Once a month we invite our member magazine publishers and enthusiasts to guest-edit our fortnightly email newsletter. The aim is to inspire others with magazine-related content, connect members and build our community so we can learn from each other.
This month our guest editor is Sarah Robertson, founder of These Are The Days. You can follow Sarah on LinkedIn – remember to connect and say hello!
Tell us about yourself
I’m a brand designer and creative mentor with more than two decades in business. I founded These Are The Days in 2020 and enjoy collaborating with clients to define their vision, craft beautiful visuals and discover their voice.
Earlier this year, I designed and published This Creative Life, a 64-page mini zine celebrating seasonality, playfulness and adventure. Inside, you’ll find articles, essays and interviews from artists, designers, makers, photographers and writers. Originally from Edinburgh, I now work from my design studio nestled in the Scottish Borders.
What’s on your mind?
This Creative Life began as a blog series with guest articles on glimmer hunting, finding creative inspiration in nature and seeking rejection. The mini-zine, printed by Newspaper Club, revisits these themes along with essays on reclaiming our rhythm and insights on storytelling in business. You’ll also find interviews with singer-songwriter Enyo Agoda on nurturing curiosity and Stefan Sagmeister on creative sabbaticals.
Over the coming weeks, work begins on the second issue, and my mind is drifting to the submissions process and choosing a theme!
What’s the best article you’ve
read this month?
Liberty recently shared an interview with cultural historian Kassia St Clair about her latest book, Liberty: Design. Pattern. Colour. It traces the evolution of their fabrics, from soft florals to bold abstracts, and is a must-read for anyone who treasures print and pattern!
Also…the I Am. We Are. Liberty. exhibition may have ended but it lives on in a beautiful publication by Ester Coen, featuring unseen archive pieces and a tribute to the creatives who have shaped Liberty’s 150-year design legacy.
Listen out for my interview with Kassia for the next season of my podcast.
Show us an incredible magazine cover
I love the simplicity and confidence of Playground Magazine. Each issue keeps the same bold layout but switches up the colour, a design choice that feels both consistent and playful. The type treatment pops beautifully with a spot UV, giving a pristine finish without trying too hard. I’m curious to see what colour they choose for issue 4!
What’s your top tip for publishers?
Don’t underestimate the value of what you’re creating.
While working on This Creative Life, I often found myself questioning whether it mattered. With everything going on in the world, the project sometimes felt like a distraction. But making is never frivolous. Creating something thoughtful, honest and beautiful is a form of connection…and will always be a quiet act of resistance.
I wrote more about this in a piece called Why Making Matters, shared on my Substack publication.
Questions for the community
What subject or issue would you like the International Magazine Centre Members Group to discuss and untangle over on LinkedIn?
My question is: What size or format do you publish and why?
Need more of this in your life?
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