Fetish: The Magazine of the Material World (Vol. 1, No. 1)

The premier issue of Fetish: The Magazine of the Material World, published in 1980, established an influential post-modern voice in independent magazine design. Created in New York by Cranbrook alumni David Sterling, Jane Kosstrin and Terence Main, the inaugural edition centers on the theme of “Travel.” The publication served as an experimental exploration of consumerism, material obsession, and pop culture, pairing expressive, high-contrast layouts and slanting typography with essayistic commentary that treated commercial objects as cultural artifacts. The design is wild, inviting, of its time, and totally readable. No small feat for this incredibly rare publication that’s held in the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum. (Albert was a big fan.)