Brygg #8
Often when a magazine comes out with split covers I find that I very quickly gravitate to one over the other and have an easy favourite. However this was not the case with the new issue of the Norwegian ‘coffee & conversation’ magazine Brygg. It’s difficult to choose between the illustrated cover by the psychedelic Derek Ercolano or the subdued photographic cover by Erika Hebbert—it’s almost just as difficult as choosing between a calming, milky latte or a quick, to-the-point espresso during a post-lunch lull.
Issue 8 is themed ‘taste & aroma’—hence the fact that the figures on each cover are smelling their own tongues. ‘Our photo editor Amalie Winther and talked a lot about how we could illustrate the theme without loosing the conceptual subtleness we feel has become one of Brygg’s main characteristics,’ explains creative director Mikal Strøm. ‘The conversations in the magazine are with people dealing with the topic in their own unique way, so we wanted the front to convey that same feeling.’
So it’s precisely because of the variety of stories and discussions inside the magazine that the Brygg team decided to do two covers. As Mikal says: “We converse with people dealing with the theme of “taste & aroma” in really different ways, so we’ve used two different techniques to illustrate that wide range of people and points of view.’
Maybe you shouldn’t choose between one cover or the other when it comes to the new issue of Brygg. Perhaps you should get both. It’s like getting both coffee and a chunky slice of cheesecake on the side—it might feel indulgent, but together they’re a winning pair.