In response to my passion for print and my aspiration to progress into the editorial industry, I chose to partake in the live project with Stack Magazines, where we were given the opportunity to devise a brand new stand-alone niche publication and propose a way to fund it. Working in teams of three as the editorial and design team, we were responsible for every element, including all written and visual communication plus all promotional aspects.
Our idea stemmed once we had attended a talk with Seán-Degan Wood, Editor-in-Chief of Positive News, who defined the Third Wave of Print as "A new wave of magazine makers who believe in the message of their magazines and publishers who are concerned with the process of making magazines". This notion of creating with compassion for the cause and forming emotional bonds with our consumer base highly resonated with us and led us in the direction of creating a publication with an overriding theme in which each creator is passionately devoted to/could potentially promote positive social change.
The representation of rescue dogs was chosen after extensive analysis of the industry and as such, the realisation that no established publications were focusing on rescue dogs/the contemporary crisis of dog abandonment. To stray from the negative connotations attached to the disheartening topic, we chose to let the personality of dogs inspire our aesthetic, while simultaneously distancing Mutt from the minimal aesthetic of popular dog/animal focused magazines.
Our mission with Mutt Mag is to celebrate rescue dogs by awarding them the love they deserve, peeking through the keyholes of families and their happy hounds to offer an undocumented glimpse into their second chance at a forever home. We deemed Home as an appropriate topic to launch the first issue and establish the publication’s tone of voice and approach. Mutt Mag consists of meaningful content and heartfelt stories from individuals who have rescued their dogs and how they have welcomed their pet into its new home, evaluating the impact it has had on their life. Inspired by dogs themselves, we strive to embed a fun and enthusiastic approach to an otherwise disheartening topic, with love, care and dedication embedded into every turn of the page.
For Issue One, Mutt Mag focuses on the concept of ‘Home’ and has been lovingly created to evoke the feelings of belonging and excitement as experienced when welcoming your newest family member. Inside, Mutt Mag strives to represent rescue dogs from all walks of life. We chat to John Bond about his first solo exhibition ‘Best in Show’, Kristina Suvorova illustrates her interpretation of bringing your rescue dog home and Henry Garrett of Drawings of Dogs expresses the impact of his rescue dog Billie on his life and work.
Mutt Mag strives to inform that dog ownership doesn't come without its challenges, to better the future for rescue dogs and to encourage consumer motivations to play their part in the changing of perceptions, in turn, increasing the success rate of rescue dogs achieving their second chance at a forever home.
Mutt Mag was launched on May 24th 2017 at The Lacehouse in Nottingham. The team was responsible for the promotional aspects, the setting up, the arrangement of the launch and the pitching to industry experts. After enjoying every step of creating Mutt Mag, the team and I decided to continue on the Mutt Mag journey post university.
Mutt was shortlisted as Student Magazine of the Year by the 2017 Stack Magazines Awards.
You can pick up your copy from:
magCulture
270 St John St, Clerkenwell,
London EC1V 4PE
Fetch & Follow
13- 23 Westgate St,
London E8 3RL
Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum
Spui 14, 1012 RM
Amsterdam, Netherlands
MUTT MAGAZINE
Brand
Mutt Magazine
Location
Nottingham
Co-Founder, Creative Director and Designer of Mutt Magazine.
Mutt Magazine was shortlisted as Student Magazine of the Year by Stack Magazine Awards.
In response to our passion for print and love of dogs, we created Mutt Mag, a magazine that celebrates rescue dogs. We aimed to subvert stereotypes of rescue dogs and prompt people to consider rescuing before buying.
Mutt Magazine was sold in magCulture and Fetch & Follow in London, and Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum in Amsterdam.
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