Ray Gun Magazine

[Fiancee]

Ray Gun Magazine was a cult publication produced from 1992 through to 2000, originally out of Santa Monica California, and was founded by self-taught designer and art director David Carson.
Themed around contemporary rock 'n roll and pop culture, some of the artists the publication threw into the spotlight included Bjork, Radiohead, PJ Harvey and Eminem, names that were yet unheard of by the mainstream as they were deemed too 'alternative'.

Ray Gun also pioneered Carson's very particular typography and design style which has come to be deemed 'grunge design' because it is so heavily associated with the nineties aesthetic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Gun_(magazine)

 

[Fiancee]

Does anyone have old issues or scans from paper copies? I would love to see some more examples of the design and layout.

 

[lucy92]

i was obsessed with this magazine. i wish i'd kept all my back issues as they cost a fortune on ebay and are not easily replaceable.

if you are interested in graphic design, i would highly suggest getting some back issues or copies of david carson's books on it.

 

[tigerrouge]

Brilliant - if slightly unreadable - magazine, I still have some old issues somewhere, but due to their odd size and stapled format, it's quite hard to keep them in good condition. And the articles w3r3 wr1++3n 1n +h15 f0rm4+.

 

[Pricciao]

^^ yeh, this magazine is epic. their layout is always excellent.

 

[Rigida]

Brilliant - if slightly unreadable - magazine, I still have some old issues somewhere, but due to their odd size and stapled format, it's quite hard to keep them in good condition. And the articles w3r3 wr1++3n 1n +h15 f0rm4+.

are you sure? all the articles were written like that? hahaha.. it's so confusing to read

 

[Pricciao]

I remember David Carson said once they had a really f***** up article about Bryan Ferry.
they decided to change the font into Zapf Dingbats. " why not to, at least it's more interesting now." LOL

the article itself

magculture

 

[lucy92]

i had that issue! i think they decided to convert it into those characters because they said the interview with bryan ferry was boring.

the fashion layouts were also very good. most of the models were very "alternative". no one you'd see in vogue etc. those days.

 

[Fiancee]

Brilliant - if slightly unreadable - magazine, I still have some old issues somewhere, but due to their odd size and stapled format, it's quite hard to keep them in good condition. And the articles w3r3 wr1++3n 1n +h15 f0rm4+.

Haha I've heard as much from friends who are fans of the magazine. That's so nineties, breaking the rules and not really caring so much about being easily consumable as a product. It seems kind of 'in your face', no?

I've never actually SEEN a real copy, and I've searched all over my city, asked many people who I would think might be hooked up- archivists at art libraries, magazine buffs... no luck!

I would be eternally grateful if someone could track down a copy and do some scans for me. I'm really curious about Carson's design.

 

[Rigida]

Someone please tell me how could i read a magazine with font like that? with a software or what? i don't understand.. hehehe

 

[Pricciao]

anyone heard about the digital version of Ray Gun? I saw David posted Ray Gun for iPad on his site, but can't seem to find any further info. I hope there's some process undergoing to make it happen, I will grab every issue!

 

[lucy92]

anyone heard about the digital version of Ray Gun? I saw David posted Ray Gun for iPad on his site, but can't seem to find any further info. I hope there's some process undergoing to make it happen, I will grab every issue!

oh my god, so would i!!

i went to http://www.davidcarsondesign.com/ and i saw the video about the app too too just now. and there's no mention of it in the itunes store right?

i would pay a hundred bucks for the app if it had all the back issues.