50. INJOY JOURNAL

Having decided to adopt the idea of producing a publication tailored for people who love what they do, I wanted to quickly visualise something tangible and achievable. The title of ENJOY developed into INJOY to emphasise the rich state of happiness that passion can provide, being in a world of joy. It's a working title but I quite like it at the minute, ticking all requirements for the vision of my potential product, with an easily adoptable aesthetic, directly encapsulates the rationale and the optimum degree of wordplay. It's usually not very good to be so positive of my own work, I am aware, so let's not get too carried away.

I want INJOY Journal to showcase the joy and reward for people from engaging with their interests, to explore the methodology and reasons behind the interests and to present the existence of one common emotion shared and experienced in all walks of life and all forms of activity. The aim is to advertise the benefits of more positive, proactive, attentive attitudes toward what we seemingly 'love to do', and to portray a perhaps romantic allure for better enjoyment for everyone concerned. From professionals who love their jobs to enthusiasts who live and breathe their hobbies, members of fan clubs and appreciation societies, subject experts and critics, the opportunity for contribution is rather broad. And that should be good for me as a researcher and good for the readership as variety.

Still brewing, but I feel like I'm onto something. For the time being, I reckon I can accumulate some small, individual case studies of research and explore the gathering of information, with Design Research material possibly becoming quite important. Below is an example for a shop owner who runs a local delicatessen.

49. READING WEEK

Reading Week is set to be quite tight as my days will be busy with work (Victate will hold a shop for the seven days) so it's all the more important I have a plan. The Territories presentation is the next major step in our studio work so I hope to clarify further my project intent and to of course put together the presentation for Monday morning. Maybe I'll make a video.

>> More on VICTATE MEETS BOXPARK on Facebook

48. MAGAZINE SPOTLIGHT: CAFFEINE

Magazine Spotlight #03

Caffeine www.caffeinemag.com

Available to pick up for free, Caffeine is the coffee lover's magazine, distributed to selected coffee shops around the country to serve as the 'stockists'. Of course it makes sense in terms of hitting the right readership and that is indeed how I found out about it. I've managed to collect issues 1 to 3 so far, with the current edition still eluding me.

Whilst short in relative terms of page count (probably aligning itself to the Stylist or Sport market) the content is presented with an air of expertise, finding the right, attractive quantity (and quality) of specificity. The publication includes journalistic articles, photography, reviews, essays and surveys to tell the Caffeine story and, really, provides everything you'd expect a 'coffee lover's magazine' to provide. Its advertising is smart and direct too, relevant for us the readers, spanning the likes of organic beans, espresso machines and coffee houses, all more helpful than irritating.

The magazine is a good example of narrowing into one specific subject and exploring the area in depth, with the challenge to present the specialist findings in a manner that is both appealing and amusing for all. Oh, and from spilling the beans to ground rules, I for one don't get bored of the cafe wordplay at all.

47. CAT PEOPLE MAGAZINE

Newly released is the magazine to serve our feline fetishes, Cat People. The bilingual publication from Melbourne just unveiled Issue One to the world, filled with interviews, photography and documentation from cat lovers across the globe. I'm probably more fascinated to see how, if at all, this magazine can develop and progress over its future issues as I myself can only see a limited number of responses and content – basically we all love cats. I'd certainly like to get my hands on a copy though. I do like cats...

>> Visit the Cat People homepage

46. LIVE

2013 has been a year topped with live gigs for me. With an average of almost two a month and a list of artists in excess of 70, I reckon that's a lot (and financially too, probably amassing to about £300). But it's been so fun and I love my attendance, being able to be in the presence of music happening, witnessing and experiencing it being performed in front of me, collaboratively creating a unique atmosphere for all parties to enjoy. For me, there's nothing better – and as a fan, surely it's a must. I write this now on the back of watching Daughter's headline show at Shepherds Bush Empire last night.

>> Visit my Instagram profile for photographs
>> Visit tlee. Black and search Live for individual blog entries

45. LIVESURFACE CONTEXT

A quick, accurate, high quality visualisation of 3D rendering, LiveSurface Context is brilliant. It's an application (Illustrator add-on) allows for conceptual mock-ups for flat graphics to physical situations, for example a magazine cover to an actual magazine or a banner to a shopfront – instantly. Super timesaver.

