The Top 12 design and architecture webzines
Our picks for the world’s 12 best online publications specializing in design and architecture.
After putting together our list of the 12 best design and architecture magazines, it was only natural to follow up with the best webzines. Webzine, website, digital magazine, online magazine – whatever you call them, these are magazines that create original editorial content and publish it online, not in print.
Like print media, web media are challenging to classify because there’s much more than numbers to consider. We can’t go by readership alone, because a large readership isn’t always a mark of quality – outstanding publications sometimes have a small readership. Judging the quality of a webzine can bring subjective factors into play. Not to mention that there are tons of great websites around the world! We certainly could swap in some names for others, but we can at least say with confidence that the 12 we’ve picked are among the world’s best.
Remember, this is just our humble opinion. We define “best” as a happy mix of international reputation, high-value readership and quality editorial content. We’ve listed them from largest to smallest readership.
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ArchDaily
Architecture, Design, Products
Chile
14 million monthly visitors
archdaily.com
ArchDaily was founded in 2008 by Chile-based architects David Assael and David Basulto. ArchDaily was one of the first platforms targeted at the industry, featuring the latest architectural projects, products and trends. It quickly emerged as the world’s leading reference.
The platform joined Architonic in May 2020, but continued to operate independently. ArchDaily reaches nearly 14 million visitors each month through a family of platforms: Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, China and international.
Dezeen
Architecture, Design, Products, Technology
United Kingdom
3.5 million monthly visitors
dezeen.com
Founded in 2006 by Marcus Fairs, Dezeen has always specialized in design and architecture, with in-depth articles about carefully curated projects. UK-based Dezeen is read worldwide, but a majority of its readers are in the United States. The site’s catchy – and sometimes provocative – headlines leave no one indifferent. Dezeen is also known for affiliated projects like Dezeen Jobs, an international design and architecture employment portal; and the Dezeen Awards, inaugurated in 2018. Danish company JP/Politikens Hus acquired the acclaimed digital publication in March 2021.
designboom
Architecture, Design, Products
Italy
3.5 million monthly visitors
designboom.com
Founded in Milan in 1999, designboom was among the first digital platforms dedicated to design and architecture, with a dash of art and new technology. designboom covers a wide range of subjects: project descriptions, interviews, studio profiles, product launches, book reviews, events, historical studies and more. In 2007, TIME magazine named designboom one of the world’s Top 100 design influencers. A Chinese version was launched in 2010, and in 2015 the company moved its offices to New York.
The Cool Hunter
Architecture, Design, Art, Lifestyle
United States
1.8 million monthly visitors
thecoolhunter.net
The Cool Hunter celebrates creativity in all its contemporary forms. Since 2004, the webzine founded by Bill Tikos has been bringing its international readership innovative, thoughtful and original projects. The site doesn’t try to predict upcoming trends and fashions, it simply shares inspiring finds in design, architecture, lifestyles, art and travel. The Cool Hunter does in-depth research and delivers contemporary icons and classic items to a readership brimming with cutting-edge creative influencers.
Core77
Products, Technology
United States
1.8 million monthly visitors
core77.com
Launched in 1995, Core77 is the essential reference in industrial design. The site’s international readership runs the gamut from students to accomplished professionals who are into interesting new objects, products and technology. Along with articles, the site hosts discussion forums, an events calendar, career opportunities, and a comprehensive list of industrial design firms and portfolios. Core77 organizes a competition, conferences, galas and exhibitions. The editorial team is known for its critical journalistic approach, resulting in reviews both positive and negative.
Architonic
Products, Materials, Architecture
Switzerland
1.2 million monthly visitors
architonic.com
Architonic is one of the most important online platforms covering architecture and design products and materials, with more than 16 million annual visits and a curated directory of more than 400,000 products. Founded by Nils Becker and Tobias Lutz, Architonic emphasizes the close relationship between objects and space, rather than presenting objects out of context. That’s why the platform’s articles about inspiring projects also feature equally inspiring products. The Zurich-based site reaches an international community of architects, designers, manufacturers and retailers.
Archello
Architecture, Design, Products
United States
800,000 monthly visitors
archello.com
Archello is a media outlet, social media site and product & project catalogue rolled into one. The platform’s goal is to provide a virtual space for improving collaboration between industry professionals, ultimately leading to better projects. Initially created as a place to share exciting projects from around the world, Archello has branched out with its product catalogue and technically advanced “How it’s Made” series of articles. Thanks to Archello, professionals can search, find, select, get inspired, learn and connect more easily.
