PIN–UP Magazine
PIN–UP Magazine is an independent New York–based semi-annual print and online publication on architecture, design, and culture, serving design professionals and design-conscious consumers worldwide since 2006 with 40 issues published.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What PIN–UP Magazine does
PIN–UP Magazine is an independent New York–based semi-annual print publication covering architecture, design, and contemporary culture, founded in 2006 and positioned as "The Magazine for Architectural Entertainment." It targets architecture and design professionals and design-conscious consumers through long-form interviews, cultural criticism, and visual essays that bridge academic architecture discourse and mainstream design media. Over 20 years the magazine has produced 40 numbered thematic issues (e.g., Domesticity, Museum, Under Construction, Environments) and its Issue 40 (S/S 2026) — a 20th-anniversary collector's box set — anchors ongoing publication.
The product surface centers on a print magazine distributed direct-to-consumer through pinupmagazine.org and a Shopify storefront (pinupmagazine.myshopify.com), supplemented by an editorial website using Sanity.io as headless CMS and a companion sub-brand, PIN–UP Home (pinuphome.com), which extends into home design content and product collaborations with brands such as De Sede, Living Divani, FLOS, and Molteni&C. A 2013 book, "PIN–UP Interviews, Volume 1" (448 pages, ISBN 978-1-5767-653-4), was co-published with powerHouse Books, compiling 50+ interviews from early issues.
The business model rests on one-time sales of physical issues (typically $20–50 per issue, with premium collector editions), book sales, event programming (e.g., the PIN–UP 40 dinner during Milan Design Week), and brand collaborations via PIN–UP Home. No funding rounds, parent company, or institutional ownership are disclosed; the publication appears to be independently operated with a small, New York–centered team and global editorial reach.
PIN–UP Magazine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PIN–UP Magazine
- Website
- https://pinupmagazine.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PIN–UP Magazine is an independent New York–based semi-annual print and online publication on architecture, design, and culture, serving design professionals and design-conscious consumers worldwide since 2006 with 40 issues published.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PIN–UP Magazine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architecture & Design Magazine
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
Keywords
Where PIN–UP Magazine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
PIN–UP Magazine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Magazine Sales: PIN–UP generates revenue through the sale of physical magazine issues. The magazine has published 40 issues since its founding in 2006, with special collector's editions and limited print runs. Issues are sold through their Shopify store at prices typically ranging from approximately $20-50 for single issues, with special editions commanding higher prices.
- Book Publications: PIN–UP publishes books compiling content from the magazine, such as 'PIN–UP Interviews, Volume 1' published by powerHouse Books (2013, ISBN: 978-1-57687-653-4). The book is a 448-page paperback featuring over 50 interviews from early issues, sold as a collectible publication.
- Events and Partnerships: The magazine organizes and hosts events such as the PIN–UP 40 dinner during Milan Design Week, potentially generating revenue through ticket sales, sponsorships, or partnerships with brands in the design and architecture industry.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single Magazine Issues |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | PIN–UP Interviews Volume 1 Book |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
PIN–UP Magazine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PIN–UP Magazine publishes semi-annual print issues covering architecture, design, art, fashion, and contemporary culture. The magazine sells physical issues directly to consumers through its Shopify store and website, with 40 issues published since its 2006 founding. The publication is complemented by an online editorial content platform, the PIN–UP Home sister brand for home design content, and book compilations published through powerHouse Books.
Product overview
PIN–UP Magazine is a semi-annual publication focused on architecture and design culture, offering a print magazine (published as numbered issues with thematic editions), an online content platform, and the companion PIN–UP Home sub-brand. The magazine covers contemporary culture through interviews, essays, stories, and event coverage spanning architecture, interiors, art, fashion, and design. The portfolio includes themed print issues (Issue 40 celebrating 20 years with a special collector's box set, Issue 39 on Domesticity, Issue 38 XXL, Issue 37 Museum, etc.) and the compiled book PIN–UP Interviews, Vol. 1 featuring over 50 interviews from the magazine's early years.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PIN–UP Home: A related brand/platform for architectural entertainment and home design content, featuring products like sofas and design collaborations with brands such as de Sede.
Products and services
- PIN–UP Magazine (Print Issues) A semi-annual architecture and design magazine covering contemporary culture, interiors, art, fashion, and built environments, sold as individual issues to design-conscious consumers and architecture professionals worldwide.
- PIN–UP Themed Issues (Collector Editions) Numbered, thematically-focused semi-annual editions such as the Issue 40 'Independence' 20th anniversary box set and past issues covering themes like Domesticity, Museum, XXL, Under Construction, and Environments, sold as collectible print editions.
