MacGuffin magazine
Ernst and Kirsten both came from the design world, but felt that a platform was missing. Almost everything around design focused on the future, objects had to be new and innovative above all else. Design is much more than that, Ernst and Kirsten found. "It is also about the use of those objects and objects." From this vision, MacGuffin Magazine was born in 2015: a semi-annual magazine with one object highlighted in each edition from all possible perspectives.
That birth took place back then in our print shop. We are proud that today we still get to do the printing for this wonderful magazine, which is widely read both nationally and internationally.
One object takes center stage
For each edition state, an everyday object is fully explored and examined: How is it used? What variations are there? What else can you do with it? How has the object developed? Those questions, among others, are answered from science, literature, art/design and the user world. And that object can be anything. A pair of pants, a bed or, say, a necklace. The object is leading throughout the magazine.
The magazine is itself an object
To complete the story, care has been taken to ensure that the magazine itself is also an object. This was achieved through the design, but certainly also through the quality of the paper. It is a luxurious, heavy magazine that functions as a portable exhibition of the highlighted object. That makes you want to keep it. "In fact, several readers have already come forward who want the entire series complete!", says Kirsten.
In addition to the luxury paper, the lithography is also vital to the look and feel of MacGuffin Magazine. "This paper is very thick, so the ink gets sucked up quickly. It is therefore a challenge to make the images come out as beautifully as possible. That's where lithographer Wim always helps us perfectly. He now knows exactly how to perfectly convert the images into beautiful printed matter. You could even call him our Lithogod, haha'!"
"What I find extra special is that NPN Drukkers still has the same alert attitude as in the beginning. They always keep a finger on the pulse and it's definitely not a 'trick' for them that they do every six months. They approach each magazine as if it were a completely new project."
Lots of fun
Kirsten still finds it a tremendously fun process to develop the magazine. "After all these years, we still really enjoy working on the magazine. On the one hand this is of course because it is our baby -or now actually 'almost grown-up adolescent'- but certainly also because of the cooperation with NPN. They are ambitious, but also agile. That flexibility is very important to us, because we only want to have the magazine printed when we are really 100% satisfied with it. We understand very well that this is not always easy for a printing company and are therefore extra happy with the accommodating attitude of NPN Drukkers."
Long-term collaboration
The long-term partnership is very valuable and special for both us and Kirsten. "Because we have been working together for all this time and NPN Drukkers has been involved with MacGuffin from the beginning, we are perfectly matched. We know exactly what we need from each other. They are well versed in the content of the magazine. What I find extra special is that NPN Drukkers still has the same alert attitude as in the beginning. They always keep a finger on the pulse and it is absolutely not a 'trick' they perform every six months. They approach each magazine as if it were a completely new project."
The short lines of communication also contribute to this collaboration, according to Kirsten. "MacGuffin's editorial team is a small family and we get the same feeling from NPN Drukkers. The atmosphere is informal, involved and very open. In that way, NPN Drukkers also got its own voice in the magazine!"
'It is striking that many young people are interested in MacGuffin. We think it's great that it is catching on very well with this target group.'
A successful magazine
Meanwhile, MacGuffin is finding its way around the world. "Sometimes we ourselves don't know exactly where it all is anymore. Then suddenly we get a phone call from the other side of the world from someone who is enormously enthusiastic about the magazine. It is striking that many young people are interested in MacGuffin. We think it's great that it resonates very well with this target group. We are particularly proud of the various awards we have won in recent years. I am sure that the (print) quality of the magazine has contributed to this enormously."
