Featuring a pared-back and more conversational layout Christey Johansson & Marcus Piper have done a smashing job of re-imagining the cult title Habitus.
The team at one8one7 bring hefty credentials to the Indesign Group, with their list of awards literally trailing off the page. After performing award-winning redesigns on both DQ and Indesign in 2010/2011 they were announced as in house art directors in August 2010. Now Habitus gets a makeover.
This week we spoke to one8one7 about their approach to re-designing the young magazine.”Habitus isn’t about trends for us,” begins one8one7’s Creative Director Christey Johansson. “The ‘new look’ Habitus is just a more conversational publication,” she adds.”We feel the character of the magazine still in essence is ‘Habitus’,” continues her co-Creative Director Marcus Piper, “but perhaps it’s now more progressive, confident and has a more international aesthetic.”It is also a simpler magazine to navigate now. The layout is a direct response to the content, it provides a platform for the content to work on, rather than having a graphic treatment that’s competing with it,” Piper says.
Starting out with a magazine that was already very well-loved, one8one7 say that in order to start their re-design of Habitus they decided to look back in order to look forward. Could that be why the new look Habitus has a slight 70s text book feel?”It could be argued magazine design was in its prime through the 70s,” says Piper. “Herb Lubalin, who has defined generations with his typeface Avant Garde (1970), is a constant source of inspiration for both his executions and craftsmanship, but also for his design thinking.”
“We keep inspiration folders around which we refer to for each project, and they are full of exquisite magazines from the 70’s …the composition and craft of the pages are just so pure and detailed,” adds Johansson.
“In order to look forward we also looked across the globe, mostly to Europe – for typographic, magazine and graphic design inspiration and we looked to the ‘classics’. We both believe a classic is as relevant now as it was when created – and Habitus just isn’t about trends for us – so we did look back to look forward – absolutely,” she says.Refinements to the re-launch include stunning typefaces from highly skilled and respected typographers from around the globe and a series for ‘subtle’ changes that readers will first notice when the new magazine hits newsstands on 7 December.
one8one7 currently work with design clients Tait, Marcs, and David Lawrence, as well as lifestyle brands Murdoch Books, Paspaley and Swarovski. Their portfolio of work includes guest art direction for numerous design magazines, inclusion in books on typography and numerous design awards.Habitusliving.com has also just been redesigned, to feature greater regional content, and new opportunities for targeted advertising from 7 December.
View more stunning work by one8one7 below.
Murdoch Books – Rockpool Bar & Grill Recipe Book, Art Directed by one8one7
Aria-nominated band Floating Me
Marcs Website
Paspaley commercial