Print Media’s New Wave

 

Adoringly embracing a smooth and crisply printed book or magazine is one of the greatest pleasures in life. The smell of newness and exclusivity excites and opens the window to inspiration.  Romance transpires. And the love affair is set to continue according to Stylus, the innovation research and advisory agency.

 

This new wave offers a contradictory perspective to the internet discouraging print. Newsstands are becoming more prominent than ever with the rise of independent and niche magazines – publications that colourfully decorate their designated spaces. Though print magazines are unable to offer the immediacy that comes with online content, they are able to establish innovation. This is accomplished via the focus of the magazines, the subjects they explore and their design formats that allow transform them from a throwaway monthly to a coffee-table objet that is revisited time and time again.

 

Print magazines are now becoming incredibly influential. The publication Offscreen demonstrates how print remains relevant within the ever increasingly digital era we live in. However, due to this increase, it is becoming absolutely vital that magazines need to stimulate desire as part of an aspirational lifestyle. Thus, magazines are becoming keepsakes, items of worth. They appeal to our desire for tactility with mixture of paper surface and weight and innovative dust jackets. Magazines like So It Goes are entering the realm of being coveted, promoting themselves from their former commodity status. And like anything that is exclusive and sought after, the price and value of that item increases. Consequently print magazines are entering a world of boutique collectivism.

 

From art to travel, from fashion to film and music, print magazines are crossing the boundaries in terms of disciplines that they cover. Currently, hybrid food magazines such as Cereal and Hole&Corner appear to be the most favourable. By combining a wealth of areas in their coverage, print publications are proving to remain relevant today.

Designer Forum is proud to offer select print based publications as a part of their extensive trend library. With print magazines on the rise, it is most certainly worth a visit.

Words by Alice Bodkin