Every time I finish reading an issue of Mohawk Maker Quarterly, I always wonder how the next one will sustain the publication’s path. How can the next theme possibly resonate as much as the current one?
Well, I’m not exactly sure how they do it, but this most recent release not only maintains that quality, it takes it to the next level. Much like the jolt my first cup of coffee gives me each morning, my senses woke up the moment I saw the colorful pop-inspired cover art, created by Olimpia Zagnoli and printed on Mohawk Strathmore Wove in Riviera Rose. The actual color of the paper can be seen in the Maker title box — everything else is printed upon it.
In the world of business and brands, it is about how your clients feel about you, often in quite an emotional way. And that framework is so often initiated through the basic materials — in this case, paper. This issue pulls out all the stops in that regard and showcases some of Mohawk’s most tactile offerings, from different varieties of Strathmore to Mohawk’s recently introduced The Curious Collection, of which Mohawk is the sole North American distributor.
Being about the world of publishing, the first story holds special appeal to me — and tells an interesting tale of our times. Instead of following the typical magazine trajectory of print to digital, this brand began with Pitchfork.com and expanded into The Pitchfork Review, a printed quarterly. Why? Well, the web is ideal for a lot of coverage: tour schedules, album release updates, videos, album reviews, etc. But the magazine’s lofty goal is to make reading about music as experiential as going to a concert. “We love the speed and community of the internet,” the staff writes, “but there’s so much noise (and far too filters) that important stories can get lost … We wanted an opportunity to give some pieces a second life, one that won’t be lost to Google searches and Twitter archives.”
And what better paper for this cutting-edge publication than a plush soft-matte cover, filled with a changing mix of gloss and uncoated stock. Superfine is a headliner in the publication!
Next up is a snapshot profile of photographer Kennett Mohrman, a Florida native who moved to Portland largely to capture its “epic landscapes.” His dramatic work is paralleled by the white printing on a stark black paper from The Curious Collection.
I have just given you a tiny taste of the quarterly, and other than the actual feel of this issue, there’s one other thing I can’t convey in a blog post: how Mohawk Live, the company’s augmented reality app, adds an unexpected high-tech element to the experience of reading the quarterly.
Once downloaded, hover your mobile device over images imprinted with the Mohawk Live icon and enjoy a wonderful little surprise — maybe a 3-D image, a video, an infographic or animation. Each is so fun to discover for yourself, I won’t say too much — but like milk to cookies, it’s a necessary accompaniment to this issue!
Best of all, the issue is completely free! To view it online (up soon) go here, and to sign up to receive your own issues of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly, go here!