Why I don't like Monocle

Everyone seems to like Monocle, and that's fine. But I don't.

I haven't been so excited about the launch of a magazine for sometime. I was a big fan of the original Wallpaper and Tyler Brulé was due another hit. I rushed out to buy it when it launched and brought into the office under a big fanfare.

And there it sat. Unloved and apart from the obligatory 'new magazine in the office flick through' unopened.

I've tried to think a bit harder than normal about why I don't like Monocle and I reckon I've found 3 reasons.

1. It's not the magazine I wanted.
2. It's a magazine.
3. It's not as good as the website.

1. It's not the magazine I wanted.
But then again no magazine is these days. I've always loved and read lots of magazines. When I was about 12 I used to read Look-In, Smash Hits, Q Magazine, For Him Magazine (when it was called For Him Magazine and every issue looked like a Ralph Lauren catalogue) and Vogue. I've always loved Vogue. 

That stayed broadly the same until just before university when Loaded launched. They launched with a picture of Gary Oldman on the front. Fully clothed. And no fluro anywhere.

From here on and throughout university I read a pretty stereotypical mix of Loaded, FHM, GQ, Esquire and Arena. With the occasional Vogue, Wired, Elle, Elle Decoration and Q thrown in. And of course The Face.

This was in the days when Loaded was brilliant and innovative, when FHM had (some) class and GQ and Arena still had men on the front.

As the 'lad mags' and the 'mens mags' descended into their fluro orange tit and bum hell I began to look for an alternative. Wallpaper fitted the gap nicely.

As I started work I, obviously, began to take the trade mags more seriously, Creative Review, Design Week, Campaign as well as Wallpaper, Elle Decoration, American Esquire (which is very different to UK Esquire), Fast Company and still Vogue and still Q. And of course The Face.

Then one day I got all serious and bought a copy of The Economist.

I loved it. It was simple, it was clever and it explained things in a nice way. It also had a pace about it that I liked. So I subscribed.

I read a left over copy of GQ on the plane the other day. I hated it. It felt so patronising - I was surprised at how angry I got over being told what watch to buy or what coat to wear. Obviously your tastes change as you move through different stages in your life and you don't need to be AC Nielsen to realise that the above list reflects that. Broadly speaking I was reading about my interests.

So what am I interested in now?

Design, Graphic Design, politics, greenish stuff, football (as long as it's warm and I've got a good view), the world (usual stuff like Iraq, the Middle East, Europe), being a Dad, business, running a business, what Google and Apple are up to. Technology (as long as it's the kind of technology that means I don't have to wear a tshirt with a technology logo on it) films (and I mean films, never ever DVD's), art, culture and, well, that will do won't it?

So what magazine covers all of that? None of them do, certainly Monocle doesn't. But the web does.

2. It's a magazine.
Monocle is a magazine, but it feels like a bloody Thompson directory. It weighs a ton.

(Picture borrowed from Russell Davies and then adapted by me, usual stuff applies)

I love the cover(s) and I love the black and white idea. When you open it up, bits of it are well designed. But it's still full of those horrible magazine clichés - zillions of Gucci ads before you get to the index, for example. Remember when Wallpaper used to redesign ads before they would print them?

The size really does put me off. Whereas The Economist feels light and friendly, Monocle feels like I'll get told off if I don't read the whole thing before I buy the next one.

I guess the true continuation of the reading list above is that I now get all the same information from the web. For news (political, financial and world) it's the BBC, for work I still read Creative Review but I prefer the CR Blog, Design Observer and a whole bunch of blogs.

For the odd football story there's the BBC again, but I also now look at nearly all the UK newspapers online everyday. I can also check up on IHT, Chicago Tribune and the NYT online. And so on.

So that's my magazine now. It's called the web.

3. It's not as good as the website.
Monocle has a website, Dan (not that Dan) has being talking about it for a while.

The website is brilliant. Gorgeous. Whereas I hate the ads at the start of the print version, I love the Rolex clocks on the homepage of the website. In fact it's so much better than the magazine that it puts me off buying the magazine.

Let me give you an example. On the front cover of Monocle Issue 1 is a great picture of a man in a helmet. I looked at it loads, but never wondered what it was. From the website I found out that it's a member of the Japanese Air Force.

