Kinfolk celebrates 10 years in print
“A decade ago, the very first issue of Kinfolk made its way into print,” the Kinfolk website reads. “To celebrate this milestone—our tenth anniversary—we’ve refreshed the design of the magazine and aptly turned our gaze toward one of life’s deepest and most searching subjects: the future.” The reshaped 10th anniversary issue 40 drives forward Kinfolk’s energy into a new era, from the cover inwards. An explosion of colour via the photography of the special edition cover (one of two) leans into a new aesthetic, one that after seeing issue 41, works upon vertical lines through composition and movement.
Drawing upon a plethora of creatives in the talent agency world, photography, styling, editorial and art direction, the quality remains at the level you’d expect, or have come to expect from Kinfolk. However this doesn’t mean they’ve stood still. The iconic cover masthead has developed to become a singular form – the logo. Gone is the white strip which ran across the top for many of the issues that came before, allowing the design to stretch fully across the canvas as such. A full image which speaks to this magnitude is expanded within as well. Large serif text is curiously positioned across full page imagery, joining forces to collaborate in harmony across its 10th anniversary’s packed 192 pages.
Speaking directly to their customers about their 10th anniversary via email, Kinfolk speak about the variation in cover. “In the editors’ letter of Issue One, we wrote, “Our goal is for each issue to be an inspiring and reflective experience for each contributor and reader involved.” In that spirit, we’ve refreshed Kinfolk’s design—and cover. To mark the occasion, we’re releasing two covers for the first time: If you buy Kinfolk at the newsstand it will be covered with an image from Michael Oliver Love’s futuristic Earth 2.0 shoot, while other readers will receive a celebratory, surrealist image photographed by Zhonglin.”
“For our 10th Anniversary Edition, we’ve turned our gaze to a subject that’s sure to trigger life’s deepest and most searching questions: the future. Begin your exploration by dipping into our editors’ highlights from this special issue. Perhaps you’d like to start by reading our interviews with Sara Seager, an astrophysicist who has dedicated her life to looking for other signs of life out in the universe, or Fan Bingbing—the film star who changed the face of China. Alternatively, why not start with Patent Pending—our creative take on chindōgu (the futuristic Japanese gadgets that cause more problems than they solve). We also have a report on the CGI models changing the face of the fashion industry, futuristic fashion shoots from Taiwan and South Africa and a cozy home tour of a west London townhouse. For our Survey of the Future, we asked five future-focused thinkers what the world might look like in 50 years. Their wildly divergent predictions are a timely reminder that no one can say for certain what’s in store.”
The founder also added a message of thanks to their readership, noted at the end of the email. “In 2011, the founders of Kinfolk would never have predicted that the magazine would survive a decade. It is only through readers like you that we have arrived at Issue Forty. We’d like to thank you sincerely for your enduring support, engagement and inspiration. We can only hope to still be connecting with you in another 10 years from now.”
You can see this issue and issue 41 over on the Kinfolk shop.
All images are © Kinfolk 2021.
