Behind the Scenes

Bubbles Magazine Cover

While working at the zooom agency, I was lucky enough to get this project on my list, and bring the new magazine to life. Maybe because no one else wanted it or everyone knew how much of a hassle it is. Either way, the pressure was on and I needed to do something new and fresh, not just to satisfy everyone else, but to meet my own creative standards. Back to project.

The image above pretty much sums it all up, but the real process behind the cover was much longer and way more demanding. Of course, there were plenty of rules and guidelines that were not allowed to be changed.

One of the restrictions was not to modify the composition of ITC Serif Officina letters, forming the main title, mgzn, on the cover page.

This was the most time consuming operation — filling the bubbles without loosing the main font style and appearance. I started working on paper first, and after finding the right raster, the real work started. 

Every bubble was injected with special color mix. This in itself was complicated, I couldn’t just grab some food coloring. It needed to look the same as the agency’s main Pantone color and keep that look once it dried.

Injections. A delicate process where too little liquid resulted in deforming the bubble, and too much liquid would make it explode or leak. With help of gravity and finally figuring out I had to start from the bottom, things started to move in the right direction. 

Several days and nights of proper and very precise injections made it look perfect. In the process, everyone passing by had to wonder what I was doing.

Following the creation of this handmade cover, I lead the internal team to design the whole magazine with projects displayed in different yet complementary styles. With a wide-ranging subject matter and diversity of looks, the magazine also showed off agency life, upcoming things and presentation material with featured artists.

I had the pleasure working with some really talented people to create something new, sharp, and clean. The magazine proves its worth every year, as one of the agencies most effective selling tools.