Journal

When Ferdinand Alexander Porsche entered the family business in 1958, he filled an unknown vacuum. An experimental visionary who wanted to challenge tradition, he elevated the design legacy of this famous German brand. From working in the engineering office to craftily creating an icon amongst sportscars, writer Ulf Porschardt reveals how Ferdinand Alexander’s sketches evolved to become a cultural symbol.

The shelves and tables of the Jazzhole are piled with Nigerian and international fiction, antique treasures, and specialist publications. Coffee-table books, comics, and fashion magazines complete the section. The analog concoction of records and reading have created a refreshing, calming break from the bustling streets outside. Step inside a literature wonder in the heart of Lagos.

A tapestry of contemporary brands are adapting handwoven textile traditions for a new aesthetic that softens the starkest of space. As featured in The New Mediterranean, we delve into modern masters perfecting a fuse of tradition with a novel aesthetic.

The cornerstone of brunch and ubiquitous in trendy cafés, the avocado's climb to stardom this millennium has been of Biblical proportions. They evolved to become a mainstream staple on the kitchen tables, but a consumer hunger has shed light on an environmental emergency unfolding across some of the world's most biodiverse forests. We find out more about a developing crisis high in the mountains of the Dominican Republic.

Nowadays, the cornucopia of graphics seems like a given. However, it was not so long ago that infographics were scarce and lived in closed ecosystems. The majority of graphics were published in newspapers, magazines, or books, and only after they had passed through various loops of editorial vetting. They were expensive to produce, print, and distribute, and there were only a few professionals with the skills and experience needed to create them. Javier Zarracina explains how the situation through his experience at Vox.com.

From tropical meals prepared for hungry travelers to cooking classes offered by refugees, whether in Berlin or Brooklyn, the culinary world abounds with people driven by the same desire: to build stronger communities and span cultures and generations through the time-honored tradition of getting strangers to break bread together.