Science Notes magazine #3, “Echt”, April 2019
Science Notes, published by the University Tübingen in Germany, is a magazine exploring “knowledge and society”. Dealing with a single subject, each issue gathers various members of the institution’s diverse pool of researchers, designers, and artists, in order to highlight relevant studies and their potential impact on our society.
This third issue is examining the subject of “reality” and exploring the subjects of virtuality, simulation, and the “real world”. By asking questions such as ‘Can a man love an object?’, ‘How can a vegan burger bleed?’, and ‘Can our brains distinguish actuality from thought?’, its aim is ultimately to inspire a sense of questioning ‘what is real’ in the reader.
As a publication dealing with both retro and futuristic worlds, that’s trying to make the underlying science understandable and tangible, it was designed to feel pointed, dynamic, and surprising.
The magazine uses Primo Serif (Playtype, 2000) as their constant house typeface. In each issue, it is paired with a second one. For issue 1 “Optimal”, art director Sandra Teschow chose Code (Fontfabric, 2011). Issue 2 “Gefahr” (danger) introduced the Neue Plak series (Monotype, 2018). For the third issue shown in this post, Teschow combined Primo Serif with Neue Plak again and added VP Pixel (VP Type, 2017) to the mix. The pixel typeface is used for the magazine logo and for headlines. You can read more about the design process including aspects like paper stock, grids, and images in a report published by Wissenswerte Bremen.
