After much argument over its recent redesign, the latest issue of 032c magazine has finally landed. The new look - created by art director Mike Mieré - has generated much debate over the supposed 'New Ugly' trend in design, which tied in examples as diverse as Super Super magazine and the London 2012 Olympics logo. Ashley Heath, who collaborated on previous issues of the magazine, even had something to say about it on Creative Review's blog.
Just when the debate seemed to have run its course, the American blogs are now getting worked up about 032c once more (one comment on the Design Observer site sums things up perfectly: "There is bad ugly and there is good ugly" ).
And now, right on cue, we get another issue to get all worked up about. And you know what? It's really good. The design feels as if it's more 'bedded down' with the editorial. The wonderfully stern, typically Teutonic tone of the magazine remains undiminished, but there are the odd, welcome concessions to magazine tradition - such as a front section of shorter articles, for starters. "It's become a litmus test," says editor Jörg Koch of the new design. "You can see what side people are on. But it's interesting what this debate implies about graphic design - that it's actually a very conservative discipline. Who says what you're allowed to do or not? We'd got to this stage in magazines where 'good taste' typography meant you could have the most banal content and still make it look good. We did the complete opposite - our content is interesting enough without having to dress it up."
Already, 032c's approach is beginning to be picked up in the more style-conscious biannual magazines, which suggests all those earnest bloggers doth protest too much.
