Magazine C is an ergonomic study of iconic chairs as cultural touchstones

Magazine C is the chair-themed sister publication to Magazine B, focused on brands, and Magazine F, focused on food. Legend says, collecting all of these is like acquiring all of the Dragonballs – if Dragonballs were stylish, artsy magazines. The magazines are from the Seoul based start-up Grandeclip, who are dedicated to the “process of experimenting and commercialising ideas that will change people’s daily lives”, and each issue of Magazine C focuses on exploring a single iconic chair.

Using the featured chair as a lens to investigate broader topics in design, culture and lifestyle, each issue places the subject in a historical and technological context. Whether a celebrated design classic or an anonymous piece from everyday life, Magazine C looks at the designers and brands as well as the ways in which people live with it, and therefore, the cultural shifts it can reflect. “Our selection criteria are clear,” says Magazine C’s editor-in-chief Minjung Kim. “Does the chair embody originality of form? Has it introduced technological or business innovation? And, most importantly, has it shaped everyday life?”

Editorially, the magazine has a modern visual style that is as elegant as the chairs it features. Each issue promotes simplicity and ease in its reading style, opting for uncluttered information – a type of ergonomic reading experience that matches well to the serenity of sitting in a comfortable chair or the act of appreciating the artistic value of furniture. It’s academic content with an accessible, contemporary visual voice.

Typography plays a crucial part in the issues: “Rather than following the conventions of traditional interior publications, we separate text and images, emphasize clarity of structure, and create rhythm across the pages,” says Minjung. “It allows us to unify the diverse imagery surrounding each chair into a coherent graphic language.” The use of FK Roman Standard is key, a serif typeface that is “both neutral and approachable” – just like the magazine.

Past issues have covered famous designs such as Jean Prouvé’s Standard Chair, Michael Thonet’s No.14, Philippe Starck’s Louis Ghost Chair, and Alvar Aalto’s Stool 60. If you’ve never heard of these chairs, then don’t worry, because Magazine C firmly sells their appeal as cultural touchstones that exist right under our noses. The photography featured in the issues is sleek and clean, concentrating on the process of chair making and the designers themselves in intimate interviews. Not only are the chairs captured in their natural environments, but the viewer can also witness the grit and sweat that goes into their creation.

“Chairs hold a unique place in design. They are more than functional objects; they reveal how we live, how we design our spaces, and how we connect technology, culture and art,” says Minjung. “It is no coincidence that nearly every architect or designer has designed a chair at some point, with many of these creations becoming enduring icons of modern design.” In Phaidon Design Classics, a British series of books that covers 999 industrial design classics, chairs make up almost one third of the selection, outnumbering every other category. Whereas chairs, for many, are purely functional objects, Magazine C seeks to treat the chair as a signifier of our times, interests and behaviours. A chair can be as much of an art piece as a painting – and this magazine helps us acclaim it as such.