Mohawk Blog

Materials Matter: Unread Vol. 1 — The Curiosity Issue

Words

Casey Fisk

Photography

One Design

May 15, 2019

Close-up of a stack of Unread Vol. 1 magazines

Unread by One Design is curious, creative and definitely worth the read.

One Design is a Chicago-based studio dedicated to creating “powerful human experiences at the intersection of research, communication, design, and technology.” The embodiment of these values is Unread, a self-published biannual publication.

“[Unread] lets us push a part of our process into the spotlight and express our perspective, celebrating the details that tend to get lost in the rush of it all,” said David Sieren, Design Director at One Design Company.

The first volume of Unread focuses on one of One Design’s central beliefs: the transformative power of curiosity.

“In the spirit of curious creative exploration and experimentation, the project allows us to explore modes of making —from journalistic inquiry to writing to typographic expression to image-making— that we don’t always find a venue for through our client-focused work,” David mused.

Inner spread of Unread magazine showing photographs and colorful designs

One Design admits that with Unread they are essentially their own client and that this project is a bit of a selfish endeavor.

“Being a studio that focuses quite a bit on work in the digital space, a self-initiated print project like this allows us to scratch our itch for a physical, tactile print product. So in that spirit, we went all-in on interesting stock and the 4-color offset printing process,” according to David.

Close-up of a hand holding the Unread Vol. 1 magazine open

Close-up of inner Unread Magazine spread with illustrations and type

Inner spread of Unread Vol. 1 with art and type

Close-up of a page inside The Unread with typography

“The tactile quality of Mohawk Loop fit the bill perfectly, adding a high level of textural interest to the project.”

David Sieren

Design Director, One Design

As One Design developed a visual language for their inaugural issue—from the typographic voice to the series of collages that bring each article to life— they began hunting for a paper stock with a similar degree of visual interest.

“The tactile quality of Mohawk Loop fit the bill perfectly, adding a high level of textural interest to the project,” David shared.

Printed on Mohawk Loop Antique Vellum Snow 80 text (Sustainable Collection), Unread Vol. 1 was printed by Mark Lennart and his team at Classic Color who One Design credits with bringing this piece to life on press.

One Design assumed running the type of imagery showcased within the issue—alongside a series of deep, rich black floods—would be a challenge on an uncoated sheet, but the outcome of Unread speaks for itself.

You can read more about the process of conceptualizing, designing and producing Unread here.

To explore the digital complement to the print issue, including in-depth features and the Unread Unheard podcast visit: onedesigncompany.com/unread/the-curiosity-issue