14 Essential Magazines for Graphic Designers

thank you

I’m tempted to spend money on these, but I’m afraid the huge number of inspirational feeds I read each day (for free) seems to defeat the purpose. Nonetheless, everybody needs something to read in those moments each day when you’re in a spot where you really shouldn’t take a laptop, but really need some reading matieral.

Computer Arts is awesome i have issues of this mag. i want to try the others.

Nice list!!!

Brandon, good one, perhaps it’s time for a post to this blog about good feeds

Useful list and short intro on the mags which will be appreciated by both new to design and to seasoned ones as well.

I really like Before & After magazine’s approach and highly recommended to people new to design. Seasoned designers will find them handy for the timely reminders about the good old foundations.

The heading for CMYK Magazine is wrong (CYMK)

Computer Arts and Layers are my favs

This is a great list. I’ve recently been looking for some magazines to subscribe to. I want to have something to flip through while I’m not at the computer. I’ll check out some of these.

This print stuff is in fact great source of inspiration.

Ya, I agree with insic, Computer Arts is good. I have a number of issues of that mag but need to try some others. Plus, in the states, a subscription to Computer Arts is pricey.

At a conference we met an editor of Website Magazine. It is a free(!) print magazine that is delivered monthly:

http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/

I wouldn’t say it is as good as the others listed yet, but it is young and improving. Being free you can’t really go wrong either.

A great list, I’ll probably subscribe to one or two of these.

I do have to wonder how .net and Web Designer manage to stay in business with subscription costs that high.

Grafik Magazine is a must read in my studio. Some people find it a bit pretentious but it’s inspired me no end.

http://www.grafikmagazine.co.uk – still updating the site for which seems like an eternity. But you can view a virtual copy of the magazine.

I think you mean “CMYK” in the magazine title, not “CYMK.”

Also, I don’t know why magazines still come with CD-ROMs. Seems a little silly to me, when everyone has broadband. It’s really a waste of packaging.

Good Collection of Graphic Design

I’m a reguler subscriber and a great fan of Computer Arts!!

Another to consider is Photoshop User, the official publication of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals:

http://www.photoshopuser.com/

Good list, I read most of them – my only other comment would be that digital arts magazine is terrible, I mean really really bad. Poor concept, poor content, poor execution.

Best ones IMO are .NET and Advanced Photoshop Techniques

Computer Arts Projects is a really great resource. I really like that each issue focuses on a specific subject rather than throwing everything into one issue. I’m glad that some of the good Photoshop mags are picked out– some of them are pretty bad.

The only problem I have with some of these though is how expensive they are, even just to buy a single issue. An AIGA discount helps, but Print is still pricey even then.

Wow! It seems the magazines I buy made the list. Im a reader of most though i havent encountered layers, Digital Arts, ID and Before and After although looking for one here where im located, its hard to find it.

I’ve always believed the power of magazines, although i read a lot of the blogs, the inspiration you get is just different. The magazine itself or its layout is inspiration alone. You just have to have the creativity to use it.

Nice post! now i have new magazines to look for.

very nice post, thanks, i think im going to subscribe to I.D – looks awesome! keep up the great posts!

Have to agree on this—should have Photoshop User up there too though.

A lot of thanks from a great list of reference to choose from nice article…

I subscribe to .net (Practical Web Design in the U.S.) and really enjoy every issue. I also pick up Computer Arts, Computer Arts Projects, and Web Designer from time-to-time when I am in my local Borders or Barnes & Noble and they catch my eye.

Another magazine I have been thinking about checking out is Scroll (http://scrollmagazine.com), which Veerle Pieters (http://veerle.duoh.com) helped with recently.

And the new french mag called ” Web’design’ ” !

Pretty list ! thanks

If I had the money to spend on magazines like these, I would purchase them.

Looks like none if this is available in my country to subscribe

That’s a pretty good list, but i would still prefer to go through various website in graphic designing.

I usually buy Advance Photoshop at a local bookstore

Really nice and a ton of help!!!!

I think Eye magazine should have been included here somewhere

Oh no, now I want to subscribe to so many of them!

I’ve never heard of any of these. Thanks!

Nice list, thanks! I like the Before & After magazine

Thanks for such a great list of magazines. I wanted to know good magazines like that and I searched Google but didn’t land on any good magazine. May be I was not using the right keyword.

Spending time on these magazines really give you lots of knowledge and you learn something new on every visit.

I personally like Layers Magazine. I prefer reading articles and design stuff on the web because you have more resources and IT’S FREE.

Advance Photoshop, Computer Arts and .Net are the best magazines so far I have. Recommended for aspiring graphic designers and Web Designers. =)

Wow is cool Collection of Graphic Design.

Nice list!!!

Nice list, thanks!

thanks alot for the designs, really apreciate it, great blog keep it up!

The magazines look very nice though.

well. for the german speeking guys out there it’s although the “page”
http://page-online.de/ I am reading it lately quite often and it’s fine!

One that is great and really surprised its not here is idn http://idnworld.com/mags/ a must get, edgy, with great design and art direction, the use of paper quality and creative use is excellent and always a dvd full of professional reals and conceptual experimental artist. There web site is great in viewing allot of there mags. Very top notch and pretty much priced with some mentioned above.

On similar, from japan though so a bit hard to find some times, is Territory http://www.bigbrosworkshop.com/territory.html you can also find them on facebook. Also brings a dvd with reals experimental artist etc

hummmmmm some on the list are repetitive, and some like Photoshop Creative, How, etc tend to be i think worthless and a waste of money, you can find allot of the tutorials on the web that tell you the same stuff.

For younger artist and older who want to stay ahead of the curve for sure, Computer Arts Projects, Computer Arts, and Advanced Photoshop(extremely inspirational mags)

Print and Communication arts is really very much after the facts and tends to favor a mixer of more established and old school artits. Great for people that want to see what there friends in the bizness are doing and pat them in the back, a nice look when your in the bathroom

PS, if you have to get a mag about the web to learn about the web something is really wrong with you, LOL because its all on the web

What about Eye Magazine? The magazine itself is always a piece of art.

very nice collection
thanks very much

Nice coffee table fodder, Im a .net subscriber! I couldnt afford to buy them all each month!

thank’s for the liste good work

Thanks for sharing

A few on my subscriptions and occasional buy list but will have to check some of the others out. Thank you for sharing.

great list, I already read a few of these but hadn’t heard of a couple so thanks.

very useful. thanks for share

R.I.P. I.D. Magazine.
Very sad to have lost one of the great ones in December.

Really suprised that iDN, Grafik, Eye and Creative Review didn’t make it into this post. I would say they are more relevant than most of the magazines above.

Good topic though.

I know there’s loads of info on the web but you can’t beat curling up on the sofa with a nice coffee and a piece of cake to flick through a magazine! Thanks for the links and info.

oke, nice list…