Publication design

Several months ago we called Brendan McKnight – the new editor of desktop magazine, with the idea of the studio guest editing an issue of desktop magazine. Two days later Brendan called us back and offered the 25th Anniversary issue.

In contemporary times print publishing is under increasing pressure to fund publication production as readership and advertising dollars fragments and spread thin across print, digital and sponsorship media. The budget for bringing such a specialised category together every month is a case of working with shoe strings, sows ear, making, improvising, being in tune with and utilising opportunity as it happens.

In mid March the project started with a three hour meeting where we explored ideas and mapped of what could be end up being editorial pieces. We were convinced that this issue would be better served the reader by creating a snap shot of 2011 rather dipping into the past. The content plan we developed explored aspects of contemporary design and creativity today, illustrated through the stories and ideas of a range a designers in all stages, places and moments of the their careers – genders, ages, arty practices to commercial studios, educators to students. We wanted to explore the bigger stories of design practice, rather than showcase the latest hot looking job or designer.

During the months that passed some narratives remained the same, while others were realised on the run – which is typical of the process of the how our studio produces work; some projects are worked out in the briefing meeting and some ideas are in the processor for weeks, months.

The idea of the issue being a time capsule of ink and paper came to Andrew on the train ride home on the day of the half day workshop. A late night message left on Brendan’s voice mail raving – time capsules and the shifting notion of the physical capsule object, eventually ended up with an idea that was present yet absent.

In terms of people mix we did our best to present a diverse group of people. We contrasted the world famous with the emerging, art based designers with highly successful commercial operators, designers who make images compared with designers who make forms, designers born in Australia and abroad, designers who are work in studios, in education, business owners, working abroad, employees to being in between jobs, women and men who across a range of age groups from as many corners of Australia as we could muster – Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney to Hobart.

Launch article by Ray Edgar – The Age, 27 August 2011

The project brought with it many great side projects, an extraordinary piece of student research, an exhibition of printed matter, an investigation of love projects, a company that works with time, an essay asking if the brand is dead? A snap shot of six designers and their head spaces circa 2011, a 20 years pursuit of alternative type design and insights from designers explore a favourite project to an object devised to create a instant and lasting impression, and impressions on Australian design.

The cover was shot by Lynton Crabb in Andrew’s front yard on a crisp winter’s morning. Out of the hole floats a plume or cluster of idea bubbles leaking for our freshly buried capsule – which was illustrated by Andrew. The streaking type on cover is in silver anniversary grey, we chose the font Chicago because of it being one of the first system fonts used by early Macintosh computers. Chicago is also an awkward, ugly font that needs a regular airing. The bubbles creeping into the masthead breaks the style rules of Desktop’s masthead and Lou from Desktop add a special spot uv layer of the mast head type and bubble to give the cover extra zing. The text on the cover Andrew wrote as holding text. The guys at Desktop liked it enough to leave it word for word. The work Frenemy is a real word and is a recent addition to the Oxford English Dictionary.

The lift out poster was pulled together over a weekend. The 180 images featured are mostly taken by Andrew on his iPhone over the last few years. The captions were written late into a Saturday night, while watching ABC TV’s music programme called Rage – the guest programmer was French producer and DJ Martin Solveig – highlight clips were PRINCE – Purple Rain and SUPERGRASS – Pumping On Your Stereo. We wanted to make a poster that may offer some insights, rather than show off our creative prowess. The poster is a stream of top of mind thoughts in relation to ideas, observations, creative practice and life grabs – it’s a chart of inspirations and shout outs. Flat copies of the poster are available from the studio.

The edition has already enjoyed reviews in Broadsheet, The Design Files and a range of blogs and forums however the best feedback of this effort came from an internal email by Niche media’s MD – Paul Lidgerwood:

From: Paul Lidgerwood
Date: 24 August 2011 9:49:36 AM AEST
To: all niche
Subject: I finally get it!

One extraordinary issue, being the September Anniversary Issue, has finally got my incredibly slow mind around what Desktop is all about. I can now see how it inspires, how it teaches, how it improves and nourishes, how it flows and why if I was designer I would pour over it cover to cover. I can also finally see why if I was a business trying to connect with designers Desktop would be top of my schedule.

The epiphany was this issue and my hat is well and truly doffed to the collective brilliance of all involved-Brenden, Ali, Lou, Danielle and Studio Pip and Co. Well done guys you have made sense of the muddle – keep it up!

Paul Lidgerwood
Managing Director

As mentioned in the printed object it was a privilege to work with a Brendan and Louise at Desktop on this issue, numerous hours are devoted every month when plans, editors, writers, photographers and production teams meet and are shaped by detailed editing, review and art direction.

We dedicate this project to everyone that contributed to the project : Lynton, Holly, Lisa, Warren, Garry, Jason, Anita, Amanda, Graeme, Sam, Melanie, Dan, Anthony, David P, David L, Mimmo, Kate, Brita, Alex, Sarah, Sam, Pip, Will, Henry and Toward – who’s generosity and time makes this publication a priceless hunk of ink on paper.

