Reader transforms into user
How do you
turn a passive reader into an active user? Off is a
scribbling-pad magazine developed for the Faculty of Art, Media
and Technology at the Utrecht School of the Arts. The magazine
shows projects and movements within the faculty’s
province. The articles focus on the ‘underside’ of
the projects: what is the motivation behind a project and what
is the maker’s passion?
The name Off refers to ‘away from the
mainstream’ as well as the familiar on/off switch on
appliances. You turn the switch OFF because the power of a
project is not in an appliance, but in the mind of the maker.
With this philosophy, Off embraces the core values of the
Faculty of Art, Media and Technology.
Taking the faculty’s key concepts and pondering them further results in a medium that turns the reader into a user. Readers use Off simply by tearing out inspiring articles or photos from the scribbling-pad. This explains why there is never more than one article on a single page, and why the paper is only printed on one side. In addition to ‘collecting’, the emphasis is also on adding. That is why there is plenty of room next to the photos and articles to immediately jot down new ideas and notes.
See also: Foam Magazine, University of Twente, UvA
