In this month’s Stack Magazine subscription, I received issue eight of Profane Magazine, which combines amateur obsession and French eccentricity. The pages are filled with artists and collectors, who seem to be inspired by something greater than a need to make a living or seek personal fame. Hobbies are the theme that runs throughout.
On the opening pages of the magazine, I thought the fruit paintings worked really well. They are evidently created using oil paints and are bold, fun and playful with the exaggerated brush paint marks giving them greater character and a larger sense of expression.
I was very much drawn to the first chapter entitled, ‘Starting Over’. I am really interested in bringing back creativity for children, especially in an age of technological overload, instant gratification and school pressures. The chapter explores ESAT Ménilmontontan, a French initiative to integrate disabled people into the labour market. The images show students creating paintings and ceramic in what appears to be a non-judgemental and encouraging environment of experimentation. I love the fact that the space is dedicated to artists with mental and psychological disabilities, who are creating in order to feel better, visualising their ‘infinite inner-self’. This showed me the benefit of capturing this creative independence and capacity for creative freedom.
When I was flicking through the magazine, I marked pages that I thought could act as visual inspiration for future projects. By the end, I had a whole book full of post-it not page markers which reinforced how strong the publication’s visuals are. In my opinion, what worked successfully was the fact that in every section, all of the imagery in that chapter linked together, following the same theme or colour palette for example. The chapters were also made obvious by their clear colour sectioning and full-page title page which also explained the key points of the upcoming section.
Having a physical copy of this magazine will be a great source of reference next term when I begin to talk to a printer about my own visual final report outcome. The printed magazine is smaller than A4 which I liked and I also think the paper quality and feel of the magazine is tactile and therefore links to their ‘create, collect, enjoy’ motto. The front cover is almost soft with a layer of texture and the inside is an uncoated craft-like finish which I feel works really well. The craft and texture focus creates a more personal result and makes it more enjoyable to flick through.
Rachel
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