Foreign Design

1. Arbitare

Arbitare is an Italian Magazine that is, for the most part, in Italian. It has been generous in subtitling the articles in English( a luxury that few American magazines will do). Apart from being Italian, this magazine reads like an average American one. Over half of the pages are ads, and it is not middle-end that the articles begin. The difference with this magazine is that the ads are back to back, as are the articles, so it provides to variety in layout. In this particular edition, Arbitare has dedicated it's articles to the study of Istanbul. One particular editorial displays and comments on the Miniatürk, memorial park that displays 105 models of work of architecture and historical places in Istanbul, the Ottoman Empires, and Anatolia. The article is not a long one, but it has provides an abundance of pictures.

2. Archithese
Archithese is a small, thin German magazine that is the opposite of the Italian ones. Every single page is white, it is simple and minimal. The two things that add life to this magazine are the pictures and the rough texture of the paper used. Instead of spending time sifting through the copious amounts of ads, this magazine it made almost entirely of articles. Even if the articles are almost all in German, the pictures are situated in a way that tells the story adequately. Since this is a "thematic review for architecture," there are pictures from various places around the world. The language gives away the nationality of the magazine, but without the text, I don't think I would even be able to figure out it's origin.

3. Domus
There is something about the ads in Domus that makes it seem more Italian. It might possibly because the products and the ad itself are in fact Italian. This magazine is better crafted than Arbitare for multiple reasons. the size is larger, both in size and in width; it attracts more attention because it stands out. Also, the paper is of better quality. Not that the layouts in Arbitare are poorly designed, I simply noticed the craft of the layouts in Domus more. Every page is so clean and organized, just as an Italian magazine should be Like Arbitare, Domus is Italian subtitled in English. The difference is that Domus has more subtitles, even on the advertisements. The magazine is rather long, but it is broken up in unique, quirky ways. In the middle, to break up the articles, the designers added the next excerpt on different textured paper that is cut horizontally. It adds a hint of interaction and playfulness in a very professional way.