PEN UMB ANT
Synopsis
Paperlocs
Vlavi
Heritage
[Archive]
(Project Name) Vlavi
(Type) Magazine
(Format) Magazine
(Dimensions) 200x273 mm
(Typography) Custom Vlavi—designed by Thinking, Tekst—designed by East of Rome
(Issues) 6 up to date—7th in the oven
(Printing Method) Offset Print, Soft Touch on Cover (Paper) Fedrigoni Arena Smooth, 100gsm
(Design Team) Thinking
(Issue Cover Design) 1. Vassilis Georgiou, 2. Sdeviano, 3. Stefanos Andreadis, 4. Thinking, 5. Thinking, 6. Read Poop Sleep
(Recognition) Merit Award, EBGE—Greek Graphic Design and Illustration Awards—2024
(More) antipodes.gr, @vlavi_mag
(Summary) Vlavi—Βλάβη, meaning “error” in Greek—a magazine with zero advertisements and thoughtfully curated themes, each issue challenges conventional narratives and offers a platform for critical thought and cultural exploration. The magazine is driven by its editorial team, who curate the content and themes.
(Background) It was created as an antidote to the rapid pace of the digital world, offering carefully selected essays, translations, and original works. VLAVI creates a space for slow, deliberate engagement with contemporary culture, free from the influence of commercial interests. It seeks to challenge the rigid structures often found in creative and cultural discourse by giving a sense of openness in contrast to insular professional cliques. Each issue explores distinct themes, engaging with literature, culture, and society through critical reflection.
(Concept Development) At Thinking, we collaborated with Vlavi team on branding and continued to work on the design of each issue. The pixelated logo reflects the magazine's theme of the digital-analogue intersection, symbolising both disruption and continuity. The Tekst typeface by East of Rome was selected for its blend of past and present, derived from the Soviet-era Literaturnaya. Each article was uniquely styled, incorporating typographic errors in titles and layouts to emphasise the magazine's experimental approach.
(Covers) Each Vlavi cover is created by different artists, including graphic designers, typographers, and illustrators, fostering collaboration between fields that traditionally function in isolation.
Issue 1: Critical confrontation with celebrated literary figures.
Issue 2: Frustration with selective reading and reinterpretation of canonical works.
Issue 3: Tribute to the life and works of Roberto Bolaño.
Issue 4: Exploration of artificial intelligence and its societal implications.
Issue 5: Collaborative partnerships between co-authors.
Issue 6: Deconstruction of the "tight-knit Greek family," blending themes of tradition, repression, and sentimentality.
Issue 7 is in the oven.