Studio Brief 01 - Nest Magazine

In efforts to get more exposure on the magazines that stray away from the mainstream construction and journalism, I recently got to know of Nest Magazine.

Nest: A Quarterly of Interiors was a magazine published from 1997 to 2004, for a total run of 26 issues. Marketed as an interior design magazine, and edited by Joseph Holtzman, Nest generally avoids the conventionally beautiful luxury interiors showcased in other magazines, and instead featured photographs of nontraditional, exceptional, and unusual environments. Famously said by Holtzman, he "believed that an igloo, a prison cell or a child's attic room (adorned with Farrah Fawcett posters) could be as compelling as a room by a famous designer." The magazine was, as described by New York Times, "a virtual jackdaw's nest of design movements, motifs, and ideas."

And this mishmash of ideas was reflected in the construction of the magazine itself which was different each issue. In an article done by 032c, in which the issue paid tribute to the magazine,

No. 9 featured a couple on the cover with scratch-off clothes, No. 10 came in a zipped plastic bag. A cross-shaped hole was burned through No. 11. No. 13 came tied with a black ribbon. In No. 17 many of the articles, including the subscription notice, were interpreted in musical notation. In many ways this relates to the design ethos of WERK magazine, where every issue is notably different. And interestingly enough, some comparisons can be seen between the die-cut pages of Nest's Scalloped Back Issue with WERK magazine's Martine Bedin issue. 

Unsure as whether it was inspired by Nest, it does use a similar style. Despite the similarities in the two publications in going against conventions, there is a clear indication that WERK was designed. Holtzman had no training in Graphic Design, he designed every issue with clashing patterns, uninhibited by the norm. This lack in design experience however created Nest's personality and made it unique.

In relating to my own personal practice, it highlights the point that I don't necessarily have to look at contemporary designers for inspiration. In order to keep with my aim of offering unorthodox reading experiences, it may be required to look at publications that aren't in circulation today. This offers a view on how publications were designed before the trends of today. It is this difference that can be used as inspiration to offer an alternate experience.