Studio Last’s single issue redesign of Interview Magazine Germany is a masterclass of playful subversion

For the October 2020 issue of Interview Magazine Germany, the publication turned to Studio Last, a creative studio based in Berlin, for a special issue starring Jack Dylan Grazer, interviewed by Finn Wolfhard. With a star-studded line-up, featuring photography from Damon Baker and work from artist Jesse Draxler, the JDG issue set out to discuss creative interpretations of gender fluidity, diversity and fan culture.

In response to this brief, Matthias Last of Studio Last explains “the issue got this very special punky and edgy look,” adding, “we took these vibes and created a dynamic design, that interacts between the content we got and the target group we wanted to reach with the typographic and layout decisions we made.” Given the opportunity for total freedom of design and art direction, Studio Last redesigned everything from typographic choice and layout to even a complete overhaul of the logo; in doing so granting the addition of another dimension!

“To get the magazine to another, more futuristic level, we decided to make a 3D logo,” Last explains, due to the nature of the JDG issue existing as a downloadable online presence, another step in Studio Last’s existing interplay between the connections of digital and physical. This approach was taken for the overall design of the magazine’s aesthetic, even considering the large online following the issue’s contributors have, with Last commenting that “with the design, we would like to refer to the original idea of the magazine as ‘The Crystal Ball of Pop’ and to build a bridge into the present.”

The final result is a masterclass of expectation, subversion, consideration and contrast, allowing itself to be incredibly sincere in its respect for typographic hierarchy and precision, whilst at the same time knowing what rules to break, and understanding when to break them in the most playful and impactful way possible. This is clear in their choice of typefaces, with reduced grotesques charmingly contrasting with semi-gothic serifs, which Last explains “can interact with the strength of the pictures in addition to diversity and subculture.”

Although their redesign is for the time being only for this issue, Last concludes “of course, we would love to see that our design influences the upcoming issues.”

Studio Last

Interview Magazine Germany