Monocle
Whilst half asleep recently I half heard a report on the today program about the launch of a new magazine. I’d forgotten the name of it until this morning, or perhaps thought it was a dream. Monocle Magazine, the name of which hitherto eluded me, is now counting down to the release of issue three. The website is worth looking at for the quality of the design alone. It was conceived by the founder of Wallpaper so you would expect a level of visual panache.
The concept outlined on the website is nothing if not ambitious:
We believe it’s time for a new, global, European-based media brand. With a keen focus, strong reporting, sharp wit and a more classic approach to design, we’ve dubbed our venture Monocle. At the core there’s a monthly magazine delivering the most original coverage in global affairs, business, culture and design. Alongside, there’s a web-based broadcast component covering the same areas through a variety of bulletins, mini-documentaries and talk formats. Focused on informing and entertaining an international audience of disillusioned readers, listeners and viewers, it is our intention to create a community of the most interested and interesting people in the world.
I have to admit that on the surface it doesn’t seem quite like the kind of magazine I had wished for. I haven’t bought a magazine regularly since The Face and Jockey Slut folded and I was hoping this might be the one to the fill the gap. Annual subscription is seventy five pounds which is a bit steep, and no doubt individual issues are at least a fiver. Worth looking at in the library though.