Narr – the narrativistic literature magazine is a publication that has been appearing on a regular basis since 2011 and sees itself as a forum for “young, fresh texts” and “for voices, which are not heard elsewhere”. Two of the three annual editions of the magazine are conventional. The third appears as a special edition in the form of a stand-alone book publication. So far over 80 authors have been published in the Narr. In 2014 the concept and layout of the magazine were completely overhauled by the designers Mirko Leuenberger and David Lüthi. They came up with the idea of designing the magazine as a handy paperback. Limited financial resources and time led to an often raw and radical structure, which have now become part of the project’s identity. While the literary texts are usually set in a “traditional literature layout”, in the middle section of the magazine 12–16 pages are left for “narrative designs” of all kinds, for which the relevant designers, illustrators or artists are invited from the outside. The annual special editions offer even more space for experiments, which invite a new interpretation of existing magazine and book forms.
Comments of the nominators:
With a very low budget, lots of voluntary commitment and even more heart and soul, an unconventional literature magazine is designed here in every aspect, which on the one hand has its own recognisable visual identity, but on the other hand never ceases to surprise through its experiments. The sometimes rather raw and often also amusing design fits perfectly with the character of the texts published here and makes a major contribution to the growing popularity of this literary forum.