Iceland review - 2014, Qupperneq 50

48 ICELAND REVIEW
FASHION - WORTH
THE EXPERIENCE
A great selection of Icelandic design
www.dutyfree.is
50Th
ANNIVERsARY
to attract attention for its stylish and modern look.
A young man named Gísli B. Björnsson, fresh out of
design school in Germany was suggested to me. He
turned out to be a great collaborator; his modern style
perfectly complemented my text. He was art director at
Iceland Review for the next 20 years.
As a journalist, I had become acquainted with some
important pillars in society and my interest was espe-
cially aimed at those conducting international transac-
tions connecting us to the world. The two Icelandic
airlines were of course at the top of the list; Icelandair
and Loftleiðir Icelandic. Early on, we did not talk much
to public parties. When we felt we were far along in
creating the basis for our first issue, we finally decided to
ask for a meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs,
who at the time was Emil Jónsson, and find out what
he thought. Truth be told, he loved the idea and with a
smile, encouraged us on wholeheartedly.
And Iceland Review finally became a reality. The first
issue was printed in August of 1963. This was of course
really exciting. From an editorial point of view, the
emphasis was on some key aspects of the society which
formed the basic elements in the country’s interaction
with the outside world: fishing, growing exports, geo-
thermal heat, which had become an important energy
source to us, and the Icelandic literature. The contribu-
tors were leading figures in their field. In addition, there
was my summation on a few things regarding export
and the tourist industry. There was no mystery what we
were up to and Iceland Review did not go unnoticed by
the media in Reykjavík.
In a relatively short period of time, the first issue
brought on many clients and solid connections for the
future regarding the magazine’s distribution, including
the Ministry for Foreign Affairs sending the magazine
to Iceland’s embassies, the main banks, the largest
export conglomerates and the Icelandic airlines. The
tourist industry was very positive about our initiative,
as were some public institutions and other significant
companies. They started sending the magazine to busi-
ness contacts abroad. This did not happen overnight, but
slowly and gradually. We also started receiving subscrip-
tion requests from foreign individuals and the reaction
was in general very positive. Everything seemed to be
going as well as possible. Iceland had acquired a sound-
ing board which was meant to bring us closer to the
world. Gradually, I started relaxing but I was quite aware
that this was just the beginning.
The main point is simply that Iceland Review is the
first magazine published in English, meant to present
Iceland on an international level. The initiative did not
come from a public institute, as is the convention, but
from individuals—and without seeking financial back-
up. It was also the first magazine published in Iceland
to be designed in a modern fashion, which was very
important to me. 