OUGD502 Brief 2 - Anorak Magazine - With founder Cathy

Today in illustration I attended a talk by the infamous Cathy who is the founder of Anorak magazine for children. She discussed and inspired showing us how and why she created this magazine, Cathy herself had a young son and decided to create a children magazine unlike the rest with less clutter and junk! She also came across the struggle that her son was not learning anything from these cheap and tacky magazines and not only this but gender orientated. Cathy used this to her advantage and created something not then on the market a unisex children magazine with little adverts and no cheap disposable toys.

The magazines is fully illustrated with guest illustrators each issue, the issue is quarterly and packed with games and stories, each issue is based on topic children either learn at school or interpersonal and social skills such as the tudors, dreams, making friends... although the magazine is aimed at children it is beautifully illustrated and even an adult would be tempted to buy and not just for the kids... thats why the magazine is 6+

A little about the magazine Anorak:

"At Anorak, we are very proud of producing  printed magazines on REAL(recycled) paper with REAL (vegetable) ink. It makes them smell nice and it is at the heart of our commitment to provide kids with a calm, immersive, fun piece of culture.

Unlike magazines of today, neither of our publications are throw away titles. Just like much loved children’s magazines and annuals of the past they are  designed to be collected, kept, handed down and revisited.

The Anorak Press' main philosophy is to encourage children to tap into their imagination, use their creativity to learn and is here to amplify their voices. It has at the core of its offering a passion for words and images that challenge and stimulate."

Cathy's approach to the design and production of this magazine is really personal and I think this is why it works, it works because she is dedicated and there are others out there that want it too.

It is incredibly inspiring to see Cathy succeed after listening to how she progressed, this gives me inspiration in my own practice and how I can progress.