Magazine Into is a new independent design magazine from China, published by Subfictions. The magazine focuses on exploring China's design industry, a recent industry that, with no small effort, is developing now. The name, Into, was chosen because it is a preposition that represents a state but also a trend, a being in it without yet having arrived.
Not the classic design magazine.
Dimensions: 19x27 cm
Number of pages: 228
Language: English and Chinese
N.B. The publication consists of three different zines, held together in a box that becomes a treasure chest of Chinese industrial design.
ISSUE 1 - 'MADE‑LAND' Manufacture 1920‑'90s — 2021 — 2050
3 readers, 3 eras in 3 volumes
The first issue of Into is divided into three volumes that want to present the past, present and future of Chinese furniture design and focusing not only on the finished product, but on the whole process and in particular on the relationship between designer and production.
In "MADE ‑ LAND 2021", the status quo and challenges faced by the design thinking of contemporary Chinese design are explored.
In "MADE ‑ LAND 1920s-90s", the artist Lanqing Zhu, through a series of period photographs, wants to convey the emotions of Chinese families immersed in a domestic environment furnished with Chinese furniture in recent decades.
In "MADE ‑ LAND 2050", on the other hand, based on the history of design over the last 30 years, we try to deduce what Chinese design could look like in 30 years.
In this issue of Into, the main questions are raised about the role of the design industry, still under development, in a market, the Chinese one, famous for its global manufacturing industry. What should a designer do? How can brands solve their production problems? Is there an ideal relationship between design and production?
Curiosity: initially the theme of the issue was "Made in China". However, as the interviews progressed, the editors felt that these three words would not fully represent the topics we wanted to discuss. "MADE ‑ LAND" means man-made land in English. Yet, in Chinese, it has been translated as "place of production".