The Modern Magazine 2016

posted by Kate Hollowood September 28, 2016

Calling all print lovers, design geeks and magazine fans. The editorial design experts at magCulture are hosting their annual event, The Modern Magazine, on 27 October. The full-day conference will cover a range of topics about how the magazine industry is developing, with speakers including indie mag founders and directors of national titles. Taking place at Central Saint Martins, the event will feature talks from New York Times Magazine design director Gail Bichler and The Gentlewoman editor-in-chief Penny Martin, for example.

We caught up with magCulture founder Jeremy Leslie to find out what to expect on the day.

What was the thinking behind The Modern Magazine conference when you set it up in 2013?

I was tired of conferences dealing only with business models about giving up on print in favour of mobile. They completely overlooked the creative part of publishing, the core of the entire industry. I knew there was so much beautiful work being produced that deserved to be celebrated, both in print and digital. The response from speakers and attendees showed it was needed.

How has the event developed over the years?

The event has grown in scale, attendance and ambition year by year, but retains the same basic format: a celebration of now, with some enjoyment of past successes, while acknowledging the future challenges we face. It’s designed like a magazine, with variations in pace and volume through the day. Each issue gets better! Last year we added a magazine-handling session using the CSM archive, we hope to repeat that this time. And we have plans for a creative project that may yet prove too ambitious… watch this space.

What can people expect from this year’s event?

I’m looking forward to inspiration from some of the best magazine makers in the world today. We’re all familiar with their work online, but nothing beats seeing people sharing the backstories to the work in real life! Plus, expect some fun around the end of day drinks.

Line-up:

Christoph Amend
Editor-in-chief, ZEIT magazine (DE)
Kirsten Algera
Editor-in-chief, MacGuffin (NL)
Gail Bichler
Design director, New York Times Magazine (US)
Seb Emina
Editor, The Happy Reader (UK)
Paul Gorman
Journalist, currently writing ‘Legacy: The Story of The Face’ (UK)
The Ladybeard team (UK)
Penny Martin
Editor-in-chief, The Gentlewoman (UK)
Rebecca Nicholson
Editor-in-chief, VICE UK
Kai von Rabenau
Editor/publisher, mono.kultur (DE)
Tony Rushton
Ex-art director, Private Eye (UK)
Jack Self
Editor, Real Review (UK)
Terri White
Editor, Empire (UK)
Liv Siddall
MC for the day!
Editor, writer, Rough Trade magazine (UK)