Domino was a popular home interiors magazine which existed from 2005 to 2009. One of my all-time favorite magazines, its official tagline was “the guide to living with style” and it lived up to the name. I, like many others was sad to see Domino close down during the height of the recession — I felt that if they could have held on a bit longer, things would have turned around and they’re still sorely missed.

In Domino’s defense, since then, they’ve released a few limited edition, “best of” magazines that in my opinion, are awesome. Of course I wish they’d ramp back up to full-on regular publication but these are a nice dose of the Domino style and ethos in a format that’s lengthier than any of their standard issues ever were.

Their newest edition, Best Rooms: Our Favorite Spaces of All Time, features a mix of old and new content, including some reader all-time favorites like Jenna Lyons’ Brooklyn pad and many never-seen-before outtakes. I actually like these “Best Of” issues because the content is meatier — there’s way less filler and barely any ads when compared with their standard magazines.

And, while the content is really good, I’ll admit that half the reason I bought this issue was for the design. Domino was always on trend but things have changed a lot over the last few years and they’ve made it a point to pick up on all the latest editorial cues — more white space, slashes, bold pops of color and an overall cleaner feel permeate this issue.

I know the reaction to Domino’s launch of special editions was mixed (rumor has it that the original staff was not involved for the most part) but I personally think they did a fantastic job with the content and design and, well, at this point I’ll take what I can get when it comes to Domino!

Readers: Have any of you picked up these new Domino Special Editions? What did you think?

I am new to Rika Magazine and just had to share — based out of the Netherlands, this bi-annual magazine is a visual masterpiece. The combination of super sleek, edgy fonts paired with bright splashes of watercolors and handwriting lend a perfect balance of beauty and grit.

Rika Magazine is the editorial masterpiece of Ulrika Lundgren, founder of the fashion label Rika, and Jacob Wildschiødtz, design director of LOVE magazine. About the magazine, they claim that “Rika looks at women as muses, creators, fighters and lovers in the fields. Each issue picks a theme, which is freely reinterpreted by an array of established and up-and-coming contributors.” Some of those contributors have included Helena Christiansen, Anton Corbijn, Yoko Ono and Milla Jovovich. No big deal!

Rika Magazine is more than just another fashion magazine — it’s like that perfect combination of the girl you meet who’s not only gorgeous but also whip-smart. Lundgren and Wildschiødtzit assert that “a magazine should be a meeting point for a creative community, and a source of inspiration to each and everyone’s daily life.” And Rika does just that. If you’re on the hunt for your own copy, I found mine at Barnes and Noble.

You can view all of The Typofiles right here.

When the bulging September issue of Elle showed up in my mailbox a few days ago, I couldn’t stop staring at the cover. All that angled type felt so fresh and so now.

Angled type has always been an Elle trademark but they really took it to the next level here. And throughout the issue, the type and layouts have all been amplified — I’ve been a faithful subscriber for years and there’s just something really special about their attention to detail that other fashion magazines often miss. I have huge respect for Creative Director Joe Zee, Design Director Paul Ritter and the rest of the design staff. Putting together a kick-ass 600+ page issue is no easy task!

You can view all of The Typofiles right here.

No matter how many books and magazines I have, I still look forward to receiving certain catalogs every month. Besides being a free source of inspiration, I feel like they have a pretty good pulse on current design and color trends. While not everything appeals to me clothing-wise, I love taking a peek inside J. Crew catalogs in part because their layouts are never fussy or overdone, they make their products the focal point by zooming in on stacks of colors and use mostly neutral backdrops to form a sense of consistency. High five to J. Crew for setting a consistent tone and keeping the layouts light, fun and on-point. Oh, and for using a yellow cover!

• View all of The Typofiles here, check out the previous J. Crew Style Guide here and see my post about free catalogs you can sign up for here.

I just came across this catalog from Barneys CO-OP and was blown away that it was from Spring 2009. The neons, the type choices and the accessories all feel so now! If I’d had an hour to sit at my scanner, I would have scanned the whole damn thing — it’s great from cover to cover. The page layouts manage to seamlessly rotate between outdoor scenery with neon plexiglass overlays featuring geometric cut-outs to more subdued black and white model shots. The main type throughout appears to be Avant Garde Extra Light and Alternative Extra Light.

* View all of The Typofiles here.