BigShinyThing

A group of people in Australia have developed a magazine that’s a billboard (yes, not a website/blog/mailing list — an actual physical board) that anyone can post stuff to

Oddly enough the Chinese have been reading the news in this way for years. In The People’s Republic of China, everybody reads the newspaper on billboards — of course, there’s only one paper…

Another interesting ‘back to basics’ magazine concept currently doing the rounds is ‘Hey Ladies’ which invites anybody to contribute a page of A4 with anything on it — these submissions form the content of the magazine.

Is not a magazine is not to be confused with the fab online art mag thisisamagazine

According to the isnotamagazine site:

Even bigger than even TV hits when you unfold the Home and Away fold out, says John Safran. Is Not Magazine is a magazine in the form of a 1.5m x 2m bill poster. From April 9, 2005, it has been on display at 50 outdoor poster sites in inner-city Melbourne, and will soon appear at a café, bar, bookstore or laundromat near you. It’s a design challenge and a reading experiment; a paper saving device; a bastion of editorial complexity and a grey area for the discerning communal reader. It enriches public space and brings reading to life. Approach it from any angle; bend down curiously; lean in for a closer look; embark on a treasure hunt to find a story that ends in another location.

Is Not Magazine champions new writers and is always looking for contributors; but it also allows readers to contribute in more unusual ways. Capture a 160-character flash fiction story on your camera phone to read later, or text us one yourself. Fill in the crossword. Write your thoughts on the poster. Is Not is a canvas awaiting your comments.

Is Not Magazine is the work of five young Melburnians. It is independently published and has no advertisements. It is available for purchase full size only. It is cheap at the price. It is unique in all the world.