French Boys Do It Better

And by French boys, I mean the team behind Clark Magazine. Being an avid Fluokids’ hound, I kept finding snippits of Clark, but had zero success in obtaining it. How could this amazing magazine that hosted weekly parties and had a shoe collaboration with Le Coq Sportif in the works be so difficult to get my greedy paws on? I pondered this and came to two conclusions. Either 1) Clark is fairly obscure in France or 2) The U.S. is again, culturally behind. At any rate, I finally convinced a nice French internet lad to send me a copy. I think I will make it my personal mission to get Clark carried on U.S. soil.
I’m a huge fan of the Picasso of Graphic Design, Parra. Parra’s typography, figures, use of color and witty slogans are a constant inspiration for me, and a great example of how modern illustration can be hip and simple, but also more complex than skulls and antlers (see my Death to Design rant). Parra is the Art Director for Clark Magazine and pretty much the entire reason I spent the better part of two months attempting to track it down. As far as content goes, I cannot read French but Clark seems to be along the lines of a Beautiful Decay or Anthem type magazine. Vinyl toys, artist features, lots of musician profiles, etc. Clark is your standard hipster art & culture magazine, wrapped up in a well-illustrated little Parra blanket.

…and Judging by their myspace page, the Clark boys know how to throw a party. I’d quite like to roll up in that shit VIP style.

10 comments March 19th, 2007