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| Brownbook |
Since finding Printed Pages I've fallen in love again with magazines and I've been keeping my eyes open for other publications which match it's attention to the weirder smaller details which appeal to graphic design enthusiasts (obsessives), whilst also being filled with interesting content.
Going through Dubai Airport I found 'Brownbook'; a contemporary urban guide that "celebrates offbeat subjects across the entire region" of North East africa and the Middle East. The current issue celebrates the culture of coffee, but also brilliantly contains excerpts centered on architecture (AG Khan award for architecture), Sharja and an illustrated Turkish Coffee guide.
Simply by holding this magazine you'll feel happy. Flick through and you'll notice the magazine is filled with weighty, rich photography accompanied by solid layout, playful illustrations and nice graphics. Plus a good selection of weighty papers, all of which bring joy to my inner nerd.
Like Printed Pages, Brownbook uses its clever use of design to simply immerse the reader further into the more unusual topic of arabic urban life as depicted by it's charmingly written articles. Stand out articles included; Ryms from the Rasters, an interview with Jordananian carpenter turned rapper Satti, Landing on its feet, a look at Amans new airport by Foster _Partners as well as interviews with the new women pilots of Jordan and beautiful photo set of Asmara's modernist relics. The issue also looks at local artists, craftsmen, fashion, as well as other emerging magazines.
For the past 14 years of my life I've been travelling to the Middle East, exploring both the mundane (which is often actually very entertaining) and the more awesome sights. For me Brownbook taps into my own experiences of the odder side to the Middle East and North Africa, but it has also helped spark up some more intrigue in a place I thought I was done with exploring. For this reason it is possibly my best find of the year. Worth a read, even (or especially) if you don't know anything about this the Middle East and North Africa.
