A Swedish Rosie magazine is born…

I do not know what is the reason for this flurry of European new magazine titles trying to either revive titles that have come and gone in the States such as George, or the use of proper names for their new magazines following the footsteps of O, the Oprah magazine. I know it is not a new trend to name the magazine after a proper name, but the recent increase in this trend is what caught my attention. The Dutch have their Linda and Catherine, The Finns have their Sara and Olivia, and the Swedes have Laura, M and now Rosie… However as much as I can tell, the Swedish Rosie is a new magazine for outdoor living, and if you can speak Swedish you can read all about it here, or for more info about Rosie and other Sewdish magazines click here to read the comments in English from vassaeggen.se (thanks for the info folks)…I hope they have a better luck dealing with the outdoors rather than the indoors and the courts….

True Green…True Digital

Just so you would not think that the whole magazine world has ceased to exit because of CN Portfolio’s launch, I have some other news to report on. The folks at Green*Light magazine sent me an e-mail earlier today to present their magazine to me “as an example of (what we think is) great digital magazine presentation. We are interested in Monkey too and think it brings great visibility to the digital magazine genre, but like ours better.” Green*Light magazine launched in 2005 and has completed five issues in digital format so far. I visited the magazine site and flipped through the pages of the latest issue and liked what I saw. Relevant content, and relevant design, all in a made-for-digital format. The size of the type is good, the amount of words are great for the screen, and the pictures are right for pixels on the screen. However, what the magazine lacks is the interactivity and the movement Monkey magazine and other similar platforms offer on the web. A good start and a good “put your money where your mouth is,” but you need to check it for yourself here.

Thank God Condé Nast Portfolio is a monthly…

What was I thinking when I wrote earlier that I will be reviewing the first issue of Condé Nast Portfolio as soon as I find a quiet place to sit down and read the “whole glowing issue.” Well, little I knew that the magazine is so addictive, the articles are so captivating, and the photography will freeze your flipping movement for a long long time… there is no way I can finish this issue today or tomorrow or even the day after. I am so glad it is a monthly and so glad that the information in it is timely yet timeless…I am going to take my time and sip it like that great glass of wine that ought to be drunk one slow, very slow sip at a time.