ReadyMade Magazine
Martha Stewart for Generation X
Client:
Walltext, Inc.
Made for:
Tragically Hip Makers
OVERVIEW
The project was to guest-art-direct the Holiday issue of a magazine focused on sustainable lifestyles and do-it-yourself projects geared toward the young and the tragically hip.
Readymade Magazine is an irreverent indie-rock version of Martha Stewart Living. - The New York Times
Stepping into an existing team and taking over as art director is a daunting challenge. The process comes with built-in clichés - preconceived notions about what the product should be, unfamiliar workflows, and the tension between wanting something fresh and the shock of the unexpected. Navigating these dynamics requires sensitivity to the team’s history and the confidence to push boundaries.
The concept was bold: let’s stop thinking of this as just a magazine and instead design it as an interactive workbook. DIY projects would be treated like recipes, with the goal that, by the end of the month, if readers completed every project, nothing would remain of the magazine but scraps and tatters. While we didn’t fully achieve that vision, we succeeded in making Readymade far more interactive and engaging.
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ReadyMade was an independent, do-it-yourself magazine published by Walltext, Inc. The project encompassed creative and art direction as well as design. Under editorial leadership from Shoshana Berger, with contributions from across the creative landscape, including Todd Oldham, the magazine attracted a young, urban-minded, environmentally conscious audience. ReadyMade offered an empowering, hands-on experience that blended creativity, sustainability, and style, setting a new standard for interactive editorial content.