>> Read on Creative Review's blog
>> Find out more on LiveSurface's homepage

43. LEGWORK TUTORIAL

A couple of days to refresh my mind after Monday's tutorial, spending full days out on the pitch with my boys (and girl) for Half Term.

I went into the tutorial with an idea fresh in mind from a bath one night (actually). The idea was as simple as: a magazine dedicated to people who love what they do. For me it makes total sense. My area of exploration thus far has involved the consumer's approach of how they (we) enjoy and how that interest is expressed, as well as how much interest is held – the act of enjoying and appreciating. So to create a document of real people showing real love what they do seems very fitting for my research and for my broader interests too. I saw a clear direction of how the publication would come together, imagining its features, content material, presentation and style.

I conveyed this to a good reaction, certainly as a starting point if not to be something more complete for my project. Key points raised by Laura were to question (and obviously answer) who/what/how my investigation should be conducted. And it's a valid thought to ponder, with it surely insufficient to merely do interviews and have a typical journalistic approach. I must remember my role as Designer throughout.

42. MAGAZINE SPOTLIGHT: MONOCLE

Magazine Spotlight #02
Monocle www.monocle.com

"Keeping an eye on the world" since 2007, Monocle was launched by the man behind Wallpaper magazine, Tyler Brûlé. It's the one title I am a paid subscriber for, accepting their package of 10 issues + 2 papers + 1 tote bag + full online archive access + event invitations for an annual fee of £90. That price is actually more than what the cost of buying individual copies at the newsstand would be – a challenge to the standard pricing model where in-advance batch subscriptions tend to be better value. This is explained in the confidence placed on their services, a subscription being more than just a sales contract but as an act of buying into the brand. And Monocle's branding is one of the most complete around.

In partnership with sister design studio Winkreative, Monocle has rapidly achieved an iconic status of design and presence. The magazine aims to pioneer the ever-changing print and journalism industries, priding themselves with dense, in-depth and carefully selected content covering what they have identified as today's most relevant topics in affairs, business, culture and design (following a beautifully effective logic of ABCD). Significantly rooted across all parts of the world with offices, correspondents and sources, the work is assured to be genuine and unique, and certainly doesn't lack in quantity either as issue after issue they deliver seemingly larger, book-ish documents that I've currently collected the past 23 of.

Monocle has from the beginning laid out its version of aspirations and represents a high quality lifestyle in collaboration with their readership, and in recent years the company has expanded and ventured into radio broadcasting, physical shops and cafés to supplement the paper product and emphasise their values. Each outlet offers a different, yet equally asset of the brand and has proven to be a fine example of changing the relationship with its followers and the expectations for what a magazine title provides. At the very least, it's a successful challenge on what the relatively static print culture had been in the past couple of decades. Now, six years down the line, the format remains unchanged in its aesthetic design, which clearly reflects said aspirations and framework, using a sure template filled with beautiful first-hand photography and a masterful combination of Plantin and Helvetica.

It's a publication I constantly have much to take and learn from, in all aspects of its venture and one that has no doubt inspired my joy for the revival of print media.

41. DESIGN RESEARCH WORKSHOP PART ONE

A good workshop under our belt today, setting us up for Legwork over the coming fortnight. Revisiting my initial exploration of music, I wanted to find out how people enjoy it. My hypothesis is that it's often (if not always) a secondary priority, whereby it is an activity conducted whilst doing something else. Which is a shame quite frankly, but I'd like to see if my assumption is correct.

The A5 'survey' that I have devised asks participants to take just 4 photographs, one for each caption which I have provided, with the aim to see how music happens for different people. The captions are as follows:

1. Here I am doing an activity I always do with music on.
2. Here I am only listening to music.
3. This is where music takes me (emotive state, scenery, location, etc.)
4. This represents 'music' to me.

My guess for a reasonably common response is the Caption 1 to be studying, ironing or something like that and Caption 3 to be a particular place or view. Captions 2 and 4, I imagine, are more difficult to respond to and it will be particularly interesting to see what participants choose. Also, given that this research tool can be conducted with anybody who listens to music at all, the various types of participant will also be interesting to explore.