REVIEW'D: DOMINO QUICK FIXES MAGAZINE

Dudez. 

I cannot even tell you how excited I was to pick up my Domino special edition mag on Friday (hint: I WAS SO FRIGGIN EXCITED!). After trying to pick one up on my way to work ("they haven't arrived yet!" said my magazine stand guy), I ducked out at lunch to try again. 

I took a spin around the store, and...nothing. So I asked my mag pal dude if they had arrived yet. He told me to follow him, and the guy literally pulled out a copy from behind the counter and said "I saved you one...the rest already sold out."

I swear to you, my heart actually started beating faster as I held the slick, shiny papered mag in my hands. I quickly fanned through it and the thing even smelled good. YES! THIS IS HAPPENING! I happily pulled out my eleven fucking dollars (!!) and skipped out the door.

It felt like 2007 all over again...when Domino Mag would arrive in my mailbox every month on schedule and all was right in the world. Little did I know how much like 2007 things were about to get. Cause when I popped open my magazine for real to do a deep dive, it felt like one big, giganto deja vu.  

That's right folks: virtually all of the photos you will find in that sucker are circa 2007...circa 2006...circa NOWHERE NEAR 2012. Yes, there are some new graphics, some new market pieces, and I suppose some new text, but as far as I can tell, Domino Quick Fixes is one gigantic bride of Frankenstein of all Domino's past. 

Now as I've mentioned before, I own virtually all previously published issues of Domino. And I've read each of these issues, on average, like 187 times. So perhaps I'm more in tune with all of these old photos than your average Jane. But on the flipside: I'm a gigantic Domino superfan! I'm desperate for this issue to succeed! I'm pretty much standing on the sidelines, in my goddamned cheerleader uniform that's 4 sizes too small, with those ridiculous pom poms-n-all, just waiting to jump up and down and celebrate the return of my long lost magazine love. I want to shout out to the internet: THE BITCH IS BACK!

But after reading the whole thing from cover to cover, I really just felt kind of sad...and confused. 

I mean, on one hand, I was so damn happy to be back in that world. To just be holding a magazine that said "Domino" on the cover with the smell of fresh ink wafting up to my nose. On the other hand, I'm feeling like we all just got totally punk'd.

The truth is: my bar was set VERY low. The good folks at Conde Nast would not have needed to stretch themselves *that* much in order to make my ass happy with this issue. But, come on ppl. Can't we get some original fucking content?! SOMETHING!? I wouldn't even care if they recycled some of the old shit as long as *most* of the magazine was new. 

And if everything was old, why in the hell was this magazine ELEVEN DOLLARS!? It cost way the hell less back when all of the content was brand spankin new!? (and yes, I know that there are no ads in this issue, but still!).

This magazine wasn't created with editorial shoots, and great round-ups--it was created in arts-n-crafts class. I'm actually imagining a bunch of Conde Nasty interns, sitting around a big parsons table in their mini-skirts, drinking Diet Coke and sharing scissors and glue sticks with each other:

"Rory, can you pass me December 2006? I want to cut out that that cute light blue hallway pic with the bulldog...you know, the one with his head cocked?"

"Sure, Sophie. You should paste that one on top of the February 2007 shot of that dachshund who's laying on top of that Moroccan rug that we used in every single issue ever printed ever."

"Oooh, good idea, Soph!"

[Girls high-five and go back to cutting, pasting, and sharing the order of steamed vegetables (no oil) that they ordered for lunch]. 

End scene. 

I mean, Living, Etc isn't even eleven dollars, and that shit is flown in from Europe! And chock full of original content!

[Sad, sad, sad face]. 

Ok, but I'm not a complete and total Debbie Downer: I did dig the 21-hue salute paint piece as I'm constantly going through old issues trying to track down paint reccs from particular stories. And the sourcebook at the end was pretty nice. And finally, the fact that many of these old images are still relevant years and years later is an unbelievable testament to the original editors, writers and photographers of the mag...I mean, that's no small feat.

But I can't help but feel like this time around, they put the masthead and the credits in the back of the mag, because all those btchz were jsut full-on embarrassed. 

original image via Curbed.com

But in an effort to not just be a whiny, complain-y bitch without offering any solid advice, here's what I would do for issue #2: 

1. CREATE SOME ORIGINAL FUCKING CONTENT! I know I'm a bit of a crazy person having kept all of my old Domino's but the truth is, with the internet, all of those old Domino mag images are e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e...and have been for years. Did you think we just wouldn't notice? FYIzers, we did. 
2. Have "guest editors" for each issue. Perhaps some of the Domino old guard, a celeb, or even a design blogger. If you are not going to print an issue very month, it might be fun to mix it up like that and keep us all guessing and looking forward to what the next guest editor will be doing. 
3. Acknowledge some of the shit that is going on now in the world: Twitter, blogging, Pinterest, Polyvore. All the ppl who are into that shit are the ones who are buying your mag now...be more relevant. Also, if you are sourcing something in 2012 that *still* only has a phone number? And no website? I would take a pass and find something that does.
4. Get all of your content (or at least a good chunk of it) IMMEDIATELY online. I mean, wtf is wrong with you ppl?? We'd all be pinning our faces off right now, yes even pinning all of the ridiculous, recyled old photos, if you would just get em up there! (i can't even save your stupid placeholder on dominomag.com as a jpg without taking a screenshot!??). Now perhaps this is already planned and I'm jumping the gun cause the mag is not supposed to be out officially until the 17th--if so, sorry charlie. But if not, make it happen. 

I'm fine to keep paying a billion dollars for each issue...really I am. But you GOTTA step up your game for issue No. 2...cause I will be heartbroken if this shit doesn't actually work. AH-GAIN.

What do you guys think??

Comments

[gina]

I have to agree with you 100%. I bought it and settled in my bed to fully enjoy and savor this issue. Boy was I disappointed!!! It had NOTHING new -- like you said, it contained photos from past issues of Domino. I am thisssss close to sending a letter to Conde Nast and ordering them to refund my money. Conde Nast should be ASHAMED of even publishing this. Shame on us readers who were suckered into paying $10.99 for a recycled magazine. I hope enough people protest so that the next issue (which should be Fall/Winter 2012) contains something, anything which is new and current.