MAGCULTURE.COM / BLOG

Goodwill Fernandes

Here’s the latest project from The President, the people behind MK Bruce/Lee.

Goodwill Fernandes is a collaboration between their Cape Town office and their new Buenos Aires studio. Creative director Peet Pienaar identified similarities between the two cultures – both being emerging economies, post-colonial and a mix between firsdt and third world –  and wanted to reflect these in a project using writers and designers from both offices.

The result is a tiny, one-colour magazine – it measures 85x 52mm – that comes in a paper slipcase (top image). Inside are over 270 tiny pages containing a mixture of images and text that might not surprise you if you know other pieces by The President, but nonetheless successfully continue their modern take on traditional Afrikaans pattern-making.

It’s always good to see different shapes and sizes, and this is certainly unique. It feels like a flick book.

The colour, the patterns, the obvious fun that’s been had making the thing shines through on every page.

But it’s not just about design and format. There is real content: interviews with local rock stars, a piece about a group called Jesus Saves who replace old graffitti with flat colour, and a look at how the Argentine government use grafitti to engage with their voters. Plus some cracker-style jokes. It’s a lovely little package.