DESIGN DAILY: Fulcrum Magazine

Met Home has a new magazine—Fulcrum. It’s geared toward designers, architects, and contractors, and if that’s you—get a copy. It’ll be your crib sheet for the latest projects, products, methods, materials, and the business of practice. But even as a design-phile and magazine junkie, it's got a lot to chew on.

I’d never seen a layout like this. The cover, featuring Marcel Wanders’ latest hotel design, has two green text boxes hovering over the image—like a marked-up PDF. It’s a comment from their post-editor (who will change with every issue) and his square nuggets of insight are throughout the mag. Forget the cutesy Post-its notes and idea bubbles of women’s service magazines. These insights have the rawness of a blog comment but with the authority of an acclaimed professional. It’s meant to spark conversation within this insider community—and they aren’t shy about admitting it.

The final page closes with a quote:
“These days, people use the phrase ‘design hotel’ purely as a marketing vehicle,” says Marcel Wanders, who just completed the Mondrian South Beach in Miami. “But you can’t just put a fancy sofa in the lobby and call it a day; a design hotel is an experience that goes beyond—it’s a place to pour your ideas and your dreams.”

And a call to action:
“What hotel has prompted you to dream? Why? What were the most important elements: Furniture? Lighting? Service? Location? Ok, now start talking. Go to fulcrummag.com.”

And even if Wanders' words don’t get you typing, these stories are definitely worth checking out:


Close-up: Lorenza Luti
The marketing and retail director of Kartell--the mad scientists behind designer plastic furniture--talks fashion, marketing and innovation.




Pattern Recognition
A look at the graphic, almost electronic patterns and textures found in current design projects.

 

Anne E. Collins
Editor, PointClickHome