Since the end of the Second World War the Japanese have only been allowed to have a defensive army, and now 60 years on that's beginning to look a bit out of date. Monocle travelled to Japan and interviewed various members of the Japanese army. I found that out because there was an animated slide show about the article on the website.

I could have read that in the magazine. But I didn't. And that's sort of my point really.

Comments

[Nikesh]

Picking up Monocle is almost a daunting task, in that you know that you will have to be fully engaged, but my thought was that it was a magazine for coffee tables, that you simply dip in and out off, and in that context I think that it works well. But I do agree that they are doing more interesting things with their website.

[Rob Mortimer]

I still find games magazine Edge to be just as good as it was when I first subscribed in 1998. Its always intelligent, always has a strong sense of identity and never panders to its readers.

For example, when people asked if review scores were a waste of time they removed them (to the back of the magazine) to provoke a debate.

Annoyingly Campaign is near impossible to find here, and I cant really afford to subscibe to it. I do read Creative Review every month though.

[Ben H]

Why oh why, as a Graphic Designer and a fan of Graphic Design magazines, are you not reading Computer Arts [computerarts.co.uk]?

[Dan Hill]

Hey Ben, many thanks for the kind words on the website, and for thinking through the critique of the mag quite so carefully too. I don't agree with all of it (of course!). I think the future's in hybrid, integrated media brands, which exist in both physical and digital forms. Quality distinctive magazines - particularly on a monthly rhythm - will do just fine, even as the web continues to progress into the areas you describe. The challenge is to figure out how to articulate the overlaps between physical and digital - and when their distinctive qualities shine through too. With the magazine, we're making a virtue of its physicality, its sheer presence (different paper stocks; taking advantage of the information resolution of print for reading, data, photography etc), and giving you a month's worth of carefully curated global briefing in one portable hit. You feel the value of the magazine over a month (and long after, hopefully, for reference.) With the website, which is currently no more than a taste of what's to follow, we can explore Monocle in terms of audio/video and daily/weekly rhythms too. Watch that space, but I'm really pleased you like it so far. Anyway, thanks again for the links and discussion. Good to have the feedback and keep it coming. Best, Dan.

[alex onderwater]

Hey Ben (and Dan?!), fully agree! Me too was overcoming a disillusion when i laid a hand on the printed version, which wasn't an easy job to start with. Where the website evoked Pavlov responses and respect for yet another brave, keen and progressive Brule-act, the paper brainchild didn't live up to my well-anticipated expectations. Serious looks and authority, but when actually starting to read an article, hard to digest - not because of in-depth background info or surprising point of view, but sec. dry. predictable shorties. or loads of words about... about what really? Don't mind a thick mag,but the kilo's to carry should be worth the pain. Do like the unconventional format, radiates a kind of stubborn arrogance in a good way. Still, if they wanna spend money having journalists doing these long-term, dollar-consuming stories, where are they?
Did enjoy some titles though, 'Monocle' is super in itself, the Rolex clocks are great and the cover makes me wanna give it still another try. Just hope all effort put into it - really enjoyed reading about the making of.. - will show soon in print!

[dave]

I like the magazine. I see it as more of a journal than a mag. I think what we are just getting here is the typical response of designers who doesn't read too much and just like pretty pictures. I always felt Colors was too thin on writing.

quote:

Why oh why, as a Graphic Designer and a fan of Graphic Design magazines, are you not reading Computer Arts [computerarts.co.uk]?

Dear oh dear, probably because Computer Arts is a terrible magazine ;)

[Jw]

As a designer who reads and doesn't really go for the "nothing but pretty pictures" mags, I enjoyed the content, but was a bit turned off by the overall package. Based on the website (which I agree is great), I was eager to check it out (despite feeling the whole affair was going for a "looking down my nose at you" approach, graphically).

I was instantly annoyed with the typical ad-rush before you hit a lick of content. That is my biggest magazine peeve, and I was hoping that Monocle was better than that. Can someone please put out a magazine that is not filled with atrocious ads? I would seriously pay more for it if it didn't have so many blasted pages for me to rip and and throw in the wastebin.

I'll continue to leaf through it on the Borders magazine stand to see if it changes into something I would actually subscribe to.

