Saturday, February 5, 2011

Online Magazines

I miss blueprint and domino. I still have the first issue of blueprint and it is still really good. The new online magazines are not as well made (no surprise there as I'm sure the budgets are much smaller).

Lonny is an online shelter magazine that is from someone who worked at Domino. I don't care to check who it is because it would make no difference to me. As a result of its founders, it is actually a very nice online magazine. Rue is a shelter magazine too, I think. However, it has a lot more fashion/beauty product content than Lonny. Both are fairly established now. Most people who read design blogs know about them.

As for High Gloss and Matchbook, I found both boring but Matchbook better than High Gloss. Unfortunately, both premiered for their February issues within a week of each other (at least within a week of me knowing about them on various blogs).

High Gloss, are you really doing a travel piece on Napa Valley's fancy hotels and shops? It is such an insipid choice. And the fashion in this magazine? Terrible, investment pieces are great but it's doubtful that anyone who can afford a Burberry trench really needs yet another magazine telling you that it is a good investment. And the Marc Jacobs bag in that piece is from last season. Try selling something that is actually coming out this Spring '11. My mom bought that bag before Christmas. I'm doubtful that it will be released in black until next fall if they decide to bring it back. I was told it sold extremely well. However, High Glass had a really nice cover. If I was to choose between it and Matchbox at the bookstore, I would have picked this one. I loved the use of black.

Matchbox is great but the cover was so boring. Not eye-capturing at all. The pink is pretty but dull. The cover subject is an attractive but not beautiful woman with her dog. Inside the magazine is great content. It also had a fashion piece on investment clothing but instead of a dozen, it had 50 items. They also had the trench but the other choices were better. However, I still stand that no one needs to be told what the classics are. That's why they are classics. Everyone has it or knows they should get one. Matchbox traveled to Peru which is a great choice. Their interior design piece was on a studio apartment in Chelsea. Also different. So far I liked it better.

To sum it up, Lonny and Rue are strong choices but if you want to give a new one a shot, go for Matchbox. Hopefully High Gloss improves but really most of these magazines are interchangeable. I don't see much of a specific type target reader for either magazine.

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