Steven Watson -  A Print Renaissance
Channel: Typographische Gesellschaft München – tgm
Date: 05/03/2016

This is a fantastically exciting time for independent magazines – technology has massively democratised print publishing and the genie is out of the bottle as people all around the world turn their words, pictures and ideas into quality print magazines. Stack is riding the wave of this independent print renaissance, and in this talk I’ll take a look back at some of the most notable titles and trends from the last 12 months. Guided by data and insights taken from Stack, Sampler, and the inaugural Stack Awards, I’ll present a broad view of contemporary print publishing, and will also zoom in close to explore select titles in more detail.

In my 2015 QVED talk I argued that we need new ways for independent magazines to reach readers. Publishers, I said, are struggling to work within 20th-century distribution structures that need to be re-energised and optimised for the 21st-century reader. This year’s talk picks up where that one left off by looking at some of the magazines that have done a particularly good job of reaching readers over the last 12 months, and attempting to learn from their success.