Is Not Magazine
Encyclopedia
Is Not Magazine was an independently published bi-monthly magazine
in the form of a 1.5m x 2m bill poster
, produced in Melbourne
, Australia
. It was created by five young Melbourne writers and designers, who edited the magazine: Mel Campbell
, Stuart Geddes, Natasha Ludowyk, Penny Modra and Jeremy Wortsman. The first issue appeared on 9 April 2005, and after eleven issues (plus several special issues) the magazine was officially declared defunct on 30 August 2008.
Most of the content was by the editorial team or from young local writers and illustrators, though submissions of articles, reviews, fiction or other responses to the themes for a planned issue were open to anyone. Is Not contributors also hailed from Finland
, the United States
and Argentina
.
The magazine was posted at 50 sites around Melbourne on public walls and in venues including café
s, bar
s and laundromats. Is Not was a non-profit enterprise that received no revenue from advertising
; instead it was funded by charging entry to its issue launches, which were themed parties with live music and entertainment rather than traditional literary launches. Is Not was also available worldwide by sales of subscriptions and back issues on its online store. It was only available in its full-size poster format.
Is Not exclusively used fonts created by the Europe
an typographic
design studio Underware. Issue four was repackaged in booklet format (though at full size and with no other changes to its layout) as Is Not Take-Away #1, intended as a showcase of Underware's typography.
In October 2007, Is Not produced a special issue in conjunction with the Melbourne International Arts Festival
to celebrate the career of festival guest, choreographer Merce Cunningham
. The editors described the "Who Is Merce Cunningham?" issue as "a map-like interconnected sea of names, works, events and places associated with Merce, along with articles that form a group/personal/historical document of this artist and his contribution to contemporary art and culture."
The magazine served as an outlet for new writing, but its design was also an "editorial experiment". The poster had grid reference
s at its edges, used for the contents instead of page numbers. Submissions were accepted not only via post and email
, but also via SMS
or by writing on the posters themselves. Some short articles, poems and stories were deliberately printed at a size which could be read when photographed by a mobile phone
camera.
"Just the idea that a magazine can be more than words on paper is something we like," said co-designer Jeremy Wortsman. "And it maintains this sense of curiosity, wonder and innovation.”
Is Not was also an experiment in the uses of public space for purposes other than advertising. “We recognise that people are very suspicious of advertising material encroaching on their lives. They don’t like being treated as a target market," said co-editor Mel Campbell. "It’s really important to us that we address people in a genuine way, as thinkers, readers and as citizens who are engaged with the city around them."
design conference in New York.
The magazine was featured at the CMYK Magazine Festival in Barcelona.
In 2007 Is Not was featured at Colophon 2007, a magazine festival in Luxembourg curated by Jeremy Leslie, Andrew Losowsky and Mike Koedinger.
The magazine was featured in The Melbourne Design Guide, a definitive catalogue of creative culture in Melbourne.
Is Not Magazine formed part of the city of Melbourne's successful submission to UNESCO's City Of Literature
program.
In 2009, the magazine was displayed in The Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria, an exhibition of local literary history held at the State Library of Victoria.
n Premier's Communications Design Prize for their work designing Is Not's first six issues.
In 2009 the final issue, "All That Glitters Is/Not Gold", was nominated for the Designs of the Year award at the Design Museum
in London
.
Wortsman also founded an illustration agency called the Jacky Winter Group, which specialises in placing work by Australian illustrators in international publications. Wortsman also established a Melbourne gallery space known as Lamington Drive. Due to his expanding commitments Wortsman stepped down from his directorship of Chase & Galley, but returns for occasional projects.
Modra went on to edit ThreeThousand, a weekly email newsletter of Melbourne "subcultural snapshots": the best things to do, watch, hear, eat, drink and buy in Melbourne. Modra is also a journalist and art critic.
After working as a music and arts publicist, Ludowyk pursued a career in market and social research.
Campbell co-founded the Australian online arts and culture magazine The Enthusiast. Campbell is also a journalist specialising in popular culture.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
in the form of a 1.5m x 2m bill poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
, produced in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was created by five young Melbourne writers and designers, who edited the magazine: Mel Campbell
Mel Campbell
Melissa "Mel" Campbell is an Australian journalist, blogger and cultural critic. She is a co-founder of Is Not Magazine and currently runs the online pop-culture magazine The Enthusiast.-Academia:...
, Stuart Geddes, Natasha Ludowyk, Penny Modra and Jeremy Wortsman. The first issue appeared on 9 April 2005, and after eleven issues (plus several special issues) the magazine was officially declared defunct on 30 August 2008.
