Eye Magazine

In November 2014, Off Life comics launched Yellow, a 52-week online project to publish weekly illustrations by different artists (See ‘Noted #67’ on the Eye blog). The brief asks each week’s invited contributor to depict a news issue in a way that goes beyond ‘traditional journalism’. The artists and illustrators involved have presented visual stories ranging from Takayo Akiyama’s time-travelling Turner (week 3) to Eva Bee’s bold and evocative illustration of desperate, sea-crossing refugees (week 40).

At the beginning of October, Off Life editor Daniel Humphry and art director Steve Leard started a Kickstarter campaign to publish the work as a casebound book: Yellow: 52 Artists, 52 Weeks, One Illustrated Year. In just over a week they have already exceeded their goal (deadline 31 October 2015) by nearly double the amount set.

Volume 2 of The Eighty-Eight styles itself ‘An adventurous magazine for the occasional thinker,’ and continues the light touch of the first issue, published in 2013. ‘Curator’ Jamie Cullum interviews fellow pianist Ben Folds, who admonishes him: ‘Young man, make sure you take care of your left basal joint,’ but the musical content is otherwise quite restrained.

There are features about Flamenco Dancing, prefab housing and record-breaking cyclist Eileen Sheridan. The entire production is swimming in contemporary illustration – memorable contributors include Lie Dirkx (a pull-out entitled ‘Donuts’), Nele Anders and Matthew the Horse, who also contributes short poems. The dimensions are a pleasingly compact 230 x 180mm, and the confident art direction and editing is by Kate Monument and Anna-Marie Crowhurst.

The price is £10, but there’s also a £35 ‘Box Set’ version – presumably for avid Cullum fans and completist collectors – which includes a bookmark, postcards, coffee beans and, regrettably, a scented candle.

Auto Play is a new project by design studio Trapped in Suburbia, currently on display as part of the Graphic Design Festival Breda, The Netherlands, until 25 October. The interactive installation at 3sec.gallery, a drive-by exhibition space in a carpark, was created in collaboration with drummer Koen Herfst, and responds to the movements of passersby.

Fabriano has released a new range of typography-themed notebooks that include illustrations by Steven Guarnaccia. The range were conceived of by Italian graphic designer Silvana Amato; the three smallest are dedicated to Helvetica, Times and Garamond and the three largest, to ‘Serif or Sans Serif’, ‘Plain and Italic’ and ‘Body Type’.

Eye is the world’s most beautiful and collectable graphic design journal, published quarterly for professional designers, students and anyone interested in critical, informed writing about graphic design and visual culture. It is available from all good design bookshops and online at the Eye shop, where you can buy subscriptions and single issues.