I'm writing a dissertation based on design magazines over the last 30 years, etc...
Mainly Creative review, Architectural Review, Grafik.
How they have changed with in the layout, grid, how design has changed over the years.
I cant seem to find any information on the web. Our Uni library has has a few of the early editions of each magazine missing from the archive.
Could anybody email me any info for my research or at least guide me in the right direction.
I hope you can help,
Thank you,
Anthony.
Magazine research
I suggest you contact the magazines directly, explain your project, and ask them to send you back issues from earlier in their archives. If you have a list of dissertation questions, you might pose them to the current editors-in-chief at the three publications.
Alternatively, it might be interesting to look at mastheads (those are the lists of staff members typically appearing in the first dozen or so pages of a magazine) and try tracking down the former magazine designers for their insights.
Generally, the people involved in the actual layout have "production" or "art" in their job titles. In my experience in U.S. publishing, editors who write the articles tend to have limited involvement with how the pages are designed.
There are also annual international design competitions for such layouts. If you look at the competition winners over the decades, you can get a good sense of how the aesthetics have evolved over time -- and how they have influence up-and-coming designers. Good luck.
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