by Jeremy Leslie, 2013

216 x 280mm, 240 pages

Available only as a PDF download (no longer available in print)

The Modern Magazine presents an overview of current editorial design trends, drawing on publications from the past ten years to show how printed magazines have responded to the new digital channels. The book was the catalyst for the annual magCulture Live events, which began in 2013 as a launchpad for the book.

With 750 captioned illustrations from the mainstream and independent sectors, six essays by magCulture founder Jeremy Leslie and ten interviews with key editorial figures, the book is a snapshot of the mid 2010s, a period of great innovation as the mainstream grappled with new digital opportunites and the new generation of indies took a hold of the print format.

It describes how the disruption of the digital era opened up new possibilities, forcing editors and designers to rethink their roles and their publications. It presents the case that the magazine format remains as potent and innovative as ever, and argues we are witnessing a new golden age of magazines—a case which stands today.

Essays

• What is a Magazine?
• Rethinking the Magazine
• Reinventing Genres
• Design x Content
• Print x Digital
• Endurance Publishing

Interviewees

• Jop van Bennekom (Fantastic Man)
• Marissa Bourke (Elle, Elle Collections)
• Scott Dadich (Condé Nast)
• Francesco Franchi (design director, IL magazine)
• Joerg Koch (032c)
• Ralph McGinnis and Sarah Forbes Keough (Put a Egg On It)
• Tim Moore (Letter to Jane)
• Adam Moss (editor, New York magazine)
• Josh Tyrangiel and Richard Turley (editor and creative director, Bloomberg Businessweek)
• Marco Velardi (Apartamento)