Description

For our second issue, the official Issue One, we have chosen to focus on the idea of ‘Peak Stuff’.

Although this is not a term we (and possibly you) were immediately familiar with, at the beginning of this year (2016) we came across it in an intriguing context. Steve Howard, the head of sustainability at IKEA, mentioned it at Guardian Live event in London — ‘If we look at a global basis, in the West we probably hit peak oil. I’d say we’ve hit peak red meat, peak sugar, peak stuff … peak home furnishings.’

It turns out ‘peak stuff’ is a theory generating quite a lot a thought.

Here is what we asked the contributors to this issue to ponder:

The call for a less materialistic life has informed philosophies and religions across millennia and across the world. As has the belief that possessions cannot make us happy. But for the first time it is being suggested that living a simpler life is now an achievable, and even inevitable, reality for our (read Western) societies.

Have we, the people of the developed countries, reached the point where we no longer need more throw cushions? Is reaching peak stuff going to save us from environmental disaster? Does it represent a fundamental shift in human behaviour and a huge challenge to theories of economic growth?

Important as these questions are, we would like to focus on one, specific aspect of peak stuff in this issue of ‘Ligature Journal’ — our response and responsibilities as designers.

Find out how they responded!

Featuring:

Greg Foyster, Anna Citelli & Raoul Bretzel (Capsula Mundi), Dane O’Shanassy (Patagonia), TJ Cowlishaw (AARLI), Sarah Koik (The Grandma Museum), Michael Johansson, Annabel Lahz, Felicia Semple (The Craft Sessions), Rachael Cassar, Jessica Priemus (Bhalo), and Warehouse TERRADA.

Specifications:

92 pages
Grange Offset from KW Doggett
4C process
Print managed by SEED Print Group

About the Journal:

Ligature Journal is a title that is owned by Tiliqua Press but has been set up to provide real world experience opportunities for communication design students. For each issue students find and/or create all the content, design, lay out, creating imagery (both illustration and photography) as needed and take the publication through production process. They also do most of the marketing of the journal.

This issue has been put together by students at Billy Blue College of Design, Ultimo Sydney, mentored by Kuen Kam, Felix Oppen and Kate Riley.

If you haven’t already visited the Ligature Journal website you can see more spreads here.