The magazine itself is a unique format made up of a heavy card gatefold cover that in one side holds a colour booklet of 24 pages, displaying artwork and illustration relevant to the issue. On the other side, the cover holds a print on A4 card that is submitted by a designer, illustrator, photographer or artist. Each of these prints is exclusive to Specialten and has previously included work from Jamie Hewlett, Obey, Terry Gilliam, Sssr, among others. Together with this print is the Dvd itself.
At around 2 hours in length, each issue includes music video, interviews, documentaries and short films. These have covered artists and musicians ranging from Bonnie Prince Billy, to Be Your Own Pet, from Don Letts to Cat Power. There have been features with directors such as Terry Gilliam, actor Samantha Morton, award-winning films from Cannes, Sundance, Bafta, Berlin and Toronto festivals.
The genre of Specialten remains as undefined as it did from the beginning, it’s mantra though, is still the same, and “If the piece is interesting and fulfilling for us and our viewers we will run it.” Within two years Specialten has received accolades from fellow Publications such as Dazed & Confused, Visionaire, Creative Review and Atmosphere. From organisations such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Weiden & Kennedy, Gorillaz, Tartan Films and from individuals as diverse as Sir Paul Smith, Pj Harvey, Daniel Johnston and Michel Gondry.
At launch, a small network of outlets internationally including, Colette Paris, Bonjour Records Japan, The Ica, Tate Modern, Magma, Fopp, Paul Smith and Dover Street Market in London stocked Specialten. Currently distributed jointly by Comag and Sebastianelli & Black inc, Specialten can be found in Art Galleries, Bookstores, Record stores, fashion boutiques and better newsstands worldwide.
Staying true to it’s original conception, the magazine ‘Specialten’ does not rely on advertising for it’s existence, it also continues to commission a different designer for each issue to create and implement it’s look, as a result there is no consistent logo, masthead, font or typeface, just each issue a completely new version of the last. Both Sebastianelli and Black believe that this rule helps to keep the publication a valued archive and reference object.
