Designer Interview

Canberra based designers & creators of new independent

US FOLK MAGAZINE Juliette Dudley & Ash Peak

  When did you begin designing & creating the magazine?

We began planning the magazine in about August/September

last year, and started designing the first issue in January.

We spent the next two months organising articles, choosing

submissions, and creating content. In March we had the launch

of our first issue and soon afterwards we started planning

the second issue which we are about to send to print.

How would you describe the magazine?

Us Folk is an independent publication which showcases the

work of young creatives in the Canberra region. We aim to

cover a range of topics for people of different ages and interests,

and to give young locals a go when it comes to

getting their work out there!

Who are the designers, artists or creative people that inspire you?

Juliette: I get inspired by Aussie illustrators like those in the

Jacky Winter group. I get inspired by vintage and retro designs

(fashion, interiors, advertising, TV shows, like Mad Men), and

love seeing what local designers/artists/illustrators are up to.

I also watch a lot of anime.

Ash: Raw black and white old school photography that shows pure

talent, not Photoshop tricks inspire me to be a better photographer,

not a better airbrusher.

How does a typical day of work go for you?

Juliette: I work at a newspaper so my hours vary a bit. My shifts

are set over a rotating roster so sometimes I work during the day

and sometimes I finish quite late. This has actually worked out

pretty well because I find it easier to work on the magazine during

the day than after a 7.5 hour shift. However, I have had a few

nights where I've gotten home at midnight and still worked on the

magazine - it can get a bit addictive!

Ash: I work at a real estate photographing properties and doing

some random work! It's nice to be able to be outdoors for a large

part of everyday. I do spend a lot of time after work hours doing

things for the magazine of course, and sometimes when no one

is looking I send a few emails at work too :)

What is your creative process when designing a new issue?

Both of us have different styles and like different things in terms

of photography and design. I feel we're pretty in sync when it

comes to illustration though. So we've both gotten into the habit of

doing a lot of research before we meet up to talk about a design,

bringing along pages and pages of inspiration and ideas literally to

the table. Our layout designer Darko Andreski got really involved for

the second issue and his input and ideas have been fantastic, but

it really is something we're all passionate about and we each bring

unique skills to the project. We send each other countless emails and

proofs before anything finally is really done. We've also learned that

it's a lot easier to work on such a large project like a magazine,

and find what design will complement the content, once you

actually have the content!

How would you like people to respond to the magazine?

We want people to be enthusiastic about this magazine and greet

it with open arms! It's a wonderful feeling to have your work,

whether it be writing, a photo, an illustration, anything published

out there for people to see. This really was part of the reason we

came up with this idea in the first place. It's hard to get work

published in national magazines, so we thought that we'd just make

a magazine ourselves! We figured that surely there were other

people out there that felt the same as us, and wanted to get 

involved with something new and local.

What makes your magazine unique?

Us Folk is different from anything else publication wise in

Canberra because it covers a range of topics for people of

different ages and interests, and we're very open minded to

anything people want to suggest or talk about with us. We're just

two young people trying to work out how to run a magazine and

make it popular and, to some extent, profitable. It's hard to fit

yourself in, and to make yourself and your work appropriate to

what's already in the market, so we feel we put a bit more

variety in the local publication mix.

What is your advice to aspiring designers?

Hmmm, try to learn as much as you can; design, photography,

whatever. There are too many idiots in the world, don't let yourself

be one of them!

What will you be selling at the June Handmade Market?

Us Folk Issue One, to help raise money to cover our costs for

Issue Two, which we'll be launching at The Phoenix 8pm June 18th

with some great local bands! We'll also be selling some hand

printed tea towels and vintage/second hand plates

(featuring Juliette's designs)

Find the bright young folk of Us Folk at the

Handmade Market Saturday the 9th & Sunday the 10th of June

National Convention Centre, Canberra from 10am - 4pm