People + Power
The Design of The Big Issue
2008–2013
The Big Issue is one of the UK’s leading social businesses and exists to offer homeless people, or individuals at risk of homelessness, the opportunity to earn a legitimate income, thereby empowering them to rebuild their lives.
In turn, the news and arts weekly looks to empower its wide demographic of readers by offering journalism they can trust – a voice for the people.
I always wanted the design to help diminish any negative perceptions people have of homelessness and The Big Issue. I wanted to make The Big Issue a positive, quality product for the vendor. That was the goal.
These are the three key stages of my design work for The Big Issue.
The Big Issue Scotland
2008–2009
Photo by Charlie Fraser-Hopewell
For this design, I worked with LucasFonts to create our own custom version of Luc(as) de Groot’s font Taz, Taz Big Issue.
Team / Mark Neil – Art Director
Gillian Smith – Designer
Yolander Yeo – Production Artworker/Designer
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Paul McNamee – Editor
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Awards / Best Design (Consumer), PPA Scottish Magazine Awards, 2008 and 2009
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Typefaces / Taz Big Issue and The Antiqua by Luc(as) de Groot, LucasFonts
The Big Issue Scotland
2010–2011
As a crossover between magazine and newspaper we needed to broaden the visual language with a family of intelligent but playful typestyles.
From top to bottom: the typefaces Theorem, Floris and Taz Big Issue
It was essential to give The Big Issue typographic detail.
Perhaps such design detail wasn’t expected of The Big Issue. Stories about every day lives and social situations would have the visual intelligence they deserved.
Photos by Andy Buchanan
Team / Mark Neil – Art Director
Gillian Smith – Designer
Yolander Yeo – Production Artworker/Designer
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Paul McNamee – Editor
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Awards / Best Design, International Network of Street Papers Awards, 2011
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Typefaces / Taz Big Issue and Floris by Luc(as) de Groot, LucasFonts
Theorem by Alejandro Paul and Angel Koziupa, Sudtipos
The Big Issue UK
2012–2013
During 2011, the successful model for the Scotland edition was to run nationally and a production takeover for The Big Issue encouraged a relaunch and a redesign to be outsourced. This was developed with Ingrid Shields.
Columnist illustrations by André Carrilho
Illustration by Matthew Hollings
The display type had to give us more freedom and flexibility. Hoefler and Co’s Knockout opened up the design and could be adapted many ways with its multiple widths and weights.
Photo by AJ Numan
Photo by Simon Murphy
Illustration by Stephen Cheetham
Illustration by Mitch Blunt
Team / Mark Neil – Art Director
Jim Ladbury – Designer
With thanks to Ingrid Shields
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Paul McNamee – Editor
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Typefaces / Knockout and Chronicle by Hoefler & Co.
The Big Issue cover
As it is sold by a vendor on the street, the front cover design has to be bold and fearless to quickly connect to the public in all weathers.
See more here.