NewsroomPlus.com Reviewed by Alex Barrow
When I saw this magazine and flicked through it for the first time my initial thought was how eye catching the imagery was and how great the covers would look on my bedroom wall.
With the cover of the spring issue boasting a bad ‘70s impression of Elvis in a blue cowboy suit ft. complimentary Venetian mask, the tone of the magazine is a play on taking life a little less seriously.
Dotted throughout are pictures of kooky people, abstract places, and random objects, initially appearing arbitrarily. This reflects the features themselves, in no ways connected except for the sheer essence of creativity that each radiate.
The magazine attributes stories of ‘thinkers, adventurers, makers, writers and inventors’ and pulls through with some quirky accounts of originality. The features themselves are sufficiently in-depth without being too wordy.
Ranging from illegal hot air balloon making in Brazil, to a man’s adventure sailing the seas for ten years, to the great ‘emu war’ in Australia, the magazine’s off-centre coverage of stories is what gives the magazine such great appeal. Despite the intriguing feats some of the subjects have accomplished, their cool, down to earth approach makes their stories that much more inspiring.
I found that this publication has the profound ability to draw the reader in with kooky, under-the-radar features that have the essence of listening to your crazy uncle tell stories of his offbeat past while also making you question why you aren’t doing these bizarre things yourself. From flamenco inspired tight-rope walking, to garden grown furniture, to Neil deGrasse Tyson, Smith Journal covers all the bases in everything you never knew you wanted to know.
Despite Smith Journal exclusively appearing in specialist magazine outlets it is well worth seeking out. As a person who hasn’t regularly bought magazines in years, this is definitely on my radar as one to keep up with.
The magazine is a refreshing take on what is happening around the world from an everyday everyperson’s point of view, and at the end of the day, who doesn’t need a new magazine to indulge in.
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The Smith Journal is an indie style Australian based publication that is distributed quarterly all over the globe. As the sibling to popular fashion magazine Frankie, Smith Journal has a similar aesthetic appeal with a completely different audience approach.
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