Hasta La Ideas

Singapore spreads the news with a unique magazine dedicated to design

A foreword by BBDK design agency founder and Thinkingforaliving’s Duane King on the modern definition of craft kicks off the inaugural quarterly issue of Singaporean magazine Bracket, featuring interviews with an international who’s who in the creative industry like Aaron Rose, Geoff McFetridge, Frank Chimero and even musician and skate punk Tommy Guerrero.

“But craftsmanship doesn’t pertain just to the handmade,” King writes. “Instead, craftsmanship is a basic human impulse; the desire to do a job well for its own sake. A craftsman is engaged in their work.” To that end, the artists starring in the issue are design studio SILNT and its research arm Anonymous’ picks of those who they believe best exemplify the issue’s theme.

The format is simple. Subjects respond to a questionnaire by writing out their answers by hand and sending them back that way. While seemingly primarily geared toward those who recognize the names in the issue, questions like “What keeps you going?” and “Who/What do you have a bone to pick with?” keep it interesting for casual readers. Many of the interviewees sprinkle their sheets with doodles, while others like Amsterdam creative agency KesselsKramer take the cue and run with it, sending back a photographic accompaniment to answers.

Only eight issues total, each between 24 and 36 pages, of the newsprint-printed issue are planned. Michel Gondry is already confirmed for the next edition, and upcoming topics will cover hunger, ethics and failure. Out in February 2011, the debut issue is $23 including postage for those outside of Singapore, and can be ordered directly from the site.