Hasta La Ideas

Manchester Metropolitan graphic design student Lisa Lorenz has launched a free quarterly print magazine that aims to raise awareness of depression through illustration, photography, poetry and prose.

Nous is a crowd funded publication distributed in cafes, bars and shops in Manchester and Lorenz’s hometown of Mainz, Germany.
Each issue focusses on a different aspect of depression – the first explored insomnia and the second will look at disconnection.

The name ‘nous’ means intellect, reason or knowledge. By providing a creative outlet for people affected by depression, Lorenz hopes the magazine will help “prevent and deal with mental health issues [and] make living in our society easier.”

Printed on A5 using risograph, it’s a lovely example of a magazine that has kept costs low without compromising design. “I wanted to keep the look lo-fi but beautiful,” says Lorenz, who came up with the idea for the magazine in January.

“I also wanted to create a hand-made aesthetic, so it would feel valuable to readers. A lot of time and effort goes into making each one so hopefully, it’s something they will keep and pick up and read again from time to time,” she says.

Launching a print title that relies entirely on donations is a gamble – particularly when the web provides a free publishing platform – but Lorenz believes the printed magazine is more personal, tactile and focused.

“There is so much information about depression online but the quality and accessibility of it varies, and a lot of articles have a scientific or medical angle. I wanted to create something more emotional that readers could connect with and carry with them,” she says. “By distributing it around cities, it might also reach people that aren’t actively looking for it,” she adds.

The launch of nous’s disconnection issue will be accompanied by an exhibition, talks, film screenings and live poetry performances at Manchester venue 2022NQ.

More than 40 amateur and professional contributors submitted work to issue 1 and Lorenz is accepting entries for the disconnection issue until July 15. The crowd funding project for issue 2 also ends on July 15 and Lorenz has so far raised 219 Euros of her 600 Euro target. “If we manage to get funding the project will exist. If not then unfortunately, we can’t print the next issue,” she says.

To find out more, visit nous-magazine.de. To donate, click here.
Images: Igor Termenon

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The July issue of Creative Review is a type special, with features on the Hamilton Wood Type Museum, the new Whitney identity and the resurgence of type-only design. Plus the Logo Lounge Trend Report, how Ideas Foundation is encouraging diversity in advertising and more