ID magazine is a beautifully produced magazine on design that I've
been getting for about 10 years. ID, generally, is understood to mean
"Industrial Design" in the design community. I think that was the
original name of the Mag. They've changed it to mean "International
Design." Last year it won a major award for excellence for smaller
circulation magazines.
The magazine is very sophisticated (sometimes too
"in-crowd-y"), and has many articles of interest to museum people,
including this month's article on a man named David Rockwell, who is
the designer for some of the more extreme theme parks (Planet
Hollywood) and theme restaurants. He is busy on some wild and
fascinating stuff in Las Vegas, including a new zoo theme park.
They do feature in-depth articles on industrial design, ranging from
coffee cup covers (!?, very controversial, as it turns out), to guns
(which I'm sure will even be more controversial). They try to read
these things as cultural signifiers, which can get a bit wearysome,
but the articles are generally thought-provoking.
This month there is also an amusing pre-review of the new design
exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt.
I have seen it at some newsstands, but it is very expensive. It is a
monthly mag, and the subscription costs like 50 bucks. But they do a
design review each year which is incredibly absorbing, and that sells
for $25 alone at the magazine stands. So, it makes most sense to
subscribe. This magazine, BTW, is a keeper, ie, one doesn't throw it
out. They are out of New York, but are very national, and to some
extent international, in their outlook.
You asked...
Eric Siegel
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