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[/responsive]“There is nothing more stubborn in the world than a corpse; you can hit it, you can knock it to pieces, but you cannot convince it,” said 19th century Russian journalist Alexander Herzen.
Here in the 21st century, if print is the supposed corpse, we just can’t seem to convince it to go away. Indeed, given the slew of new publishers creating some absolutely gorgeous print magazines, print is the most beautiful corpse we are ever likely to see.
Take a look with us at “the beautiful magazines setting out to prove print isn’t dead,” as described by John O’Reilly of The Observer.
According to O’Reilly, “a new wave of publishers is bucking the digital trend with stylishly printed magazines that are as much a joy to hold as behold,” in a nod to the tactical power of print to engage and provide a unique sensual experience.
He points out that these works of published art, often created by young, passionate publishers who are just beginning to explore the power of the medium, are succeeding in large part due to a skillful usage of new technology.
“…these magazines are also a result of the possibilities offered by the new technology that was supposed to kill print culture – they sell and distribute online, they crowdfund, they invent their own business models on the hoof,” writes O’Reilly.
For example, Works that Work relies on a social distribution model that has taken on a life of its own. And Kinfolk, with articles like “Cakes on Wheels” and “The Landscape of Flaws,” reinvents what it means to experience a magazine.
What do many of these titles have in common? According to O’Reilly, it’s an editorial and design philosophy that is based around what magazines do best – engage deeply and lastingly.
“The timeline of these magazines is different, bi-annuals, quarterlies, and for the reader, their mental shelf life is longer. Not driven by celebrity or publicists’ schedules, the curated storytelling, often around a single theme, is closer to the storytelling of novels – they’re narrative journeys of ideas, pictures and activities.”
It’s a beautiful story these magazines tell, of a resurgence of an industry that refused to play dead.
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