Journal

Emigr? calls it a day

{title}This morning I received some sad news in my Inbox. After 21 years of being published, Emigr? magazine is finally calling it a day.

I don't really know where to begin when describing the effect Emigr? has on my path to become a designer. I'm sure I speak for a lot of designers when I say Emigr? deeply influenced my work throughout university - Not just in terms of how the magazine was designed, and the beautiful typography, but by the articles themselves.

Emigr? has attracted, over the years, some influential and intelligent contributors. It is these people, through this medium, that are challenging design at a fundamental level. Now that's gone, what's left?

Well, there's Eye, which is ok, although I've always felt that Emigr? had a broader editorial remit and therefore actually made it less of an industry journal and more of, well, a good read. Being a member, I also recieve the International Society of Typographic Designers journal, TypoGraphic, every quarter or so. Typographic is a bloody good read, especially focussing on the craft side of typographic design. It can be a little old skool at times, but if you get the chance, pick a copy up and judge for yourself.

So, there we have it, damn shame if you ask me. Better snap up those back issues quick. Where's my credit card....

Comments

While I agree that Emigr? is/was a great magazine, Eye is way, way better in terms of the breadth of material it covers. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that of all the design mags out there, only Eye is an absolute must read.

But then opinions are like backsides, everyone’s got ‘em.

Keep up the great work Mark…

Brad Brooks's Gravatar

Brad Brooks
Tue 8th Nov 2005
at 1:16 pm

emigr? announced a while ago that they were finishing, and I thought that it was probably a good idea for them. the changes in format (remember the little cd/dvd package issues), and then the rather bland ‘book’ issues and the deal with Princeton Architectural Press failed to ignite my curiosity the way in which the older issues did. I’m into dot dot dot these days, and will have to find another to subscribe to. a melancholy farewell, indeed.

chris grimley's Gravatar

chris grimley
Tue 8th Nov 2005
at 2:36 pm

It wasn’t without its missteps, but for a long time, Emigré was the stalwart of graphic design publications. This final issue will likely bring a tear to my eye. I just wish I didn’t have to pay $20 USD (with shipping) for that opportunity…

Rob Weychert's Gravatar

Rob Weychert
Tue 8th Nov 2005
at 3:33 pm

I have been reading Before & After ([url=http://www.bamagazine.com]http://www.bamagazine.com[/url]) since I was a kid and my dad subscribed to it. Although I am not convinced about their new truncated PDF format, it is a fantastic magazine with simple, elegant designs.

Galen's Gravatar

Galen
Tue 8th Nov 2005
at 8:12 pm

chris - I’m not so sure about dot dot dot, it really seems to be trying to hard to be typographically ‘special’. That’s what I liked about Emigr? so much, you could see the maturation of the magazine over the years to the point where the typography, by and large, didn’t get in the way of the content. Maybe it just appeals the purist in me…

Rob - I know, that shipping is a killer. The problem with living in the middle of nowhere is I have to get it shipped to me. When I lived in Manchester, Sydney or London, it was simply a case of popping out in my lunch hour - ah, those were the days!

Galen - I haven’t seen ‘Before and After’ before. Looks like a good publication, although more geared towards simplistic design tutorials.

Mark Boulton's Gravatar

Mark Boulton
Wed 9th Nov 2005
at 4:29 pm

Wow, that sucks. I used to read Emigre when I was at design college.

Nathan Pitman's Gravatar

Nathan Pitman
Thu 10th Nov 2005
at 9:27 am

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A picture of Mark BoultonI'm a graphic designer from near Cardiff in the UK. I've been a designer for over ten years now and primarily work on the web. I'm still partial to a bit of print every now and then though. I used to work for Agency.com in London as an Art Director before working as a Senior Designer for the BBC in sunny Cardiff. This was all before I took leave of my senses and formed my own design consultancy, Mark Boulton Design Ltd.

I've got a thing about grids and typography and occasionally ramble on about them to anyone who will listen.

If you're after simple, clean and effective web design; let me know.