[Richard]

I think monocle's a turkey. its not smart enough for business readers, not cool enough for arty types, not clued in enough for the fashion crowd, its not a bit as insightful as it thinks it is, and what interest it reports is lost in pretension and vanity. its a shame, but I'd be a amazed if its still around this time next year in its current form.

Design wise, its far too one paced for a publication of that length. I have no objections to it's stripped down/no frills approach but please a big picture, a big headline SOMETHING to get the paces racing just a bit and break the monotony. monocle was supposed to be a celebration of print, it just feels like a poorly printed annual report. even the photography is uninventive and familiar.

that and they nicked the cover design from Brand Eins...

all this and more is on magculture.com/blog where we have been shooting it down since its inception.
http://magculture.com/blog/

[akatsuki]

I am not sure your criticisms are really valid except to indicate the preconceptions you brought to it. Monocle has its flaws, no question, but seriously: It is too thick? It demands too much commitment? You aren't dating the damn thing.

I think they are trying to walk too thin of a line. For example, in Issue 2, they have a reasonably serious article regarding the sad state of news and the blond bimbo invasions, but you flip the page and find a vacuous article on how Monocle would run a news station, and all they did was create a super-bland set and business cards. Either they should be serious about their Affairs section, or they should cut it entirely.

The best articles are the ones that are deep and about something ongoing. The first issue article about the Japanese Navy was brilliant, if it did not address the full nature of the illegality of the navy and the current constitutional revisions being pushed. I was even fascinated by the article about Miura golf clubs, and I couldn't care less about golf. I would rather they picked the kind of current affairs that require a foreign correspondent and went in-depth about them.

I kind of think of Monocle as a random reader, open it, flip to a random page and read one of the many short articles that litter the magazine. If you have time, read the longer one. Perfect for a transcontinental flight. Some articles are relatively shallow and require not intellectual investment and others are, if not quite as smart as the Economist, at least trying.

[Ben H]

[Quote: Dave]
quote:

Why oh why, as a Graphic Designer and a fan of Graphic Design magazines, are you not reading Computer Arts [computerarts.co.uk]?

Dear oh dear, probably because Computer Arts is a terrible magazine ;)
[/Quote]

Are you serious?

[Michael]

Re: Computer Arts

Only photoshop monkeys read... er, pay to read... that mag. A good graphic designer avoids it like the plague. It's one of the most dire cases of style totally burying any sort of substance. Designers deserve better than their 'master this technique and people will love you' style of editorial... they do manage to find some good contributors though, which is wierd. They must pay well or something.

[free]

magazines are dead, but they continue to flog the corpses.

[Tony Goff]

I quite like Grafik - http://www.grafikmagazine.co.uk - lots of great work in there although it is heavily print based.

In terms of other magazines I find Creative Review is pretty good if you can find it.

[Ben H]

There's a link to this article from here:

http://www.ilike.org.uk/

[ernst]

I haven´t read Monocle, but I visited the website and got exited. I thought that this was going to be a very nice magazine. When I saw it on the newstand and flipped trough it I got more or less the exactly same impression that you describe. From the visit to the website I had actually decided to buy the mag, but when I got a closer look (and the price here in Norway is outrageous) I changed my mind.

The packed and monotonous design for the inside of the mag didn´t appeal to me. The design was a large part of why I got interested in the first place.

For magazines I like and read: The Economist, Newswee, Graphic design: eye, graphic, grafik and print

[ernst]

I haven´t read Monocle, but I visited the website and got exited. I thought that this was going to be a very nice magazine. When I saw it on the newstand and flipped trough it I got more or less the exactly same impression that you describe. From the visit to the website I had actually decided to buy the mag, but when I got a closer look (and the price here in Norway is outrageous) I changed my mind.

The packed and monotonous design for the inside of the mag didn´t appeal to me. The design was a large part of why I got interested in the first place.

For magazines I like and read: The Economist, Newsweek, Graphic design: eye, graphic, grafik and print

[Eric]

Enough said.
I have a copy for sale, anyone is interested.
Issue 1 Volume 1.
Free issue 8 Volume 1.
Mint condition.

Drop me an email & quote me a price including the postage/shipping cost.
Thanks.