Most of the content was by the editorial team or from young local writers and illustrators, though submissions of articles, reviews, fiction or other responses to the themes for a planned issue were open to anyone. Is Not contributors also hailed from Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
The magazine was posted at 50 sites around Melbourne on public walls and in venues including café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s, bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
s and laundromats. Is Not was a non-profit enterprise that received no revenue from advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
; instead it was funded by charging entry to its issue launches, which were themed parties with live music and entertainment rather than traditional literary launches. Is Not was also available worldwide by sales of subscriptions and back issues on its online store. It was only available in its full-size poster format.
Is Not exclusively used fonts created by the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an typographic
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
design studio Underware. Issue four was repackaged in booklet format (though at full size and with no other changes to its layout) as Is Not Take-Away #1, intended as a showcase of Underware's typography.
In October 2007, Is Not produced a special issue in conjunction with the Melbourne International Arts Festival
Melbourne International Arts Festival
Melbourne Festival is a celebration of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia, outdoor and free events held for 17 days each October in a number of venues across Melbourne, Australia.-History:...
to celebrate the career of festival guest, choreographer Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
. The editors described the "Who Is Merce Cunningham?" issue as "a map-like interconnected sea of names, works, events and places associated with Merce, along with articles that form a group/personal/historical document of this artist and his contribution to contemporary art and culture."
Philosophy
The magazine aimed to explore complexity and ambiguity in both its format and content. Each issue had two seemingly contradictory or overlapping themes, with writers and illustrators encouraged to address the relationship between the two.The magazine served as an outlet for new writing, but its design was also an "editorial experiment". The poster had grid reference
Grid reference
Grid references define locations on maps using Cartesian coordinates. Grid lines on maps define the coordinate system, and are numbered to provide a unique reference to features....
s at its edges, used for the contents instead of page numbers. Submissions were accepted not only via post and email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
, but also via SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
or by writing on the posters themselves. Some short articles, poems and stories were deliberately printed at a size which could be read when photographed by a mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
camera.
"Just the idea that a magazine can be more than words on paper is something we like," said co-designer Jeremy Wortsman. "And it maintains this sense of curiosity, wonder and innovation.”
Is Not was also an experiment in the uses of public space for purposes other than advertising. “We recognise that people are very suspicious of advertising material encroaching on their lives. They don’t like being treated as a target market," said co-editor Mel Campbell. "It’s really important to us that we address people in a genuine way, as thinkers, readers and as citizens who are engaged with the city around them."
Local and international recognition
In 2005 issue two of Is Not Magazine was featured at the TypeConTypeCon
TypeCon is a grassroots, typography-focused convention run by the non-profit Society of Typographic Aficionados. The content of TypeCon conferences focuses on — but is not limited to — the areas of typography, type design, printing, letterpress, calligraphy, the book arts, publishing, design...
design conference in New York.
The magazine was featured at the CMYK Magazine Festival in Barcelona.
In 2007 Is Not was featured at Colophon 2007, a magazine festival in Luxembourg curated by Jeremy Leslie, Andrew Losowsky and Mike Koedinger.
The magazine was featured in The Melbourne Design Guide, a definitive catalogue of creative culture in Melbourne.
Is Not Magazine formed part of the city of Melbourne's successful submission to UNESCO's City Of Literature
City of Literature
UNESCO's City of Literature program is part of its Creative Cities Network which was launched in 2004. The Network was born out of UNESCO's Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity initiative which was created in 2002...
program.
In 2009, the magazine was displayed in The Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria, an exhibition of local literary history held at the State Library of Victoria.
Awards
Geddes and Wortsman won the 2006 VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
n Premier's Communications Design Prize for their work designing Is Not's first six issues.
In 2009 the final issue, "All That Glitters Is/Not Gold", was nominated for the Designs of the Year award at the Design Museum
Design Museum
Design Museum is a museum by the River Thames near Tower Bridge in central London, England. The museum covers product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. It was founded in 1989 and claims to be the first museum of modern design...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Subsequent projects
From their collaboration on Is Not, Geddes and Wortsman together founded Chase & Galley, a collaborative design practice with a particular focus on publication design.Wortsman also founded an illustration agency called the Jacky Winter Group, which specialises in placing work by Australian illustrators in international publications. Wortsman also established a Melbourne gallery space known as Lamington Drive. Due to his expanding commitments Wortsman stepped down from his directorship of Chase & Galley, but returns for occasional projects.
Modra went on to edit ThreeThousand, a weekly email newsletter of Melbourne "subcultural snapshots": the best things to do, watch, hear, eat, drink and buy in Melbourne. Modra is also a journalist and art critic.
After working as a music and arts publicist, Ludowyk pursued a career in market and social research.
Campbell co-founded the Australian online arts and culture magazine The Enthusiast. Campbell is also a journalist specialising in popular culture.