Art and design: 4 magazines (see description for details)

Four design magazines (three of them South African). Varying condition, one is fair; three are good.

(1) Ogojiii: 'the Future of Design, African and Global Affairs'.  Issue 01 Cycle 06. 2015. 

Ogojiii was a short-lived but highly ambitious pan-African magazine launched in Cape Town in June 2015 during the World Economic Forum Africa. Unlike most magazines about Africa, it deliberately avoided the familiar themes of poverty, conflict and development aid, choosing instead to focus on design, innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability and global affairs from an African perspective. The title was derived from the Yoruba word ogoji ("forty"), with the addition of the Roman numerals ii to make forty-two, a reference to the 42-day Akan calendar cycle on which the magazine's publication schedule was based. It was conceived by the internationally known Danish designer and design philosopher Jens Martin Skibsted in collaboration with African investors, and was edited by Gary Cotterell, formerly of Business Day's Wanted magazine. The editorial team drew contributors from across Africa and beyond, with offices in Nairobi and Johannesburg and a strong emphasis on having Africans tell African stories rather than relying on outside observers. Its underlying philosophy was that "design" should be understood not merely as aesthetics but as problem-solving and innovation, and the magazine explored subjects ranging from technology, architecture and digital currencies to fashion, enterprise and social change. The publication was particularly admired for its striking visual design, custom typography and lavish production values, and it attracted praise from design commentators who regarded it as one of the most beautiful and intellectually ambitious magazines then being produced on the continent. Contributors included leading journalists, illustrators and designers from across Africa, and issues featured substantial essays rather than the shorter, more disposable articles typical of many current-affairs magazines. Although it generated considerable enthusiasm and favourable coverage in design circles, it appears never to have achieved a large circulation and is now relatively difficult to find. Looking back, Ogojiii can be seen as part of a broader mid-2010s movement that sought to present Africa as a source of innovation and original thinking rather than merely as a subject of international concern. For anyone interested in African design history, visual culture, or the rise of the "Afropolitan" idea during that period, the surviving issues are well worth seeking out.

(2) Design Indaba Magazine. 3rd Quarter 2006.

Design Indaba Magazine was a highly influential South African quarterly publication produced between 2001 and 2011 as an extension of the annual Design Indaba conference founded by Ravi Naidoo. Published in Cape Town, it promoted a broad understanding of design that encompassed architecture, fashion, industrial and product design, interiors, photography, illustration, technology and social innovation, while showcasing both African and international creative talent. The magazine became renowned for its experimental and award-winning design, with each issue conceived as a unique physical object featuring distinctive formats, bindings and production techniques, making many issues collectors' items in their own right. Editorially, it combined interviews, essays, reviews and thematic features on subjects such as sustainability, urbanism, African identity, food, technology and the future, reflecting the growing confidence and international outlook of South Africa's creative industries during the first decade of the twenty-first century. Widely admired both locally and abroad, it received numerous design awards, including international recognition in New York, and was listed among the world's most innovative magazines. In 2011 the regular quarterly publication came to an end and was replaced by a series of guest-edited special editions, but the magazine remains an important record of contemporary design thinking in South Africa and a valuable source for understanding how African creativity and innovation were presented and debated during that period.

(3) Step Inside Design: Design Annual Review. July / August 2003. Leaves are detached.

This issue of Step Inside Design: Design Annual Review comes from a period when STEP inside design was one of the leading American magazines devoted to graphic design, typography, branding, packaging, interactive media and visual communication. Published by Dynamic Graphics Group, STEP occupied a space somewhere between a professional trade journal and a design showcase, aimed at working designers, creative directors, students and educators. The Design Annual Review was one of its most prestigious special issues, functioning as a juried survey of outstanding design work from the preceding year. Rather than concentrating on theory or industry news, these annuals showcased selected projects across a wide range of disciplinescorporate identity, publication design, packaging, typography, environmental graphics, advertising, interactive design and emerging digital mediaoften accompanied by detailed credits and discussions of the design challenges involved. The annual review format reflected a broader tradition within the design world, comparable to the long-running I.D. Annual Design Review and the Graphis Design Annual, in which leading practitioners judged and celebrated exemplary work from around the world. For historians today, annuals such as the 2003 edition are particularly valuable because they preserve what leading designers and design juries regarded as innovative at a specific moment in time. A 2003 volume captures the transitional era when print design still dominated but digital and interactive media were becoming increasingly important, offering a snapshot of design trends, typography, branding and visual culture in the early years of the twenty-first century. STEP itself continued publication into the late 2000s and was widely respected within the professional design community for its high production values and extensive coverage of contemporary visual communication.

(4)

Visi: The English Issue. No. 28. (circa 2008). Black marker on the upper wrap (see image); also on lower wrap.

VISI: The English Issue was the English-language edition of VISI, one of South Africa's most influential and visually distinctive magazines devoted to architecture, interior design, décor, art, food, travel and creative living. Originally launched as an Afrikaans publication in 1998 and expanded into English in 2004, VISI gained a reputation for combining high-quality journalism with innovative art direction, showcasing the best of contemporary South African design while placing it within an international context. The magazine featured architect-designed homes, interior spaces, furniture, product design, gardens, restaurants, creative personalities and emerging trends, with a particular emphasis on local talent and craftsmanship. Renowned for its striking photography and experimental layouts, VISI won numerous awards and became a benchmark for design publishing in South Africa, attracting readers interested not only in decoration and lifestyle but also in the broader creative culture of the country. Issue 28 belongs to a period when the magazine was firmly established as a leading voice in South African design and offers a valuable snapshot of the aesthetic tastes, architectural developments and creative industries of the late 2000s, making it both an enjoyable read and a useful historical record of contemporary South African visual culture.