Baseline

Murray GM December 1, 2019

I was digging through my library and found four issues of Baseline. I’d forgotten how good it was! The issues are from 1999, 2004 and 2 from 2005 (# 27, 44, 46, 48) and all have ‘poster’ cover wraps which make them feel oh-so-special.

Looking back on them there’s so much to love (which I think I missed back then). The larger format gives the designers lots of space to play with, and they aren’t afraid of white space either! It’s also way quirkier than I remembered.

Below are a selection of spreads from them. One of the most noticeable things is the proportion of text on the page. It’s tiny. Admittedly the small font and large page real estate is a factor but still. It’s way more a visual canvas than a journal. The grid is always evident even in the experimental pages or when they switch an article to landscape - which I really hate (sorry, I know, it changes pace, interrupts reader, forces new perspective, but I hate the switch mid mag).

These article lead pages are so gorgeous and at this scale pretty luxurious.

The face below is the poster cover wrap of issue 48 (designed by HDR Visual Communication). That issue also has the layout gem below where the illustration breaks not only the grid but also the page. Lovely touch but registration must have been fun.

Here’s a link to the online Issue Index - looks like it covers all issues to No 63 (1979-2018)

Spin - Adventures in Typography

Murray GM October 9, 2017

Last month I was back in London, for the first in years. Amongst other things I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to swing by MagCulture - always a treat and chocked full of incredible publications and gems. Unfortunately I had to limit my purchases as hand luggage only.

I did manage to pick up a copy of Adventures in Typography Issue 001 from the design studio Spin (also behind Unit Editions). Lovely item, great cover stock and the transparent screened mailer is a nice touch. Here are a few spreads from it.

MacGuffin Magazine and The Life of Things

Murray GM January 19, 2017

Finally picked up a copy of the much raved about MacGuffin magazine. I'm a bit late to this party as it's already on No. 3, The Rope issue. I must say it's pretty damn nice, lovely stock and use of illustration. I really like the large type too and almost fanzine like layouts. It's another magazine attempting to reveal the extraordinary nature of 'ordinary' things, and in this issue it's rope. It's not done in quite the same way as Science of the Secondary but definitely has the same vibe, but not quite so Perecian in it's approach. The writing is great and the subjects, takes and angles are diverse and intriguing - what more do you need?

Here are a small selection of spreads, as this is a hefty mag (220 pages and we are talking content not glossy ads):

If you want more, there's a nice piece about the team over on Stack: http://www.stackmagazines.com/art-design/behind-scenes-macguffin-magazine/

and of course there's http://macguffin.nl/

UPDATE:

Thanks to OpenCulture I now get why MacGuffin is called MacGuffin. It's from Hitchcock and here's his explanation:

The main thing I’ve learned over the years is that the MacGuffin is nothing. I’m convinced of this, but I find it very difficult to prove it to others. My best MacGuffin, and by that I mean the emptiest, the most nonexistent, and the most absurd, is the one we used in North by Northwest. The picture is about espionage, and the only question that’s raised in the story is to find out what the spies are after. Well, during the scene at the Chicago airport, the Central Intelligence man explains the whole situation to Cary Grant, and Grant, referring to the James Mason character, asks, “What does he do?” The counterintelligence man replies, “Let’s just say that he’s an importer and exporter.” “But what does he sell?” “Oh, just government secrets!” is the answer. Here, you see, the MacGuffin has been boiled down to its purest expression: nothing at all!

Mondial magazine from Rapha

Murray GM October 8, 2016

There's something about cycling that seems to brings out the best in graphic designers. I'd seen a few pieces about Mondial magazine from the British cycling brand Rapha on the design blogs, but hadn't seen it in the flesh until I visited their San Francisco store. Rapha has been around since 2004. They launched Mondial in 2015 and it's a bi-annual magazine about cycling, but as they put it, it's...

"A WIDER VIEW OF THE ROAD"

With intelligent articles and interesting asides, it's much much much more than a cyclist's zine.

The thing is, Mondial is gorgeous. Which seems appropriate, as Rapha the brand is 100% design driven with incredible attention to detail. For me Mondial is one of the most elegant and beautiful magazines I've seen in a long time. Not only that, it's also brave with it's design and it's editorial. Everything is on the money; stunning typography, beautiful photography, wonderful colour work, lovely stock and of course great writing - it's the full package. When I first picked it up it reminded me of Zembla and Vince Frost's work, but it's more disciplined. The design team of Jack Saunders, Alex Hunting and Ben Brannan have produced a stunning piece of work. They never let the design idea take over, it's always kept it in perfect balance. Stunning.

Look at the fun they have with numbers, type and colour:

This is my favourite spread, really shows off their custom font; Mondial by Colophon Foundry. And it's a great piece of typographic layout.

The grid(s) work really well, lending great structure but also plenty of options for negative space. Which they aren't afraid to use. Even the photography reflects this sense of space, focus and room to understand the visual idea. The contents pages alone in a work of art.

All that's left is to flag this wonderful statement about cycling, however I'd suggest switching the word 'cycling' for 'design', as that seems equally appropriate.

Great work.

Grab a copy from their online shop here: rapha.cc/Mondial

Zembla Magazine issue 1 - words, pictures and graphic design gorgeousness

Murray GM May 18, 2016

Since the early 2000s there's been an explosion in high quality independent magazines. These are often lovingly crafted, hugely indulgent, hyper focussed niche offerings. Not aimed at mass distribution or high ROI and usually not the most successful business models. One of these magazines that appeared briefly (only 8 issues) on the mainstream newsagents' shelves was Zembla. It positioned itself as a literary magazine, with words fundamentally at it's core. Designed by Vince Frost, it's was a wonderful playground for typographic ideas, letter play and bold graphic design. It's not the grunge and dirt from the '90s but rather a rediscovery of type and the printed form.

Here's issue 1 from September 2003, with the rather special Tilda Swinton on the cover.