Best magazines for ideas

Looking for the best magazines for inspiration

I’m always on the lookout for new ideas for the blog, and magazines are my best sources. I’m a bit fed-up with the usual glossy mags and so was happy to stumble on the second issue of Libertine, the new publication ‘for interested women’.

It’s currently only available from London stockists, but you can buy it online for delivery the following day. This is the history issue ( the first was on the subject of space), a theme that’s interpreted loosely with meaty features including how the internet affects our sense of time, the influence of Star Wars on the design of technology and the work of a milliner! There are far fewer adverts than other magazines and the articles are longer.

As a comparison, I’ve also been looking at the current issue of The Simple Things, which recently inspired our new series A Home Working Day in Snacks. I like the Cafe Culture feature of ‘inspiring spaces to think, work and play’, starting with Petersham Nurseries Cafe in Richmond.

We tried out the recipe for Summer Pappardelle, except in our case, it was Summer Spaghetti, using store cupboard ingredients and a fat home-grown courgette given to us by a neighbour. Delicious, not too much faff and a perfect supper for a summer evening.

When I’ve finished reading the content I bring each mag to my laptop and follow links to websites mentioned in the editorial and ads. They can also prove to be rich sources of information and ideas for your own site or marketing material.

So far the best magazines for my purposes have been Coast and The Simple Things, rather than the independent titles. No surprise there, as I’m trying to provide an online equivalent of a practical magazine for home workers, with short features relevant to their busy lives.

But I find it encouraging that so many new titles are popping up outside the big magazine companies, with different ideas and presumably different business models. I’ll continue to explore them, as looking at things in a different way can spark new ideas. And of course they are a legitimate business expense, so don’t forget to add them to your accounts!

If you’re ever in Bath, the Society Cafe in Kingsmead Square not only sells delicious coffee and irresistible homemade cakes, it also has a choice selection of independent magazines that will make you extend your stay as long as you can.

Do you read magazines as a way of sparking inspiration for your own business or writing? What are the best magazines you’ve come across, and what have they inspired?