ELDORADO – Exceptional Travel Experiences

Our friends from Barcelona-based Folch Studio have launched a new editorial project dubbed Eldorado – a printed publication that portrays travel experiences and exceptional adventures, seeking to capture the feelings and sensations involved in the journeys.

As a collective of passionate creatives and inspired outdoors lovers, Eldorado is a beautiful publication that works almost like a shared travel diary, a collective memory from travellers who set off to explore and rediscover nature and its wonders.

“With a strong aesthetic approach and a long-form narrative storytelling, we craft stories that tell every aspect of the journey − even the most intimate and personal − inspire people and remember everyone that you can find amazing experiences simply by getting out of your daily comforts.”

Eldorado Volume One aims at capture the sensations of eleven adventurers, from sliding down smoking mountains on a unicycle; and seeing the majestic spectacle of water shaping the Icelandic landscape; to rediscovering the primitive treasures of Galápagos; being a diver traveling only across Ocean waters; and travelling one year alone with your bike across endless Asia.

Vitsœ - The Power of Good Design | FREE Copy

Vitsœ currently offers three products designed by Dieter Rams: the 606 Universal Shelving System, the 620 Chair Programme and the 621 Table.

To celebrate the design principles coined by Dieter Rams, Vitsœ have published a pocket-sized compendium detailing these very principles – the ethos that underlies each and every step of the company.

Vitsœ and GOODS WE LIKE have teamed up with the aim to spread this design ethos as far as possible, making the publication accessible to everyone.

Note: the send-out of the free copies has now ended. If you wish to request a copy, please get in touch directly with Vitsœ.

--

Founded in 1959 with the aim to allow more people to live better with less that lasts longer, renowned furniture company Vitsœ has consistently stood up to a world that appears to value only things that are new. For this reason, the London-based brand set out with the mission to make long-living furniture; always seeking to be better rather than newer. 

Live better with less that lasts longer.

The beauty about Vitsœ is that the company designs, makes and evolves furniture that lasts for generations. Based on this principle, Niels Vitsœ and Otto Zapf decided to establish a company to realise the furniture designs of Dieter Rams – known for his unobtrusive approach and belief in “less but better”. As one of the foremost industrial designers of the 20th century, the former Braun designer has not only shaped the Functionalist school of industrial design, but his design principles have been – and still are – an inspiration to a whole generation of designers.

Becoming increasingly concerned by the state of the world around him, Rams asked himself probably one of the most important questions in his career: is my design good design? As good design can’t be expressed in finite terms, he set about expressing the ten most important principles for what he considered was good design. This chain of thought resulted in what is known as The Ten Principles for Good Design.

ICC MAGAZINE – Vol. 03/10

Itineraires d’une Cuisine Contemporaine – in short ICC Magazine – is an artistic, biannual French-English publication that explores contemporary cuisine; capturing the portraits of ten different men and women in ten different places who make the world of cooking a moving and beautiful adventure. ICC seeks out emotion, nuance and rarity by recounting the stories of these inspiring people, whether they are chefs, producers or artisans.

The third issue of the bilingual magazine deep-dives into the worlds of Philip Rachinger (Austria), Xavier Pensec (France), Koji Kamiyo (Japan), René Redzepi (Denmark), Lee Tiernan (England), Nicolas Darnauguilhem (Switzerland), Yoji Tokuyoshi (Italy), Clément Petitjean (Belgium), Jen Agg (Canada) and Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec (France). Conceived and edited by Fulgurances as a contemplative journal, the magazine also features a neat restaurant notebook that brings to light ten of their favourite restaurants in Antwerp. ICC No. 03/10, 112 pages, 10 portraits, 1 city guide.

ANYONEGIRL - Vol. 01 'Waist'

Auckland-based journal anyonegirl is among our most recent editorial finds. Created by writer and trained contemporary dancer Yasmine Ganley, issue one – fittingly titled WAIST – considers the ideas surrounding the female mid-section, both inside and out, exploring sex, movement, digestion and a woman’s gut instinct. WAIST is anyonegirl’s first print project. 

INTUITION ability to understand something instinctively without the need for conscious reasoning

An innate, typically fixed, pattern of behaviour in animals in response to certain stimuli INSTNCT

IMPULSE a sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act

 
WAIST includes written and visual commissioned works by Nastassia Brückin, Kayten Schmidt, Gina Esposito, Caroline Denervaud, Francesca Hopkins and many more. You’ll also find a beautiful selection of photo essays such as the Art of Undressing on pages 28 to 35. The collaboration between Nastassia Brückin and Kayten Schmidt explores the female body, composition and a return to the nude or partially nude figure in a compellingly metaphoric, visual as well as conceptual way. Printed in Auckland, New Zealand.

CERCLE MAGAZINE – Vol. 04 ‘Costumes’

Cercle Magazine is a thematic, annual publication devoted to art, design, illustration, science and photography expressed through the lens of one main topic. The magazine was conceived by eponymous, Strasbourg-based graphic design studio Cercle Studio, which was founded in 2013 by Marlène Astrié, Marie Secher and Maxime Pintadu. The three designers are not only responsible for the publication’s art direction, production and creation, but as a creative studio they work across various media, ranging from magazines, visual identity and art direction to books, illustration and exhibition design.

In an age of information overload, Cercle Magazine’s mission seems to be twofold: while it complements to the understanding of a specific topic by taking the time to deep dive into it, the magazine also acts as an antidote to the ephemerality of information, caused by social media’s instantaneous exchange of information. Cercle Magazine therefore aims to capture a topic within a medium that allows information to be treasured.

