Online Mags: Maeve & Covet Garden

Another look at some of my favourite old and new-to-me finds in the online magazine department. You can visit my profile of Rue & 79 Ideas magazines here. I'm really interested in the world of online magazines (or traditional magazines going digital). It just seams to join all the things I love together in one giant mish-mash of goodness: technology, reading, photography, design & stories to be told.  Not only that, but we live in a time where technically anyone who wants to can put together a magazine and publish it online if they're willing to put in the leg work.  I've played around with Mac's iBook Author (free in the app store) and just recently been to a few Adobe events in Melbourne centred around Creative Suite & Digital Publishing Suite. I could really sit and listen to this stuff for hours, and at the same time my brain is just ticking away with all the possibilities...and the crazy thing is it's just early days in this arena, who knows what's coming next! Anyway, onto the good stuff....  

Old Favourite: Maeve Magazine

In their words, "MAEVE Magazine is a quarterly online publication aimed at the conscious consumer. MAEVE targets 30-40 something’s + some 20 something’s too… women… grown ups… parents… people who want more from their media. MAEVE is an observatory on human kind, incorporating a plethora of ideas and inspiration to bring life to your life and your family."

With contributors from all over the world (including a fair share of Aussies) I love that this mag is just a little left of centre...not just design wise (see horizontal continuous layout) but the writing is really different/diverse with just enough quirky to stand out from the crowd. I love the Valentines tale (a story told in pictures), Etsy Love feature, gift guides..."Why I Run"...even the advertising is interesting & I've found a lot of good stuff that way. Definitely worth a look. Issues back to 2010 also available.

New-To-Me Find: Covet Garden

In their words, "Covet Garden is a different kind of design magazine. We are interested in spaces that have not been styled by interior decorators and that, above all else, reflect the passions and interests of those who live in them. We found that there is no end of creative lives and places that inspire with their uncommon and attainable décor ideas. Every month we focus on one home, which means that each issue offers something a little different."

I love the idea of realistically styled interiors and `meeting' the people who spend time in them.  One of my favourite things on blogs is where a seriously styled interior is compared to the real life version (or what it took to achieve the styled look)...I think it's good to remind ourselves that people's lives aren't actually always like what they're portrayed to be in glossy mags or slick blogs. I love some good interior design eye candy, don't get me wrong, but I also love the peek into real life behind it...I think Covet Garden is aiming to cover this angle with their magazine.