Reportagen #21
Reportagen is an independent Swiss magazine that brings you swift, short and enticing reports from around the world (written in German). The book-sized publication always boasts a bright, typographic cover, with text laid out like a traditional pamphlet – almost a contents page. Infographics and fun cartoons abound, and in the recent bright green issue 21 we were particularly taken by a pig illustration by Claudia Blum.
The cartoon sausage dog (or rather sausage pig) graces all 14 pages of a piece about Bosnian agriculture, stretching along the bottom of the layout with small changes occurring depending on what’s going on in the essay. The cartoon is a good example of the way that illustration and design can combine to give long-form stretches of text a playful dimension, without being overly distracting or taking up too much room on the page.
Art direction by Marc Kappeler and Ruth Amstutz, design by Dominik Huber.
Review by Madeleine Morley