Cercle Magazine N˚4 looks more closely at the concept of Costumes. And naturally, it’s about going into the subject’s detail, exploring costume from different angles and viewpoints. Unquestionably, dress is a topic with multiple facets; it can be about anonymity, uniformity, rite, celebration and individuality - costumes “impose a contradiction: we show, yet hide,” say the editors. Beautifully layouted on 140 pages, issue four is an exploratory ride into the world’s of artists, fashion creators, designers and historians whose work is linked to the world of costumes. Read about famous costume designer Camille Assaf, renaissance-inspired portraits by Christina Tagliavini, theatre-centric creature costumes by designer Nick Cave and many more.

LIQUID SPACES – Installations and Spatial Experiences

Liquid Spaces is one or favourite books among Gestalten’s publications for this season. Edited by Sofia Borges, Sven Ehmann and Robert Klanten, Liquid Spaces explores the impact of spatial and tangible experiences on human perception and the notion of lasting, sensual encounters. 

This discourse is becoming increasingly important as – in today’s hyper digitalised age – unforgettable experiences lay the foundation of a meaningful dialogue and relationship between artist and audience, museum and visitor or brand and consumer. 

“Surprising materials, colors, shapes, and surfaces provide the props, which alongside innovative smells, sounds, and lighting concepts come together in expansive, stage-like gestures with sculptural details.” 

Divided into four different sections – Geometric Spaces, Ephemeral Spaces, Theatrical Spaces and Immersive Spaces – the book intriguingly showcases the many different ways in which galleries, museums, temporary events, pop-up shops and flagships stores playfully experiment with the idea of crafting an impactful spatial experience. This said, diving into its 256 pages, you’ll find a wide spectrum of unconventional environments and extraordinary spaces created by artists, scenographers, and architects as well as both interior and exhibition designers.

Photographed by Ali Baïlon for GOODS WE LIKE

MONOCLE – How to Make a Nation: A Monocle Guide

We took a closer look at Monocle’s new thought-provoking publication – ‘How to Make a Nation: A Monocle Guide’.

How do you create a country? What characteristics and values define a country? Which are particularly successful in terms of education, economics, or culture? In this book, Monocle provides a global perspective on 338 pages on the distinct qualities of nations. Who’s getting it right, and who’s not? Monocle dispatched writers and photographers to more than 50 countries to explore this question; and to provide a series of benchmarks to answer it. They met people who are creating extraordinary things – and we’re not just talking about institutions at a state level here, nor exclusively economics and politics, but also culture, community, education, identity and design.

The book is divided into 10 sections, which explore a nation’s governance, diplomacy, safety, economy, community, soft power (cultural capital), culture, sport, national icons and national branding. Each chapter is introduced through a compelling essay, followed by great editorial insights, stories, infographics and photo essays. 

Since its launch in 2007, Monocle has consistently reported on global affairs, business, culture and design. How to Make a Nation is a great book that informs and inspires. Published by Gestalten.

Photographed by Ali Baïlon for GOODS WE LIKE.

KEITH AND SHANNON - Gay Men Draw Vaginas

A bit of ‘gay vagina anthropology’. Asking gay men to draw vaginas – or vulvas to be correct – might sound to some people like opposites. But it’s this combination that makes Gay Men Draw Vaginas so intriguing. What the men drew, whether ‘accurate’, or ridiculous or abstract, it was up to them. And as much as this publication is there for a quick laugh at the coffee table, it can also be part of a larger social discourse on gender, sex, identity and the body. In the end, it’s really a question of how the viewer intends to look at the book.

Ultimately, though, we hope people do a lot of things; we hope they’ll laugh, we hope they’ll think about what it means to identify as a “gay man”, we hope they’ll think about ideas our culture has about bodies and body parts.

Keith Wilson and Shannon O’Malley are the curators of Gay Men Draw Vaginas. A couple of years ago, Keith and Shannon had dinner with friends, which turned into a conversation about vaginas. Given the boys’ lack of vagina knowledge, Shannon asked Keith to draw one, and so he did. It was bad. Then his boyfriend drew one, which turned out prettier, albeit much more inaccurate. Everyone at the table became fascinated with these drawings – that evening the project was born, and the two started collecting as many interpretations of the term vagina from anyone who identified as a gay man. The results range from fine art to simple crayon drawings; and from misogynist to a mix of abstract, bizarre, funny, clever, puzzling and beautiful vaginas.

Photographed by Ali Baïlon for GOODS WE LIKE.

ODISEO - Vol. 07 'The Truth'

Our latest find is Odiseo – a biannual publication that offers both visual and intellectual stimuli circulating around erotic photography and contemporary essays. The most interesting aspect of Odiseo is that it re-defines the confines of traditional erotic publishing by balancing philosophical stories and essays with images that lie in between art and erotica. 
Odiseo is a project initiated by Barcelona based design agency Folch in 2011. The studio works with a wide range of clients across multiple disciplines including brand identity, print, editorial, publishing and digital platforms as well as content creation and creative direction.

‘We do define ourselves as erotic, but not as a magazine. As opposed to most magazines we do not seek to publish current content, but rather speculative essays dealing with topics that may or may not be of relevance in the near future.’
- Pol Pérez

Odiseo Vol.7 is dedicated to the notion of Truth. The issue is launched as a triptych, which was shot by photographer Juan Hernández. The three fragmented covers lie somewhere between pleasure and suffering, between brutality and love. In this publication you’ll find a sensitive approach with photographic essays by Paul Jung, Maud Rémy-Lonvis and Bennie Julian Gay as well as some great written opinion pieces including Eugenia Lapteva and Hans Frederik Jacobsen. Price €12 / £10 / $16.

Contributors
Juan Hernández  /  Paul Jung/  Bennie Julian Gay  /  Maud Rémy-Lonvis  /  Eugenia Lapteva/  Hans Frederik Jacobsen/  Fiktion  / Ingo Niermann  /  Amy Patton