one small seed, SA’s leading pop culture mag, went live this week with a freshly redesigned identity including new logo, typefaces, layout and website. one small seed founder and editor-in-chief, Giuseppe Russo, explains his motivation behind the revamp,”We feel it’s important to keep the brand fresh and evolving as we enter our sixth year of publishing. We’ve given the magazine it’s share of new design ans optimised all our online platforms to facilitate clearer and more user-friendly communication.”
The designer credited for the redesign is Ernst Lass, he says, “I’ve followed one small seed since its inception and observed it evolve through various stages. My joining the team synched with the brand’s elevation to the next level. Inspired by the International Typographic Style cultivated in Switzerland in the 1950s, I seek harmony of word and graphics with strong typography and striking imagery. My challenge was to translate my philosophy into one small seed’s language. To unify and strengthen each page, I focussed on strong typography and reduced visual clutter to emphasise the brand’s identity. As an independent magazine, one small seed gave me the freedom to carry out a vision without adhering to rigid guidelines.”
The first issue to model the redesign is the newly launched Joburg issue. Follow the link to watch a sneak peek of the content found on its pages.
Another notable change for the magazine is their updated strapline – from ‘The South African Pop Culture Magazine’ to ‘South Africa’s Pop Culture Quarterly’. Magazine editor Sarah Jayne Fell explains, “We wanted to emphasise that this is a product of South Africa, and one which features pop culture, but not necessarily South African pop culture only. While our roots will always remain firmly entrenched in South African soil, we have always incorporated a strong international influence – something we feel is important in informing South Africans about international trends and exposing them to global creative endeavours. And the ‘quarterly’ part? Well, we just got tired of people asking how often the magazine comes out!”
Have a look at the new site – www.onesmallseed.com
5 Comments
looks like every other European wanna be “hipster” magazine. but i guess it replicates the market its trying to reach. cool, copy, paste.
Win SA i mean ernst i mean…
One Small Seed is a great local publication. The new look is really nice.
BUT, and there always is one, I think they should re-look their icon logo.
It is aesthetically and functionally.. not as pleasing as it could be and does not match the rest of the publications standards.
What do others think?
New logo is amazing. Beats the crap outta the old masthead design.@fan, i agree – perhaps the old mark could be relooked? Maybe something smoother and more liquid. Just a personal preference tho.
No idea what pssshhh is talking about? Anyone?
no idea..
@matt – yeah just something simple and clean. an adaptation of the icon as it has a brand familiarity but is from all intrinsic design standards.. not so hot.
I understand however that it might by now have achieved a certain ‘quirk’ that is not worth replacing. An interesting concept whereby aesthetic dysfunction becomes the function.
Blah blah..