Words by Ilia Sdralli
Illustrated by Olga Cree
Presented by Mars Projevt
In 1982, the Magazine Publishers Association, Inc. aimed to support their work by posting a magazine ad with the phrase: Nothing opens your eyes like a magazine. The ad included the most comprehensive definition of a magazine and its unique powers to introduce its readers to news of any and all subjects.From world politics and innovative inventions to fashion trends, delicious recipes, and new discoveries across our planet, a magazine is a unique and personal medium. “The art of editing a magazine is to look beneath and beyond the surface of daily events. And whenever a magazine does its job particularly well, t is not only capable of opening the eyes of its readers. The truth is, it can often open the eyes of thevery journalists whose job it is to deliver the news day and night.”
The debate over the future of print has been an ongoing conversation with- in the world of media. On one hand, the importance of their existence is obvious—to inform, educate, and entertain in a creative and flexible manner. But on the other, there is this paradox that while the magazine industry is experiencing an intense pressure to survive, advertising is declining, and the price of paper is increasing, print publications are still thriving.
According to the Association of Magazine Media quoted in an April 2020 WWD article by Kathryn Hopkins, magazines lost at least $417.5 million in advertising revenue in 2017 alone, yet magazines have continued to allure readers and audiences alike. In the midst of content written for particular algorithms, the interest for independent print publishing is still intact and focused on the key element of the niche. As a result, we are seeing a boom in the realm of indie fashion magazines—a modern-day publishing phenomenon and the ideal opportunity for provocative storytelling and unrivaled creative expression.
Before the spread of the Covid-19, the magazine industry stayed true to its conventional methods of content creation, but as our world fell into an unyielding pandemic, it all began to change. The Coronavirus pandemic has reshaped the media landscape and has given new meaning to the creation of fashion content. In fact, the quarantine initiative provoked a new curiosity for creativity and encouraged a variety of various kinds of content and styling experimentations. Instead of shooting models in a standard photography studio accompanied by stylists and makeup artists, the fashion world responded to shelter in place policies and social distancing by concepting content with technology. We see this first-hand in the Jacquemus spring/ summer 2020 digital campaign fronted by Bella Hadid. Revealing the French brand’s latest collection of angular sunglasses, knit bodysuits, and handbags, the model was intimately captured by photographer Pierre-Ange Carlotti using FaceTime while she posed in various areas of her home.
As time moves forward, we wonder where the future of the magazine industry is heading. Where do we see ourselves in the 21st century and how relevant are publications in today’s digital world As long as ink and paper stimulate an emotional response and invoke the human desire to lose oneself in the art of reading, fashion magazines have a bright future as privileged experience makers. To engage readers, a magazine must provide them with an experience in which they can digest unique content that feels as though it was designed and curated with their interests in mind. The future lies to the fashion magazines that are creatively pushing boundaries, to the publications that are challenging the notion of what it means to be a magazine, to the creators who are viewing publishing as a conceptual art form.
In a post-text world, behind each successful independent title is a vision and belief that the future of the world is in made manifest through print. There is a narrative to be told and a team that shares the same vision. For Wonderland magazine, adjusting to the post-corona world is initially an issue of balance, explains Editor-in-Chief Huw Gwyther. “I think it’s far too early to say, but in general, always ensure your income is greater than your expenditure.” He noted that quality will always find a place in the publishing world, that there will always be a market for something really amazing. “I will just continue to try and make everything we do the very best we can possibly make it,” he said. “I gave up long ago trying to predict the future. In many ways, you have to take things one day at a time, and continually adjust and change, whenever you need to. Everything is totally unpredictable right now, but at least it’s definitely not boring.”
For John-Paul Pryor, editor of Author magazine and previous editor of Flaunt, the people who love print fall into two camps. “There are people who love the high-quality visual images and the people who enjoy written content that has been curated and represents a mindset that they feel in tune with,” he said. “Of course, many people fall into both of those camps. There are also those who fetishize print, rather like those who collect vinyl records. I personally love print because at its best, it is a physical time capsule of culture. Whether it’s The Paris Review in the 60s or The Face in the 80s, it captures the mood and some of the most interesting voices of its time.”
So, what has Coronavirus changed for print magazines? “I think the world will only really change substantially for a couple of years after the current pandemic in terms of culture,” Pryor said. “At the moment, the challenge for magazines is perhaps that there is less cultural production to talk about, but that in itself is a story. The biggest challenge for magazines is going to be economical in the next year or two. I don’t see the need to change as such. In general, most magazines would do well to drink from the font of celebrity culture less often, as that content becomes achingly tedious.” Still, he sees a future shining. “I absolutely see a future for magazines. I am a believer that eventually, we’ll all be fatigued of digital culture and content. In terms of independent magazines being more adaptive entities, I think that is possibly true, mainly because they tend to focus on much more interesting content and represent subcultural identities far more than the mainstream.” For Pryor, the idea of curated content is key. “There will always be new ways to curate and create content. In terms of predicting future stratagems, the sky is the limit. I think an important point about good magazines is that they are a petri dish for new ideas and innovation, and I think that is the key quality they need to maintain and remain relevant.”
BASIC magazine’s own Editor-in-Chief Viktorija Pashuta, is a firm believer of the luxury experience that print only has to offer. “Print is a luxury commodity,” she said. “It is a pricey venture when it comes to producing a high-quality, luxurious magazine and it should be treated as such. Even though we live in a digital era, people still want to have a physical connection—either with one another or with luxury items. It is like saying you would prefer a virtual kiss versus a real one. Nothing can be compared to the smell of freshly-printed pages and the heavy weight of a new issue in your hands on a Sunday morning. Reading a substantial, beautifully-crafted magazine not only brings the feeling of being present, but it also provides you with a source of inspiration.” For Pashuta, reading and collecting magazines is a lifestyle choice.
The future of print is interchangeable with great content that doesn’t strive to stay in tune with the ever-changing social media platforms. “I believe in print, as it is timeless. For all magazines right now, it is harder than ever, but at the same time we should not forget that social media channels change every three to five years. But print editions—especially quarterly or bi-annual ones—will be added to private collections and kept their for many years to come. To me, it is sort of like a time machine and a great conversation starter,” she said.
As our society is slowly being pieced back together, the way publications respond to the demanding post-Coronavirus era is vital to their continuing success. “This is the perfect time to activate that ‘thinking out of the box’ button,” Pashuta said. “Make it less commercial and more personal. Right now everyone is listening, so you better say something valid and meaningful. Magazines should experiment more with mixed media projects, create editorial series that will encourage conversations, trigger imagination, and reflect on social issues with insightful interviews and features. In the post-Corona world it would make sense to be more engaged with your audience via social media channels, to keep it fun, interactive, short and sweet. But it should never overpower print, which in our case, is our prime real estate. At the end of the day, content is king. We are treasure hunters and to find real treasure takes patience and dedication.”
