In the vast landscape of creativity known as the computer age, it’s amazing how each aspect of design is intricately detailed. Indeed, there are magazines for web designers, graphic designers and those interested in typography. Getting to know the niche markets and the magazines available for your personal taste can be highly useful to your creative career.
Consulting the Experts
Grabbing a niche-specific magazine from the rack in the grocery store checkout is nearly impossible. Us creative folks need more intellectually stimulating content than what is found in the most popular tabloids.
We contacted a magazine expert at Priority One Magazines (Priority One is a magazine subscription clearinghouse). Since they have insider information about what is hot in the world of magazine subscriptions, we carefully considered their advice.
What follows is a list of the 20 most alluring magazines for creative professionals, broken up by specialty.
We want to help you on that journey and so we’ve compiled a list of the top 20 magazines that fit this genre. Enjoy!
Web Design Magazines
- net magazine: This publication boasts that it’s the number one choice for web designers and developers. It provides the latest web techniques, technologies and trends as well as expert advice on subjects as diverse as CSS, PHP, WordPress, JavaScript, HTML and others.
- Lürzer’s Archive: This is a prestigious magazine with a readership of 150,000. It is a compilation of all the latest advertising campaigns worldwide and focuses on a wide array of design disciplines.
- Computer Arts: This is the magazine for people who believe design matters. With articles on supersized infographics, fractals and the sound of colors, this is sure to prove an interesting magazine for your design needs.
- Web Designer Magazine: In the forefront of web design since 1997, this publication offers web design awards and more to its readers. They cover jQuery, CSS3, WordPress and HTML5 as well as mobile apps in their expert guides.
- Digital Arts: With Photoshop tutorials, articles on self-guided bullets, Apple’s Swift Blog, and subversive artworks painted on McDonald’s wrappers, this certainly appears to be an eclectic magazine.
- ImagineFX Magazine: If you’re looking for a magazine devoted to sci-fi/fantasy digital art, this is the mag for you! There’s a debut of Allen William’s pieces you’ll probably appreciate.
- CMYK Magazine: After 18 years, this magazine is adapting to exclude its print version but will make an app available to all its beloved readers.
- Communication Arts: A leading trade journal founded in 1959, this magazine showcases the best of the best in the following arenas: typography, photography, advertising, illustration, interactive design and graphic design.
Graphic Design Magazines
- Graphic Design USA: This is a news magazine for creative professionals and graphic designers that was established in 1963. Feel free to review their articles on the evolution of logos and the American Web Design Award Winners.
- Graphis: This publication highlights award-winning professionals as well as up-and-coming artists who represent some of the most amazing talent in photography, design and advertising. There are a lot of competitions available through this magazine, so if you are looking to get your foot in the door, this may be your best venue!
- Applied Arts: Founded in 1986 in Canada, this publication offers a world-view on the creative industry. Their five annual issues boast indispensable industry insight and stunning imagery.
- Creative Review: This magazine stimulates, informs and inspires debate across a multitude of creative arenas. They launched in 1980 and aim to provide thought-provoking content; this is a magazine for creative intellectuals!
- IDPURE: This Swiss magazine caters to all who are fascinated by their visual environments. The magazine is primarily visual and intends to offer a view of the world of creation.
- Design Edge Canada: Voted magazine of the year three years in a row, Design Edge Canada is published six times a year and offers opinions from industry pros as well as news on the latest design trends.
- Desktop Magazine: This magazine is published 11 times a year and aims to stimulate as well as critically engage its readers.
- novum: This German graphic design news magazine reports on technology, trends and job opportunities.
Typography Magazines
- Codex Magazine: Consider this a hybrid of journal and magazine devoted to the craft of letterforms. While it’s a relatively new magazine, the reviews are astounding.
- Baseline Magazine: Started in 1979, this is the leading international magazine on typography. It has an eclectic article mix that includes research based pieces and inside scoops on type.
- Eye Magazine: A collectable graphic design journal, Eye Magazine is published quarterly for all who are interested in the world of visual design.
- 8 Faces: This magazine begs the question, “Which eight typefaces would you use if you could only have those eight?” This self-published print magazine has high profile contributors and interviewees. This is definitely one worthy of your support!
Creative Folks Like to Read Too!
We all know creativity is about more than just spending time drawing pictures, moving a mouse and creating different forms of the letter A. Staying abreast of the latest trends and discoveries is crucial for the success of any creative person. Fortunately, magazines provide a visually-stimulating way to acquire this much needed information!
