As far as magazine covers go, I
think this colourful interactive beauty has to be one of, if not my all time
favourite.
It is the work of design
studio Paperlux for the
graphic design magazine Novum who
have scored the surface of the paper in a network of triangles. It can be
moulded and shaped by the reader into 3D forms and structures, emphasising the
haptic character and flexibility of paper.
I love how tactile and playful it
is. It explores the current tech trend for all things 3D in a
non-digital way, another example of that analogue backlash against the
technological era. The palpability of the cover makes it interactive and
accessible in such an innovative way. I can imagine a cover like this on a
magazine for the blind and visually impaired, the colours they use certainly
make for a spectacular impact, but it could be equally as beautiful visually
and more importantly, equally touchable in white.
The faceted cover was inspired by
the brilliantly named Buckminster Fuller and his equally fantastic
geodesic domes. The geodesic dome is a spherical or part spherical structure made
up of adjoining triangles (the strongest two dimensional shape), forming a
shelter designed to cover the maximum possible area without internal
supports, making it a super efficient space. I find the whole concept
fascinating, especially as an energy efficient model and how the design made
shelter more economically available to people. There is more about it
all on the Buckminster Fuller Institute site.
Paperlux recreated the structure in
paper using 140 die cuts to be precise, it was an intricate process
carried out and overseen by the designers for each and everyone of the 15,000
copies.
You can watch a video of the creation process below. And checkout the Paperlux website
for their portfolio full of more beautiful projects.