Lagom Magazine: Review

This holiday season, I bring you the review of "Lagom", a lifestyle magazine that celebrates & shares personal stories and motivations behind the lives of those creative professionals who strive to achieve a balance between work and play. The theme of the magazine is derived from its name, "Lagom" which is a Swedish word & a philosophy. With no direct translation in English, it loosely translates to the concept of having just the right amount of something: not too little, not too much. Published independently by the creator of 8 Faces Magazine, Elliot Jay Stocks and his wife, Samantha Stocks; the magazine is a beautiful artefact which should be cherished at a creative professional's bookshelf or coffee table.

During the Black-Friday week this year, The price of each issue of the magazine was reduced by 50%. Moreover, all the proceeds were donated to charity. I bought the issue #5 and #1 during the sale.

The magazine is divided into three distinct sections containing interviews in form of photo-essays.

1. Spaces & Places: which deals with inspirational workspaces, hotels, restaurants, and homes from around the world.
2. Craft & Create: which inspires readers through stories of the makers and craftspeople creating truly unique work.
3. Escape & Recharge: which cherishes the fact that our pastimes and hobbies can help us in attaining the all-important sense of balance in our busy, modern lives.

At the beginning of each section, two pages are set aside for section openers. They contain a full-bleed photo, printed on both pages along with the section heading. Each essay starts on a recto page and ends on a verso page. Some of the photos span both the pages, giving in a larger room for photographs.

Since the magazine is a collection of stories and interviews in form of essays, it can be read in a non-linear way. Each essay has its own independent style of showcasing the photos and a unique layout and design to compliment the article.

The logo on front cover of each issue is embossed with a metal-like foil. On back-cover, there is an illustration of Mail-chimp, one of their sponsors.

When you're honest with the way you want to do something, people respond to that honesty whether it's to their taste or not

Paul Marc Davis

Physical Quality

The magazines are printed on high quality, thick, matte-finish papers. Although the magazine is not being printed on a glossy paper, the large size and the printing somehow compliments and embraces the picturesque photographs taken by well-known photographers for the essays.

Lagom is a celebration of innovation and creativity — a lifestyle magazine showcasing those who achieve a sense of balance between work and play

Cost, Customs, Duties while Importing Magazine in India

1. I placed separate orders for each magazine. The customs & duties on design magazines are zero.
2. Taking the festive season into account, the shipping took almost 1 month to receive. My previous order with 8Faces Magazine (with Royal Post) was delivered within 15 days.
3. The package was shipped through Royal Post and received through Local Post Office (Indian Post).
4. Cost of Each Magazine: £9 (along with International Shipping)

Update: 28th May 2017

The team published a new release of the magazine and I purchased the same today. Head over to this link for further details.

Related:

1. Lagom Website
2. Article on Lagom Black Friday Sale
3. The Black Friday sale raised a total of £1092, and each of the 4 charities received a sum of £273 (Article Link)
4. 8 Faces Mag Review