+81 Magazine
I had a chance to travel to Japan last June and I came back with many new sources of inspiration. I spent a lot of time digging through little design shops and actually had to leave some clothes behind to fit all of the great books I found. One of my favorite finds was +81, an interview driven magazine about graphic design, fashion, photography, cities, etc. They present a ton of work in each issue and it can be a great source of visual inspiration when you are looking for something stylistically very different than what you see in most American design publications. With articles presented in both Japanese and English, you see a lot of very creative layouts and unique type treatments. They experiment quite a bit, and with each issue focusing on a different theme, you never really know what to expect. Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a change.
You can usually find it at Japanese language bookshops here in the States (I know Kinokuniya carries it in SF), or you can check out their website for subscription information. (Currently about 40% of their readership is outside of Japan)
5 Comments Leave A Comment
Horacio says:
February 9, 2009 at 12:36 pmI must agree that plus81 is a great mag. Nice design style ;)
Jake G says:
February 9, 2009 at 9:44 pmThanks Alex, seems like the mag is right up my alley. I’m in Vancouver, so I’ll be on the lookout for any Japanese literature shop, and there are plenty.
jono p says:
February 10, 2009 at 7:12 amthis mag is great. I’m an aussie living in japan, and I pick this mag up from the book store often. always showing amazing talent from all over the planet.
Bigsky says:
February 10, 2009 at 1:58 pmWe had +81 in the UK a few years ago via the great Magma shops – and then suddenly it disappeared. Magma have no recollection of it now! And subscription works out too expensive for us Brits.
If anyone in the UK knows where it is available, I’d be grateful.