Offscreen Magazine

What Offscreen Magazine does

Offscreen is an independent print magazine founded in 2011/2012 by Kai Brach in Melbourne, Australia. The periodical examines how technology shapes people and how people shape technology, publishing in-depth, issue-based interviews with technology critics, designers, ethicists, and engineers as an alternative to buzzword-heavy mainstream tech media. Between launch and the December 2021 pause it produced 24 issues on a 2–3 issues-per-year cadence; production occurred in Berlin with global third-party fulfillment.

The product surface is print-first and deliberately non-technological: Issues are sold as physical copies through the offscreenmag.com storefront, with accessibility accommodated via PDF on request, while the Offscreen Dispatch weekly newsletter and the Offscreen blog serve as digital companions. The website is built on Kirby CMS with a password-free per-issue subscription model; there is no app, API, SDK, or proprietary software platform underlying the business.

Monetization runs on three streams: direct-to-consumer print sales (single issues at $22 for non-subscribers, with subscriber and patron tiers charged per issue at release), a small roster of values-aligned sponsors (Bakken & Bæck, DNSimple, Dovetail, MAD, MetaLab, SiteGround) running unobtrusive ads, and a patron program that prints supporters' names in each issue. The company is a sub-10-person independent operation described as a "one-man journey" operated primarily by founder Kai Brach; no institutional funding, parent company, or subsidiaries are disclosed. Operations are run from Melbourne with production and shipping centered on Berlin, and distribution is supplemented by a global stockist network.

Name

Offscreen Magazine

Legal name

Offscreen Magazine

Website

https://offscreenmag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Offscreen is an independent print magazine, currently paused, that publishes long-form interviews with technology critics and designers on a 2–3 issues-per-year cadence for a global subscriber base of tech professionals, funded by direct sales, a small set of values-aligned sponsors, and a patron program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Print Magazine / Technology & Design Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

akta.pro primary industry

Science, Technology & Gaming Magazines (MPAJAEAL)

Keywords

• Independent print magazine
• Technology journalism
• Print publishing
• Design publication
• Long-form interviews

Headquarters

HQ city

Fitzroy

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Sales: Direct sales of print magazines to readers through the website. Single issues are sold at $22 (non-subscriber price as of issue 24), with subscription options that charge per issue.
2. Sponsorships: Support from values-aligned sponsors who understand the value of unobtrusive advertising. Current sponsors include Bakken & Bæck, DNSimple, Dovetail, MAD, MetaLab, and SiteGround.
3. Patrons: Patrons pay a fee to have their name included as supporters in the back of each issue, providing additional financial support for the publication.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Offscreen is an independent print magazine, published 2–3 times per year (currently paused since December 2021), that sells single issues and per-issue subscriptions directly to readers through its own website and a global network of stockists. The publication offers critical, long-form, buzzword-free perspectives on the human side of technology via in-depth interviews with designers, developers, ethicists and tech thinkers, complemented by a digital PDF accessibility version and the weekly Offscreen Dispatch newsletter.

Product overview

Offscreen Magazine is a print-first independent publication that produces 2-3 issues per year, currently paused. The core offering is the print magazine itself, accompanied by a digital PDF accessibility option and the Offscreen Dispatch weekly newsletter. The subscription model operates on a per-issue basis where readers are charged when each issue is ready to ship, with supporter and patron tiers for additional financial support. The publication also runs an EDU Drive initiative to distribute free copies to educational institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Offscreen Dispatch: A weekly newsletter providing brief digests of interesting apps, accessories, and articles, functioning as the digital counterpart to the print magazine.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Bakken & BæckminorGTM or Marketing PartnerValues-aligned sponsor providing unobtrusive advertising support to Offscreen Magazine. Recognized as understanding the value of a great reader experience.
• DNSimpleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing advertising support. Current sponsor of Offscreen Magazine.
• DovetailminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing advertising support. Current sponsor of Offscreen Magazine.
• MADminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing advertising support. Current sponsor of Offscreen Magazine.
• MetaLabminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing advertising support. Current sponsor of Offscreen Magazine.
• SiteGroundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing advertising support. Current sponsor of Offscreen Magazine.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Alpine Review: Independent print magazine exploring technology, culture, and the human condition; co-founded by Patrick Tanguay, who was the designated next editor of Offscreen. Operates at almost identical scale and editorial positioning, making it the closest direct peer.
• Real Life Magazine: Independent print and digital publication focused on how the internet shapes everyday life, ethics, and technology. Shares Offscreen's critical-tech-journalism positioning and small independent magazine operating model.
• Inventory Magazine: Independent print magazine at the intersection of design, technology, and creative work, distributed globally through stockists and direct subscriptions. Closely mirrors Offscreen's indie-print business model and design/dev audience.
• Kinfolk Magazine: Independent, ad-light print magazine covering design, culture, and slow living, sold via subscription and global stockists. Demonstrates how a values-driven indie print magazine can scale internationally while serving a design-conscious audience similar to Offscreen's.
• Holstee Magazine: Independent mindful-living print publication blending essays, design, and philosophy with a subscription-driven model. Comparable to Offscreen in ethos (values-aligned, indie-funded) and operational scale, though covering a broader lifestyle niche.

Broad incumbents

• 032c Magazine: Berlin-based independent print magazine covering contemporary culture, fashion, technology, and design, distributed globally. Compares as a broader incumbent that occupies similar indie-print-meets-tech-culture territory but at meaningfully larger scale and brand reach.
• Wired: Established mainstream technology media brand (print + digital). Serves a similar designer/developer/tech-curious readership but at vastly larger scale and with a different editorial voice (trend-forward vs. Offscreen's critical/ethical stance).
• Fast Company: Major business and technology magazine and digital publication covering innovation, design, and leadership. Shares Offscreen's tech-and-society topical overlap but operates as a scaled editorial brand rather than an indie publication.
• Monocle: Globally distributed print magazine blending design, culture, and current affairs with a subscription-led model. Comparable as a successful example of how a values-driven independent print magazine can operate sustainably and at scale, including advertising and ancillary products.

Emerging players

• Smashing Magazine: Long-running independent publication for web designers and developers. Overlaps with Offscreen's core web-professional audience but is digital-only and advertising-supported rather than print-led.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/offscreenmag
• Instagraminstagram.com/offscreenmag
• Facebookfacebook.com/offscreenmag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/offscreen-magazine-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Offscreen Magazine