The platform is also designed for self-publishing your latest projects, but the editorial team selects the very best and writes its own articles.
Divisare
Architecture, Design
Italy
700,000 monthly visitors
divisare.com
The Divisare story starts with Europaconcorsi, a paywalled Italian platform launched in 1998 as a compendium of information about architectural competitions in Europe. It evolved into an inspiring source of contemporary architecture projects. In 2015, Lloyd Marcus Andresen gave the site’s mission and platform a thorough makeover. It re-emerged as Divisare, with a determination to avoid being just another architecture site with a flood of products capped with clickbait headlines. Instead, the site’s model is based on the slow web, where carefully crafted content can be read without distractions, noise or ads.
In 2016, Divisare extended its activities by launching a series of books. The economic crisis of 2018 put an early end to that, and the site even went offline for a while. The community rallied, and Divisare was able to return in 2019, livelier than ever.
Archinect
Architecture, Design
United States
660,000 monthly visitors
archinect.com
Archinect was created by Paul Petrunia in 1997 with the aim of making architecture more connected and open-minded, and of bringing together designers from around the world to share new ideas from every discipline. The site has since grown into a destination of choice for students, architects, teachers and everyone who appreciates contemporary design. Archinect members can participate and submit content through the site’s community platform. As well as project presentations, Archinect is one of the most popular sources of industry news.
The Archinect team also runs Bustler: a sister site that publishes news and information on design and architecture competitions and events around the world.
Architizer
Products, Architecture, Design
United States
650,000 monthly visitors
architizer.com
Architizer boasts one of the world’s biggest architecture and construction product databases; while its focus is the United States, it also covers the rest of the world. Launched in 2019, the site was founded by Kushner, one of the originators of the HWKN studio in New York and the KKLD creative agency. The site’s mission is to provide a space for sharing and discussion to compare the best products on the market and improve product specifications for projects.
Architizer is a social network for sharing architects’ portfolios; it is used by hundreds of thousands of contemporary architecture professionals and amateurs around the world. It is also well known as a media outlet, thanks to its original editorial content. Their A+ Awards competition also enjoys a high profile in the industry.
Design Milk
Architecture, Design, Products
United States
600,000 visitors/month
design-milk.com
Both a magazine and an online contemporary design store, Design Milk features the latest trends in art, architecture, interior design, furniture, décor, fashion and new technology. Design Milk is based on sharing, support and promoting worldwide creativity in design and architecture. It supports the world’s best independent brands, emerging designers, destinations, design events and products
Design Milk works actively to showcase projects, products and brands by members of underrepresented groups, and to find effective ways of improving their visibility. The company donates 1% of its online sales to charities and organizations that support social justice and reform.
Archilovers
Architecture, Design
Italy
450,000 monthly visitors
archilovers.com
Archilovers is an international social network for architects, designers and architecture lovers. Its mission is to promote social activity and enable communication, offer new opportunities and expand the network of industry professionals. Through the publication of projects, the various project contributors can interact on the platform.
That makes Archilovers a rich source of contemporary architectural projects, a bit like an online library with millions of members. There’s also a team that selects projects for coverage on the site’s blog. With its sister platform, Archiproducts, the two Archiportale platforms reach nearly 20 million people.
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There are countless good architectural media! Among others, we could have included major generalist media that have interesting design or lifestyle content, like Fast Company’s Co.Design or New York Magazine’s Curbed.
There are also excellent webzines with smaller readerships, but with impeccable reputations in the industry: world-architects, World Architecture News, Inhabitat, e-architect, Contemporist and Yatzer, to name just a few; and large, well-regarded publications with stronger local than international presence like China’s Goood or Germany’s BauNetz.
Lastly, we deliberately omitted the websites of the most prestigious print publications, even though their digital arms may be just as (if not more) prestigious as their print versions. These include Wallpaper*, Dwell, Interior Design, AD and Frame, to name a few.
If you haven’t already, check out our list of the Top 12 design and architecture magazines in the world, which complements this article.
By Pénélope Fortin
A design graduate with a passion for communications, Pénélope Fortin has been in charge of media relations for designers and architects at v2com for more than seven years. A creative, detail-oriented professional, she is in contact with media around the world and loves developing innovative media strategies for her clients.