- PIN–UP Interviews, Volume 1 (Book) A 448-page paperback compilation of over 50 interviews from early PIN–UP issues, featuring architects, designers, and artists including Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, David Adjaye, and Ettore Sottsass, sold as a collectible publication through book distribution channels.
- PIN–UP Home (Companion Brand) A companion brand and platform to the magazine, featuring home and interiors-focused content, product collaborations (with brands such as De Sede, Shayne Oliver, and GRAU lighting), and additional editorial coverage distributed through pinuphome.com.
Companies that use PIN–UP Magazine
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PIN–UP Magazine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
PIN–UP Magazine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- powerHouse BookscorepowerHouse Books serves as the publishing partner for PIN–UP's book publications, including 'PIN–UP Interviews, Volume 1' (2013). This partnership enables PIN–UP to reach book buyers and create permanent archival publications of magazine content.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PIN–UP Magazine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Architectural Digest: Architectural Digest is a mainstream architecture and design publication under Condé Nast with significantly broader reach than PIN–UP. It is comparable as the dominant mass-market counterpart that occupies the opposite end of PIN–UP's stated positioning between academic journals and shelter magazines.
- Architectural Review: Architectural Review is a long-established, rigorous architecture publication that sits on the academic/critical end of the spectrum. It is comparable to PIN–UP as a serious architectural criticism publication, though with a more academic orientation than PIN–UP's 'architectural entertainment' framing.
Direct peers
- Frame: Frame is a bimonthly design and interior architecture magazine that, like PIN–UP, covers interiors, product design, and design culture for a professional and design-enthusiast audience. Both publications blend trend coverage with critical and cultural perspectives on design.
- Azure Magazine: Azure is a Canadian design and architecture magazine covering contemporary architecture, interiors, products, and landscapes. It is comparable as a peer design publication targeting design professionals and enthusiasts with in-depth project coverage and criticism.
- Domus: Domus is a long-running Italian architecture and design magazine founded in 1928, covering architecture, design, and contemporary culture. Like PIN–UP, it blends critical essays with high-profile interviews and visual documentation, serving an international design-literate readership.
- Dwell: Dwell is an architecture and design magazine focused on modern design, homes, and product design. Like PIN–UP, it operates in the architecture/design magazine space with a print-plus-digital model targeting design-conscious consumers.
- Icon Magazine: Icon (now iconeye) is a design and architecture magazine covering architecture, interiors, products, and design culture. It shares PIN–UP's editorial focus on architecture as cultural commentary and serves a similar international design-literate audience.
- Dezeen: Dezeen is one of the world's most popular architecture and design online publications, covering projects, interviews, and design events globally. It shares PIN–UP's editorial focus on architecture, design, and cultural commentary, though it operates on a much larger digital scale.
- Surface Magazine: Surface Magazine covers architecture, design, fashion, and culture, sharing PIN–UP's interdisciplinary editorial approach that connects design to broader cultural contexts. It is similarly positioned as a design-literate lifestyle publication for a culturally engaged audience.
- Wallpaper*: Wallpaper* is a global design, architecture, and lifestyle magazine that, like PIN–UP, positions itself at the intersection of design criticism and cultural commentary. Both target design-conscious readers and cover architecture, interiors, and design culture with an editorial, intellectually rigorous voice.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PIN–UP Magazine social profiles
Digital presencePIN–UP Magazine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PIN–UP Magazine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PIN–UP Magazine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PIN–UP Magazine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PIN–UP Magazine
What does PIN–UP Magazine do?
PIN–UP Magazine publishes semi-annual print issues covering architecture, design, art, fashion, and contemporary culture. The magazine sells physical issues directly to consumers through its Shopify store and website, with 40 issues published since its 2006 founding. The publication is complemented by an online editorial content platform, the PIN–UP Home sister brand for home design content, and book compilations published through powerHouse Books.
Is PIN–UP Magazine a public or private company?
PIN–UP Magazine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PIN–UP Magazine founded?
PIN–UP Magazine was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PIN–UP Magazine based?
PIN–UP Magazine is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does PIN–UP Magazine make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Magazine Sales are the primary driver. The others are book Publications and events and Partnerships.
Who are PIN–UP Magazine's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Architectural Digest and Architectural Review. Direct peers are Frame, Azure Magazine, Domus, Dwell, Icon Magazine, Dezeen, Surface Magazine and Wallpaper*.
Does PIN–UP Magazine have an API?
No public API is recorded for PIN–UP Magazine.
What industry is PIN–UP Magazine in?
PIN–UP Magazine's product category is Architecture & Design Magazine. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.