The Great Discontent #3
Issue three of tri-annual The Great Discontent features three different covers: a baby pink cover with actress and musician Alison Sudol (above), a black and white cover with Iron & Wine, and a third, hazel-nut brown cover featuring singer Tei Shi. The three cover stars are interviewed inside ‘The Possibility’ issue, as well as a host of others, from visual artist Eric White to photographer Andre Wagner. The magazine promises readers a selection of people who ‘have dared to push the boundaries of what is achievable’, and to ignite a sense of inspiration in you and leave you asking ‘What have I been dreaming about?’ It’s a publication that is becoming known for its specialist approach to long-form interviews, which create personal and up-close written portraits of creative people that are as candid as the publication’s photography.
Noah Kalina’s hazy, sun-blitzed portraits of Tei Shi are both wind-swept and warm (above), and playful shots taken by Garett Cornelison of stylist Ruthie Lindsey exude personality (also above). Pictures of LA-based artist Lisa Solberg taken by Ward + Kweskin are lively and energetic like the painter’s artwork (below). As well as the written Q&As, the photographs transport the reader into the minds of the interviewees, and leave you with a sense of understated intimacy.
The overall layout has evolved and stripped-back since its first incarnation. It has a clean, expressive and grid-like aesthetic, and it’s a rare contemporary example of a magazine that emphatically exposes its structure (above). The column rules create the sensation of tight organisation, extending into otherwise empty space, broken only by pull-quotes (also above) and large visual spreads (below). The layout allows for the pictures and people to do the talking, and makes for a pleasant long-form reading experience.
Editor-in-Chief: Tina Essmaker
Design: Wayward Wild