by: Sequoia Pinterits
A while ago my mom gave me a few cooking magazines from the year before that she didn’t know what to do with. Sure, it’s March now, and most of the issues were about the holiday season, but I still read them all cover to cover. This is coming from someone who read one book in the whole of 2018 and usually just turns to Instagram when bored. What is it that made me trade screen time for outdated cooking advice?
I think there’s something perfect about magazines. They don’t demand a long attention span and the physical act of flipping pages is somehow more satisfying than scrolling through your feed. They arrive by snail mail, which is novel at this point, plus I feel kinda fancy when I read one my bus commute (but not as fancy as that one guy reading Infinite Jest). I don’t know, it’s special. You gotta try it.
EyeCandy is a great place to start (wink wink), but what are we to do until the next issue comes out? Thanks to my recent obsession, I’ve got plenty of suggestions! Below I have a list of some other fun art related magazines so you can stay busy while you wait for the next edition of EyeCandy.
Note: bear in mind that a lot of these magazines do not publish their content online. They are available to buy in print, which is great to do if you want to support good old fashioned indie publishing. If you’re like me and can’t go around spending tons of $$$ on pretty magazines, I definitely recommend checking out your local library and seeing what art journals they already have. Most libraries even let you make requests for material you’d like them to purchase, so don’t be afraid to ask!
SOFA
SOFA is a new Berlin-based magazine that speaks to the sensibilities of today’s youths. Each issue delves into a specific topic, the most recent one focusing on masculinity in the digital age. SOFA’s forward looking subject matter along with its trendy aesthetic, inclusion of young writers, and relatively low price makes it a great read for teens and early 20-something year olds.
Flaneur
Ricarda Messner, founder of SOFA, is also the publisher of this intriguing magazine. For each edition, contributing artists spend two months living on a specific street in a chosen town. During that time, they photograph, draw, and write about the area, resulting in over 100 pages capturing the spot’s unique spirit. Flaneur takes an extraordinary premise and some talented artists and mixes it together to create beautiful portraits of community.
Macguffin
This design magazine tells the story of everyday objects. They’ve got an issue about cabinets and another about sinks. Cool photos and intimate stories come together to paint a poignant picture of objects too often overlooked.
Acid
In honor of EyeCandy’s Santa Cruz roots, I had to include this surf themed magazine. Even non-surfers can enjoy this beautifully designed publication. Though the writing and visuals all loosely revolve around surfing, the stories that they tell run much deeper than that.
Communication Arts
Communication Arts is the only publication on this list that’s “a big deal.” Since 1959, C.A. has been compiling and releasing the best examples of commercial images each year. It features posters, album covers, advertisements, letterheads- any and all pictures. It’s long history means that it’s great for those who love vintage designs AND libraries are likely to have it.
If you’re interesting in exploring further, check out Stack Magazines! (https://www.stackmagazines.com/) They distribute tons of independent magazines through their subscription service and talk about the publishing community in their blog posts.