As a design student, magazines are for more than just keeping you're coffee table pretty. They are sources for inspiration not only for your current work, but also your future in your field. Here’s a list of 11 art, fashion and design magazines sure to give your creative process a revamp:
1. The New Yorker
This copy-heavy, left-wing weekly publication is like the Sunday paper. You have the sections you love, the sections you skip, and the sections that somehow always absorb you in. Known for its cartoons, comments and criticism, the magazine will help you learn a little more about life. Also, its student discount is cheaper than a morning cup and Danish at Starbucks.
Subscribe here.
2. National Geographic
Now, I know what you’re thinking, but hear me out. First, there’s the photos, like the iconic Afghan Girl print. Excellent photography is to National Geographic as Annie Leibowitz is to Rolling Stone. But perhaps its most helpful use to students is that is serves as a modern textbook of sorts. This past year alone I cited it in five papers from recent issues—nothing to bat an eye at, huh?
Subscribe here.
3. Paper
Known for Kim Kardashian’s ass-ets, Paper is for more than just breaking the Internet. It’s where the people of tomorrow are being featured today. In fact, these artists, actors, designers and writers are so fresh in their field, it makes me feel ~hip with the kidz~ when I can recognize half of them.
Also, peep their layouts—feeling out of inspiration for a project? Look no further than their graphic design. White space, force-justified print and visual tension set their style above the rest.
Subscribe here.
4. Vogue
A given, an icon, a tradition. September is second only to December in terms of anticipation.
Subscribe here.
5. Elephant
If ever there was a magazine to simply call “pretty,” this would be it. Meant for the art and visual lover in our hearts, this quarterly magazine will lend even more inspiration and insight into the design world.
Subscribe here.
6. W
Something fun to look at, read and display, W is a bit more main stream. But don’t knock it as just another magazine—it was one of the first magazines I noticed to print gender-neutral advertisements and has the gumption to print nude photo spreads (tastefully and artfully, of course). As I always say, it's not a W issue without a full-frontal.
Subscribe here.
7. Vice
Not for the faint of heart, Vice is the blunt publication best served with a grain of salt. However, it's entertaining and even enlightening at times, particularly its YouTube channel featuring documentaries about topics you didn’t even know you needed to care about, like bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan.
Subscribe here.
8. Boat
college kid ballin’ on a budget.
Subscribe here.
9. Darling
Oh, Darling—truly a magazine meant for the Lauren Conrad in all of us. 100 percent advertisement free and fake-free, the magazine focuses on the multiple facets that make up the modern empowered woman.
Subscribe here.
10. The Gentlewoman
In a nutshell, The Gentlewoman is fashion and culture through a bold and modern lens. Minimal in design yet impactful in design, "The Gentlewoman" has featured Kirsten Dunst, Robyn and Yoko Ono just to name a few.
Subscribe here.
11. Justified
It’s bound to be good when the name of the magazine a design term, right? Right. Think of Justified as a platform for up-and-coming creatives to be showcased and celebrated. Its minimalistic design is refreshing to the eye, serving as the perfect background to let artists’ work speak for itself.
Subscribe here.
