Torchlight #1

This week’s page 23 is from Torchlight, a publication that’s been out a few months but is back in the spotlight following an interview with its founder in last weekend’s Observer newspaper.

Produced by writer/editor Kevin Braddock (he initially published it without giving his full name), the small format magazine tells the story of his 2014 breakdown. It’s based on the notes he wrote as part of his ongoing recovery, and positions itself as a guide for others facing a similar situation.

Braddock has been involved in a number of men’s magazines before, perhaps most notably Manzine, and his ability to storytell shines through in Torchlight. It’s almost a companion piece to another recent launch, Anxy; also based on personal experience, that magazine works hard to observe depression in the every day, and is less gender-specific. Torchlight presents a highly personal reflection of the male experience.

Page 23 of the issue is part of a spread from the opening part of the book, the beginning of Braddock’s story. The whole issue is carefully paced, and here we see large text listing what depression feels like, presented white out of a deep, deep blue. Blue figures a lot in the issue, until about halfway through when recovery begins to take root and yellow takes over.

Design: Enver Hadzijaj

Read the Observer interview with Braddock for more background to the project.