"When Flash Reproductions approached us to do an issue of Wayward Arts, we were in. No questions asked," explains Carey George RGD, President and Creative Director at Goods & Services "We've done a lot of work with Flash, and we trust them to get it right. Doing the magazine is a terrific way for our agency to showcase our design and storytelling. It's just a great opportunity for our people to flex some creative muscle with no constraints."

For each month of 2013, a different firm has been invited to produce an issue of the magazine offering a unique take on the theme of Community. Past issues have included Ove Brand | Design’s concept of ‘Sin and Virtue’,  St. Bernadine’s collection of East Vancouver signage and Hambly & Woolley's exploration into The World of Bees.

"When we thought about "community," we gravitated toward the idea of both locale and like-mindedness as the main defining traits; that is, it can be a physical neighbourhood, or it can be a common passion that draws people together," Carey says.

To illustrate this idea, Up Inc. chose to highlight a small vintage music shop in Toronto where individuals gather to celebrate a passion for music.

"Capsule Music perfectly embodies the traits of a Community," says Sue McCluskey, Goods & Services Creative Director of Editorial. "I used to play in a band with one of the owners, and they've been my go-to place for gear, advice and repairs ever since. It really is just a fantastic place for anyone who loves the atmosphere of vintage guitars and amps, and there's always a recognizable face in the shop, in varying degrees of famousness, every time you go in."

Once the focus of the issue was decided, Goods & Services partnered with Craig Samuel Photography to capture the shop's atmosphere and overall feel.

"We knew we wanted the approach to be photography based, to communicate the depth and texture of the shop, its gear and its customers. We've worked on lots of cool projects with Craig in the past, and we knew he'd get what we were trying to achieve," Carey says. "As a bonus, Craig had also worked with us on a promotion for Flash, so he already knew Rich Pauptit. Craig is great to work with, either in studio or out in the field like this; his approach is a huge part of the success of this issue. Ryan Booth, the designer on the project, had also worked with Craig before, so it was a comfortable collaboration."

The project came together over two photo shoots: one weekday shoot for the interior of the shop and the other outside outside on Queen Street West on a Saturday. The shoots were also an opportunity to interview the subjects and build the issue's underlying story.

"Interviewing the subjects was part of our editorial decision to tell the story through the voices of the actual community," explains Sue. "This gives the content a credibility that supports the visuals."

In terms of imagery, Goods & Services chose a larger format for the magazine with no binding to allow the spreads to be pulled apart as posters. This idea was inspired by the culture of the music industry, where posters are a big part of the vocabulary.

Carey also emphasizes the importance of highlighting elements of the physical space that make Capsule Music unique. "In addition to shots of the people in the community, we also really wanted to showcase the curating of materials that Peter and Mark Kesper, the store's owners, have done -- everything from the guitars, amps and effects pedals to the album covers and memorabilia that decorate the walls."

This issue of Wayward Arts will also be released as a digital app on iTunes later this year, which will include additional video content. For more, visit http://gsbranding.com/wayward-arts
 

About Wayward Arts
Wayward Arts is a monthly publication printed by Flash Reproductions, with paper provided by Unisource Canada in conjunction with their mill suppliers. A different design firm is invited to curate each issue, changing the design, layout, colours, mood and paper to reflect their interpretation of the year’s over-arching theme.

Copies can be obtained by request at waywardarts.ca/subscribe.

Follow Wayward Arts on Facebook and Twitter.