have a library of interior magazines dating back to the early 90’s that is a wealth of resource material and I am kicking myself I didn’t keep ones from the 80’s. As trends scream ‘the 80’s is back’ I would love to pull them out and point out the reasons NOT to go back there until I sound like ‘white noise’.
Interior lovers/addicts and enthusiasts will be raising their subscriptions as a pledge to keep the printed press alive. There is nothing as thrilling as receiving that stack of pages in the mail, ripping off the cover, putting on the kettle and hiding yourself away to take it all in. That first glance of wonderment as colours and shapes burst from the page, rarely reading an article as there is an urgency to see it all in an instant and inhale the beauty in front of us. Then the page closes and the magazine is flicked, dog-eared, slapped with post-its, photocopied and pages ripped and pinned to mood boards. Pinterest has taken this global but to me the tactile real thing in your room is still a much more immediate and romantic notion of dreaming.
So, are you with me for Magazine Monday?
It is a bit like a book club, Today and every week I’ll announce the magazine and you have a week to buy it or borrow it, discuss it with your friends and we’ll meet over on Facebook the following Monday to share our opinions of the magazine overall, favourite article, page and picture.
Join in or just watch the stream of comments. It is a way to not only celebrate the joy of our favourite magazine but introduce it to others who wouldn’t necessarily buy or subscribe to that magazine.
Our first cab off the rank for Magazine Monday is HABITUS (preview here)
This is a quarterly publication that is reaching to the ‘design hunter’. A place to seek, stalk and devour for inspiration. The matt finish of the pages gives a retro feel to some of the pictures but then surprises you when you hit a section of semi-gloss pages and you get a little jolt, and take notice in a whole different way. That is the joy of print, it connects the sense of sight and touch to then give you the sense of sound when you exhale ‘ahhhh’.
Enjoy your week of design hunting and I look forward to you joining me on Facebook on Monday evening.
I’ll create a new blog post to kick off the Habitus comments then I’ll announce the magazine for the following week.
Cheers and happy Magazine Monday!!!!!
Shaynna
