In Response To: Design Magazines

In class yesterday, we spent the entire time looking at and discussing design magazines.  It was wonderful.

When it comes to magazines not designed for designers, it's sometimes difficult to draw much inspiration.  Granted, my favorite publications typically have one or two feature designs that I like, but for the most part, the rest is really formatted and ad-heavy. 

Magazines such as HOW and Print are so great because they are designed for people who...well... like me :) They think conceptually, know (and reflect) the current trends and provide a platform for designers everywhere to showcase their work.

In class, we specifically discussed the typography and grid choices.  Surprisingly, Print likes to dabble in font size variation...and almost to a fault.  Eh, at least in my opinion. Instead of adding excitement (or whatever they're trying to do - add emphasis to particular stories, maybe?)... what happens instead is their magazine loses a bit of its refinement.  While looking at their layouts, I was often distracted and overwhelmed.

Other than that, Print is a brilliantly designed magazine, as well as HOW.  And, if they weren't $20/issue, I'd definitely have every issue, every time.