Overview
The same team behind Frankie Magazine is about to launch a new publication entitled Smith Journal, a kind of guy-friendly take on the concept that has worked so brilliantly for the ladies.
Over the years Frankie has created its own niche in the world of magazines. its creators saw a dearth of publications lacking warmth, impeccable design and solid content, so they filled the gap and they’ve done spectacularly well off it. In the past two years Frankie has had astounding jumps in circulation, making it the fastest growing magazine in the country. And the reasons for that are many, including their clean, environmentally-friendly design, support for underground acts and emerging creatives, and their emphasis on strong content, publishing distinctive writers like Benjamin Law and Marieke Hardy.
Now they’re applying the same logic to the world of gentlemen’s magazines. The idea behind the name – Smith – is that of blokes doing stuff with their hands – blacksmiths and wordsmiths and the like. Their positioning is both old fashioned and down to earth, but never attempting to be cool or exclusive. And just like Frankie doesn’t bar the boys from the clubhouse, Smith also welcomes lady readers. The difference between Smith and Frankie is that it’s going to be a wee bit bigger and a little less regular. It’ll be printed out at a not-entirely-bus-friendly edition of 140+ pages, with only two issues a year in limited release.
The first issue is out September 5.