Tuesday 15 July 2014

Reading List



This is a post that I've been wanting to for quite a while now, I am as; you may or may not know a magazine/book addict, not for just any magazines/books but art/design/interior etc. Any spare money I have will most likely be spent on buying the new issues and new books that I've had sitting in my wish lists for months. Being someone who follows a lot of blogs, its not often that I see reading lists of good design magazines/books and thought it might be a nice idea to share some of mine with you. I'm not trying to force my opinions on anyone or been asked to do this, I just thought it might be helpful to anyone, like me looking for some recommendations.



Eco Design / Furniture - promopress: This was actually a birthday present from my best friend this year, in which she wrote this message inside.. "A book to read when you think you've lost your marbels. You haven't". The perfect message I would say for this book. The book aims to take you thought and present the latest eco-furniture from around the world's leading design teams and tries to encourage more people to consider more environmentally conscious approaches to design. The book ranges from recycled/reused materials, to natural materials, technology and crafts. It's definitely a great book to read, flick through with a good cup of coffee when you just need a little time out. I'm still making my way through the book at the moment but have so far found it to fill me with mad, weird ideas and really helps on those days were nothing seems to inspire you. Easy to read and fun to look through.

Made By Hand - Lena Corwin: I first heard about this book on Essie Buttons blog (link to post) and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. Essie definitely explains the book better than myself but, the book contains a collection of crafts and projects ranging from; printing, sewing, knitting and tie dying and is made up by a brilliant range of crafts people and designers, all taking you step by step into each project. With summer coming up, I think this is a great book to have and filled with some fab projects that I can't wait to try out, something to keep me busy and keep me crafting.

Wrap Magazine / Issue 10 - 'Into The Wild': This is another fairly recent purchase over the past month and actually my first issue of this magazine. For those of you know may not know Wrap magazine as stated on their website are a celebration of illustration, design and creative culture. The issue I purchased presents 5 illustrations inspired by plants, I mean how could I not?! As well as interviews with the illustrators each illustration comes with a pull out wrapping paper of the design, which I think is just fab! Although this is only the first issue of the magazine I have bought, this is definitely something I would pick up again. Its great way to find out about designers and illustrators in a interesting way and enabling you to sample their work.

Frame #96 / Fashion - Jan/Feb 2014: This magazine I actually heard about in a lecture from a guess speaker, I wish I could remember who it was exactly but I remember said person talking about the publication and its wide range of content and was something that I was keen to investigate. Although a little pricey, I found the magazine to be completely worth it and especially though my last few months. Again this is the only issue of the magazine I have purchased and was a back issue, the reason I got this particular issue was for the "Fashion On Stage - How to Dress an Industry" segment. As again you may or may not know, I want to go into set/prop design and art direction so I was very interested in this aspect of the fashion world. Like most people I have interest in fashion, but when I watch the shows, the catwalk and surroundings that really intrigue me. Anyway, throughout the Ordered Chaos project, I found myself looking at the magazine as a bit of a reference point, something to spark a little inspiration and to also develop my knowledge in the field and introducing me to the work of designers such as Sarah May and Robert Storey. If this issue isn't your kind of thing, then head over the website were there issues range from many fields and I'm sure you'll find something you love!.

Aesthetica - The Art & Culture Magazine: This is a magazine that I've been getting on and off for the last year, the title clearly sums it up and it really is a great one. The magazine showcases a range of designers, photographers, artists and every month I finding myself learning about something new and being exposed to worlds of art and design that I may not have stumbled onto myself. The range of styles and approaches in the magazine is something that really sticks out for me and like I said, really introduces me to unexpected areas. With a great range of interviews as well introductions into peoples work, this is definitely a great mag to pick up.

Graphic Design Annual 2014 - Computer Arts / Design Matters / Collection: This was a bit of a one off buy, that when I entered WHSmith I had no intention of buying but alas it caught my eye and here we are now. This magazine basically does exactly what it says on the tin, a collection of the most inspiring design from the world's leading creatives. Whilst working though my last months at uni, I found this to be highly helpful at, well inspiring me. The mag showcases work from each category; print, posters, packaging, editorial, music, digital, environment, motion and advertising.  The work in this magazine is pretty incredible and of course it would be, instead of intimidating me by its amazing work, it did the opposite and really helped me to focus on my work and making it good. I'm always a sucker for a magazine with a great layout and this has it. Whilst working through my portfolio and photographing my work, I used the magazine as reference point on how to better showcase my work. For me seeing a magazine like this, really I can't think of another word but does inspire me to keep working and pushing myself to produce more content. Computer Arts also have a great range of magazines with tips and tricks for things such as portfolios, getting your name out there and being a designers. Something I would definitely recommend checking out.

I hope you enjoy this kind of post and hopefully was useful and helpful to somebody. All links to the books/magazines are below and If anyone has any recommendations themselves that they would love to share then feel free to leave a comment.
Thanks!





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