Graphic design magazines can serve as a great source of inspiration for graphic designers. They are also a terrific resource for finding design competitions to enter and events to attend, and many are packed with advice on running a design business. Reading design magazines can also help to improve your skills through software tutorials and broadening your knowledge on design by reading interviews with industry experts. This list of design magazines can get you started on looking into what you might be interested in picking up at your local bookstore, or help you to select which magazines to subscribe to for your design business.
Print is a graphic design magazine with a focus on culture, society and the many sides of visual communication. Insightful and sometimes controversial, Print provides a unique look into the world of graphic design, and how graphic design affects the world.
Print's website features blogs, competitions winners, industry directories and resources, sources of inspiration and a job list.
HOW is an excellent graphic design magazine with a focus on articles for the everyday designer, on topics ranging from careers to typography. The magazine offers valuable insights and suggestions that designers can put to use in the business and creative ends of their work.
The online version also has design profiles and tips, career resources, blogs, a forum, and event and competition information.
Communication Arts is a graphic design magazine that is a great source of inspiration, with profiles and features on top designers and work. While there is not a focus on design methods, it is a well-designed magazine that keeps up with the latest trends. The
online version gives users access to profiles, news, exhibits and editorial content.
Subscribe">Computer Arts is a graphic design magazine for designers that focuses on improving the work of readers through inspiration,
software tutorials and industry advice. The magazine has three mains sections. "Output" showcases the best of the best in design, "The Design Manual" has advice and tips and "Creative Skills" offers readers techniques to improve their workflow. The
online version also has a blog, tutorials and interviews.
While no longer available as a printed design magazine,
Layers is Adobe's how-to website that has tutorials for products including
Illustrator, InDesign,
Photoshop, GoLive, Acrobat, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Dreamweaver and Flash. Layers also has a blog, product reviews, design inspiration and an archive of almost 150 how-to video podcasts.
Juxtapoz highlights underground artists in the graphics, fashion and new art industries. Painters, street artists, cartoonists, sculptors, and photographers are featured in each issue. Also included are rare portfolios,
interviews, sketches and reviews. Readers can choose to subscribe to the
printed or
digital version. The
Juxtapoz website has community events, reader art, a forum, news, film, photography, video, collectables and an art gallery.
Hi-Fructose is a quarterly art magazine that features well-established and new artists. The
online version has a blog, art calendar, videos and an
online store that sells back issues of Hi-Fructose, books, art prints and other design-related products.
.net is a graphic design magazine for web designers and developers that includes interviews and industry news, as well as tutorials on topics such as CSS, HTML, JavaScript, web graphics and Flash. The
online version also features news,
tutorials, interviews and editorial opinions from industry experts.
CMYK is a graphic design magazine intended to inspire readers by featuring artists and designers. Award-winning art from students, recent graduates, self-taught artists and industry leaders are highlighted in each issue of the magazine. How-to's, reports on industry trends and profiles of innovators are included in the magazine to help readers further their design knowledge and skills. The
online version gives users access to a blog, contests and
portfolios.