If you want to understand the potential for a graphic designer to take their works to new places this issue propositions the designer as writers, inventors, researchers, analysts, event organisers, crafts people, curators, entrepreneurs, travelers, networkers, publishers, image makers to editors. We hope that you enjoy this edition, we hope that the bigger stories of design practise come to the fore and inspire readers to explore ideas, vision and thinking outside of the normal pursuits of being a creative designer.

This edition is a standard run, so get in quick as their will be no reprints.

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Production images follow

The first meeting in April 2011 with Lou and Brendan

Brendan’s content map

Lou's content map

Andrew’s initial Time Capsule cover sketch

Desktop space at Niche

Diamonds in the Rough test image

Pre Diamonds in the Rough photo set up

Diamonds in the Rough photo set up

Riding Lou on the computer during the final edit stage

The cover in the flat book

Text page in the flat book

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Sample spreads, be it poor images apologies for the array of grey backgrounds (v annoying), from the final printed publication

Read Me First / Australia wide
Studio design publication / content strategy, image making, layout and artwork
Full colour / developed 2008 / 4 week project
* * * 2008 AGDA Distinction Award Winner

The studio developed a student publication with designer David Pidgeon on behalf of the Australian Graphic Design Association. The piece features an article written by design writer Adrian Shaughnessy – how to get a job, along with a voyeuristic question and answer forum with over 45 studios from Berlin, Sydney, London, New York, Auckland to Melbourne – exploring colour, typeface, beverages, influences to simply documenting studio web addresses. Read Me First is a 40 page publication was a mad rush of late nights, collation and instinct.

The publication is AU$10 plus postage, email us for your copy – ideas (at) peoplethings (dot) com

Visit Adrian Shaughnessy, Design by Pidgeon, AGDA here

Produced 2005 / Recycled newsprint / 48 pages
Theme content direction, photography, image making, design and layout
Publication, signing, posters, invitation

The end of year publication for undergrad at Swinburne University’s Design Faculty serves many purposes – to document students, their work, communicating this output to family, the industry sectors as well as other design institutions.

In 2005 the Studio was asked to put together a publication that communicated the Faculty and its achievements, using a united editorial and writing team, cohesive image making, along with a curated collection of graduate work all within a modest budget. Inspired to illustrate the transformation process of tertiary eduction the theme “transform me” followed up “people, place and work” theme established the year before.

This publication was recognised at the 2006 Australian Graphic Design Association Award for editorial design.

Stephen Recipe Publication / Spicers Paper / January 2008
Concept, publication design, writing, image making
*** one 2008 AGDA Distinction award

The studio has developed another promotion for a paper by Spicers Paper called Stephen. Stephen is new improved and new new new. A new range of colours — whites specifically, now has 50% recycled content, FSC certified and it is the prefect ingredient for any print communications.

The studio developed a recipe book of sorts, developing writing, image making and collaborating. Ten print colours, five different paper grades of Stephen later and printing by Gunn & Taylor a 40 page book is coming to a Studio near you soon.

Visit Spicers Paper for details

One lift out poster, a pull out programme, 25 portraits, over 100 images extracted from the internet, 40 pages, three typefaces, sketch spaces pulls together an event curated by conference creative director Mel Dodd. We wanted a work that summed up a three day programme in an exciting, sustainable and useful form. The piece was pull together with a month of research and collation coupled with a week of intensive of imagemaking, typographic and publication design.

Thanks again to Mel, the Australian Institute of Architecture and Newsprinters for making this process special.

Several pieces were produced including swatch book, colour guide, pad, postcards, including for following exploration piece which drew upon contributions from image makers Paul Davis, Sara Fanelli, Jeff Fisher, Jen Tyers, photographers Anthony Geernaert, Shara Henderson, Karl Schwerdtfeger; and designer Paul Sahre, and along with writing, imaging making and design by the Studio.

Each image maker selected a topic that told a story of Stephen – be it missing, lost in New York, alter ego, pulp fiction, or all give and take; then let the contributors approach to image and story telling do the talking. Thanks again all our collaborators.

Anthony Geernaert

Jeff Fisher

Sara Fanelli

Shara Henderson

Paul Sahre

Paul Davis, UK

Karl Schwerdtfeger

Jen Tyers

Produced 2004 / Recycled newsprint / 72 pages
Theme content direction, photography, design and layout
Publication, signing, posters, invitation

This undergraduate publication for the Swinburne University Design Faculty strips back the story of people, staff, the place, courses, and work to its rawest and simplest presentation. Spare photography by Andrew Ashton, uncomplicated essays, confident typography and fragile newspaper print collaborated to make a 72 page colour publication.

Produced 2005 / Recycled offset print / 20 pages
Theme content direction, photography, design and layout
Publication

The Industry Based Learning unit of the Swinburne University programme required a communication that helped employers understand and adopt this industry / tertiary collaboration. Rather than focus on a specific design style, we simply collected the things, tools, or objects typical of a contemporary creative environment and celebrated them is a modest printed document.

The studio devised the communication approach, developed the writing and image making, executed the printed design and produced the printed product. A ten week project.