I'm looking for examples of well-known or iconic magazine sections.
July 5, 2010 2:12 PM   Subscribe

Some magazines have regular features, pages or sections that they seem to be well-known by or that one would associate with that particular magazine. Examples might be Harper's Index, NYMag's Approval Matrix or even Glamour's Do's and Don'ts. Heck, the entire Vanities section of Vanity Fair is kind of like this.

I'm looking for more examples. Often these pages or sections have a specific layout but they appear in all issues, not just special features that happen occasionally. The sort of thing that if a magazine gets rid of it - or dares to move its location - regular readers freak out about. I don't care about the content of the magazine, though I'm most interested in widely available US-based publications. I will also entertain examples from well-distributed non-US magazines but I'm hoping to actually be able to obtain these from a newsstand at some point.

Also, if there's an industry name for this kind of thing I'd like to know that since I can't seem to really Google for this too easily.
posted by marylynn to Media & Arts (22 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
The Economist has a regular column called Lexington. barron's has a regular column called Up and Down Wall Street.
posted by dfriedman at 2:14 PM on July 5, 2010


Mad's Fold-Ins and Spy vs. Spy.
Reader's Digest's Humor in Uniform and the like.
Highlights's Goofus and Gallant.
The New York Times Magazine crossword.
posted by painquale at 2:15 PM on July 5, 2010 [2 favorites]


Vice do's and don't's.
posted by Put the kettle on at 2:18 PM on July 5, 2010


The Playboy Interview
well...

The Playboy Centerfold too, I guess. (Special layout, every issue, etc.)
posted by carsonb at 2:19 PM on July 5, 2010


The New Yorker's Talk of the Town.
posted by fso at 2:24 PM on July 5, 2010 [2 favorites]


These are silly examples:

US Weekly - "Who Wore It Best?" and "Stars - They're Just Like Us!" (I don't know if these sections have actual names.)

Ladies' Home Journal - Can This Marriage Be Saved?
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 2:25 PM on July 5, 2010 [1 favorite]


Oh, and perhaps the Entertainment Weekly Bullseye? Most of their magazine are little regular features, but that seems the most well-known.
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 2:26 PM on July 5, 2010


I'm not sure this fits, but what about Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue? But for sure their Faces in the Crowd section fits.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 2:35 PM on July 5, 2010


Wired's final-page futurism feature, Found. (It came back a few months after that post.)
posted by Rhaomi at 2:45 PM on July 5, 2010


Discover Magazine's 20 Things You Didn't Know About...
posted by inconsequentialist at 2:52 PM on July 5, 2010


What about the NYRB Personals section?
posted by thisjax at 3:06 PM on July 5, 2010 [1 favorite]


Though it depends on what you're needing these for, the best examples seem to me to be those where the publication in question essentially invented a new, or semi-new, journalistic form, rather than just well-known columns etc. Harper's Index and the Approval Matrix both fit this bill.

Others might include:
— The Ethicist (NY Times): the advice column/"agony aunt" meets moral philosophy
— Vows (NY Times): wedding announcement as miniature narrative
— London Review of Books personal ads: deliberately self-mocking, non-boastful, honest ads (available at good US newsstands and released in book form)
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 3:47 PM on July 5, 2010


Response by poster: These answers are all great so far, thank you!

I should add that I am also interested in niche publications, as far as subjects go - so if Cat Fancy or ArtForum or Woodworking (for examples) have these kinds of things I'd love to hear about it.

And I would also look at examples from magazines that are no longer published but might be available from a large public library's archives.
posted by marylynn at 4:28 PM on July 5, 2010


Esquire's interview based "What I've Learned."

TV Guide's "Cheers and Jeers."

"Dear Penthouse Forum, I never thought I'd mention you on Ask Metafilter..."
posted by ALongDecember at 4:39 PM on July 5, 2010


Spy Magazine's Separated at birth.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 4:44 PM on July 5, 2010


Cosmo quizzes
Sassy's What Now (of which the Cute Band Alert was part)
posted by SisterHavana at 5:10 PM on July 5, 2010


This Old House has Save this house, where they feature an old house that needs to bought and restored.
posted by sulaine at 5:12 PM on July 5, 2010


I still remember cutting out the Betsy McCall paper dolls and outfits that came in every issue of my mom's McCall's magazine.
posted by marsha56 at 9:59 PM on July 5, 2010


Goofus and Gallant?
posted by Rangeboy at 1:35 AM on July 6, 2010


Private Eye has tons - Rotten Boroughs, Funny Old World, and several recurring articles concerning the leader of the day.

Smash Hits had Bitz. which had 'themed' design each issue - one fortnight chips and beans, the next sweets.
posted by mippy at 5:26 AM on July 6, 2010


If Entertainment Weekly dropped the Hit List I would probably drop my subscription.
posted by magnetsphere at 8:52 AM on July 6, 2010


Response by poster: None of these are really the best answer because they're all exactly what I need to start my project. Thanks everyone!
posted by marylynn at 12:13 PM on August 6, 2010


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