My Obsession with Magazines cannot be stopped (The Art of Magazines)
The day magazines are never made again is also the day when I create one myself. I will not live in a world without magazines. I think it’s the feeling they can capture. It’s like an album, the way every song is needed to complement each other. Every detail is made for the bigger picture. If an album is done well it has its own entity. If a magazine is done well it has an essence of its own artwork.
The obsession started when I was young, seeing the magazines at supermarkets. I would importune my mum to buy me them. She would agree normally on road trips or birthdays. I couldn’t even read but I would flick through looking at the pictures, making it up myself. When I started to read, the quizzes in the magazines were my favourite. What a time to be alive; figuring out what One Direction boy was my boyfriend. As a kid, the feeling the magazines captured for me was excitement, a sense of play. As a teen it was an inspiration, what I wanted to become, a bigger world than my hometown. Now as an adult, it's art; seeing talented individuals cultivate ideas. Authenticity, storytelling, and creativity. Getting to see the world in a different way to how I see it. There is an Art to Magazines. An excellent executed magazine is something that will take my breath away. I wish I was kidding, I am not sure why I am like this either. Though I will tell you the secret to a really great magazine: THE DETAILS. The details capture the feeling. You can tell when a magazine is created with passion. It has enjoyment crafted into the seams. The details that come with someone who loves what they do.
How do I break down if a magazine is great or not? Well The Art of a Magazine has four elements (disclaimer: personal opinion). These are the Brand, Design, Words, and Editing. See, a great magazine embodies cohesiveness. The cohesiveness with both the brand and the magazine issue itself. Every detail in the magazine is an extension of the brand. Does the magazine represent why the brand was made in the first place, whether that’s power to women, political fashion, or the environment? Does the magazine issue stay true to its origin? That doesn’t mean it can’t grow, it will with time. It just means it has a place to refer back to when lost in the creative process. The brand aka why the magazine was created is important. Normally I consider a great magazine when it was made for productive change or an inherently good reason.
The design element is creativity and authenticity. It is what creates the identity of the magazines. How it’s seen, how well it’s known, and what makes it different from others. Essentially its own name. Every detail matters. The type of photoshoots, the ads it has, down to what the font is. The design pulls it all together. It creates something from nothing. There is a vision that is followed, an authenticity, it speaks ‘I am the only one doing this like this.’ When you think of a magazine like Vogue, you know its name without releasing it. With just one word; you can see the font, know its fashion, and understand its importance. This is because the details were executed perfectly. The cohesiveness of all the design elements matches the brand. I consider a great magazine if the design of each issue is better than the last one. A brand that isn’t afraid to play with creativity, but still remains cohesive with their name.
The words element to The Art of a Magazine is my personal favourite. I know, what a shocker, it’s not like I am a writer or anything. The words of the magazine are; what is written, how it’s written, and why they are writing. A great writer will offer new perspectives. They will make the reader feel like you have gained something by reading. A great writer will make connections and will leave you with something to take off the page. I consider a great magazine by how the words are written. Is it engaging, does it make connections, is it kind, is it honest? Everybody's values are different, however a great magazine will tell the truth and distance themself from bias, while offering a new perspective.
The editing in The Art of a Magazine shouldn’t be discarded. Normally it’s the most tedious part and will test the editors level of patience. Though it is very important in elevating the magazine. It makes something that's good, now great. Not only are you editing grammar and spelling (my worst nightmare), you are also editing the details (my idea of fun). Making sure the magazine is cohesive, authentic and has its heart.
So that is The Art of Magazines, according to me. But, the true decision to if the magazine comes home with me is the feeling it captures. When enjoyment is written all over it; in the seams, in the photos, in the conversations. To add something new and good to the world. Created as a type of love letter to their own passion, the whole point of art.
