Discovering a new magazine is quite exciting, particularly if it's in a foreign language. It's like a window into the minds of these people. You are like an anthropologist, who will probably find new ways to eat, drink, dress, make-merry and live. Every month, I will scour the world for a magazine to profile. This would be the first in the series for a fanatic magazine collector.
While I was waiting to have my haircut in Bangkok's Little Japan, I came across ANA's inflight magazine in the waiting area. And I have never felt so truly excited about seeing and browsing through a new magazine since Monocle came out last year or the now defunct Zembla, while I was in uni.
What struck me the most was the art direction. I mean, this is not Nylon or any of the more design(er)-conscious titles. It is meant for passengers of an established air carrier - some grannies or self-important executives.
Lots of white space is tastefully laid out. The level of experimentation is impressive. And the illustrations show that not only the New Yorker can pull graphics off with its own characteristics.
The articles too are not the usual picture-perfect photo essays you'd see in a more boring inflight magazines such as Lufthansa's or, worst, Thai Airways'. There's this article about jumping sheep in Australia. Its circulation is actually the largest among inflight rags - 740,000 copies per monthly edition. The covers too are nice.
The Japanese title means "The Emperor's Wings". Or so I think. Again, good use of illustration.
Bravo!
2 comments:
the japanese title means: "the kingdom/realm of wings"
What took you so long? I'm glad I can finally enjoy your writing online. I'm using Flock to subscribe to your blog. More power!
Your favorite teacher, LOL!
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