We’ve ‘Zine It All: 7 Must-Read Magazines

industry magazines

magazines

print

garden and gun

mcsweeneys

lucky peach

the believer

826 national

nylon

nylonmag

wired

how

wallpaper

As anyone who knows us will tell you, we’re a bunch of content-hungry, information elitists. We’re not afraid to admit it! There’s way too much stuff out there that we want to know and absorb for us to waste our time wading through the muck. And, as backward as it may sound, sometimes that means (GASP) reading print. We know, we know – HOW WILL WE TWEET IT? Luckily, some of our favorite inspiration hubs are generous enough to spread their wealth to the online world.

Here’s a list of our favorites. We apologize in advance for sucking up your entire Wednesday.

1. Garden & Gun
Don’t judge a magazine by its cover – or its name. G&G is one of the few print publications seeing profits these days, despite its spring chicken-ness. No, it’s not about guns or really even about gardens. It’s everything wonderful about The South (so much so that most of its readers come from the urban coasts) and it paints a beautiful Americana portrait of culture, art, music, lifestyle and delicious, delicious food. Oh yeah, guess which lucky city was featured recently. Yep, it was ours.

2. The Believer
If you like McSweeney’s, you’ll love The Believer. Probably because it’s published by McSweeney’s, but also because you are a hyper-literate culture nerd. Each page is an absolute work of art, and each article is so erudite and esoteric (and yet, so cool) that you can actually feel your dendrites connecting and the lenses in your glasses thickening. Spawned from the genius of Dave Eggers and supporting the 826 National (as all McSweeney’s things do), don’t be surprised to see the likes of Jonathan Lethem, Nick Hornby, Miranda July and other writers, musicians and actors filling its heavy pages.

3. Lucky Peach
Not to get to overdo it with McSweeney’s, but this is also great for refined bellies and sophisticated palates. And this is coming from a group of eaters.

4. Wallpaper
This is a gallery of all the things in the world that make you “Oooh” and “Aaaah.” From architecture to fashion to funky dinnerware and modern art, this magazine oozes creativity and design. If you need some inspiration for your workspace, this gem is the perfect wallpaper. (See what we did there?)

5. Nylon
If this magazine were a human, it would wear smudgy black eyeliner, lots of layers and an occasional smattering of glitter. Basically, this magazine would be us. For the latest fashion trends and buzz about celebrities, movies, music and all the other stuff the cool kids are doing, we scour this Black Sheep bible. Hint, hint: If you’re reading online, be sure to check out the weekly playlists.

6. HOW
Sure, this mag helps us stretch our brains and flex our creative muscles. But more than that, it helps us DO the stuff we need to do to grow our business, be a leader and keep our heads in the game. With stories covering hiring to pricing to finding the pitch-perfect color palette, this sucker is packed with insightful tips and best business practices that help our clients and our team prosper.

7. Wired
If it’s happening it was in this magazine – last month. A digest of all things trending, this magazine is all that and a bag of probiotic potato chips. There’s no category to currently describe Wired – it’s everything (movies, science, technology, politics) all rolled into a single package that is worth reading cover to cover every single time. If you’re infographic-obsessed and a lover of all things “now,” you are the Wired target audience.

This was an incredibly difficult blog to write. First of all, we kept getting distracted reading the actual magazines. Secondly, the list had to end somewhere. We didn’t include any obvious (or not-so-obvious) industry pubs, per se, but instead selected a group of reads that sit just below the fray and make our eyes light up when we see them in the mailbox. It’s incomplete, and we recognize that. So, do us all a favor and share your favorites in the comments. Two points for introducing us to something new (caveat: we have to like it)!
 

Taken the tour, but still want more? Get in touch!