Rant: Grafik

The world needs Grafik magazine. It’s ace. It’s critical. It ‘loves design’. It has lush foil blocked, special colour covers. It’s everything a modern Graphic Design magazine should be. Which is why it’s so painful to witness when it starts going a bit wrong… ¶ I’m for robust, opinionated and critical journalism. I’ve enjoyed editor Caroline Roberts editorials, even when I haven’t entirely agreed with stuff she’s said (you can’t please all the people etc etc) but seems lately she’s just lashing out with no good reason. First Grafik gets a redesign so she sees fit to criticise the previous designer’s efforts (“yup, it really pissed us off too”, she assumed), now she’s having a go at blogging. Huh? Okay, I’m obviously biased, but I wonder what she’s type of ‘weblogs’ she’s been reading (It can’t be the Creative Review blog, can it? Do they ever mention what they got up to on the weekend?). I know it’s fashionable in certain journalistic circles to consider ‘blogs’ to be faddish and a bit “rubbish”, but for me, it’s become an excellent way for professionals and friends to communicate on a level a few fathoms above a 3 line email or a message on MySpace. ¶ Okay… This is where I offer my humble opinion on the recent re-design since Grafik doesn’t have a letters page (I’m actually quite happy about that, it doesn’t really need one)… Avant Garde does not make for a happy text reading experience, especially with such tight kerning and leading. I thought this was a given. As someone on Newstoday mentioned, “I’m surprised Sea didn’t do it all in Helvetica”, I kind of wish they had… anything other than Avant Garde. My eyes hurt. The new logo (’masthead’, surely) looks clunky and hard to read. I know we’re all meant to be design professionals and up for being challenged but it just doesn’t gel with the idea that this
is a “simplified and stream lined” version of the magazine. In my mind, there is little that speaks ‘inclusive’ about cutting your name in half, flipping it round and jamming it back together… but maybe that’s just me. ¶ Last gripe I promise. The latest issue includes Special Report on Editorial Design. They have done this before and it’s always been quite good. This edition is dismal. As if a 4 page feature on Vice magazine wasn’t enough (Vice makes money because advertisers looking to reach a young, ‘bleeding edge’ audience believe it fills this gap. End of story. Ask how many Vice readers would actually pay to get their copy and I’m sure you’d get a much bleaker picture of their popularity), deputy editor Angharad Lewis then parades a sad, bedraggled collection of “favourite fellow independent publishers”. Saddest has to be The Chap. Hurrah for independent publishing but does The Chap really deserve a place in a magazine that claims to ‘love design’ ? The editor freely admits that he doesn’t use a permanent designer, relying occasionally on “students on work experience”. One look and it’s immediately obvious that this is where the magazine falls down. Likewise, Karen and Amelia’s Magazine are pretty sporadic with their moments of brilliance. At least Wonderland take magazine design seriously enough to understand you have to employ a creative team to develop any sort of following. Remember kids, people always look at a magazine before they read it. ¶ End Rant