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Abstract is the first interior design magazine in Kurdistan Region and Iraq, aimed to bring elegant and trendy concepts and ideas with a touch of cultural adaptation and pragmatism. It will be published once every three months, and eventually aspires to become an art magazine, delving into different topics and giving a unique platform to local artists and creatives.
** some of the content and design has been adapted to exclude actual advertisers or articles such as personal interviews where the interviewee's written consent hasn't been obtained.
During COVID-19, when the company I was employed at was on hold, I started Abstract. Abstract started off as a small side hustle focused on visual and web design as well as online marketing for local businesses.
After a few months, despite the difficult economic conditions onset by COVID-19, the company gradually grew both in terms of project scale as well as attracting a larger team of talented and dedicated creatives, and ultimately, we diversified our fields of operations as well.
Incorporated as Abstract Design & Development, we had the following divisions:
Abstract Design & Branding Consultancy
Abstract Architecture & Interior
Abstract Smart Home Solutions
Abstract Hospitality Business Development
At the moment, I am not taking an active operational role of the company and have given the day-to-day management responsibilities of the company to one of the founding team members.
In the early stages of Abstract Architecture & Interior, we realized that most of our prospect clients were in the hospitality business and a few upscale villas. With the restaurants and cafes, we seemed to be able to share or reach a similar vision. However, our residential clients seemed to be set in their own ways, and were unable to understand the purpose behind our designs. They seemed to be into quite copy cat furniture and layouts, and often behind in the world of interior design.
While it was our duty to do things that our client requested and to make them happy, we wanted our work to be one we were proud of. We realized there is a cultural gap in residential interior design, both in terms of ideas/concept as well as stores offering the level of furniture and decoration we were seeking.
To combat this, we wanted to be part of a wave to spread and bring attention to innovative ideas and concepts in that space to the local community.
Hence, we decided to publish the first interior design magazine in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. Additionally, we would use our social platforms to create engaging posts where we curate eye-catching implementations of different ideas and designs from around the world.
This is how Abstract magazine was born. Amidst loads of marketing and business magazine, we envisioned carrying a different voice and targeting our content and advertising to serve interior design -- sharing modern concepts in a way that was culturally digestible to the everyday person. We wanted our ads to feel less like advertising, but to work with our brand sponsors to curate and angle their ads in a way that benefited the readers -- and ultimately increase the conversion rate of the ad as well.
We wanted a design that was simple, easy to read, elegant but approachable. Eventually, the magazine would evolve into an arts magazine, covering topics outside of interior design and serving the larger artist community.
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On the left, we have a different name and cover concept we were considering.
In terms of the layout, we decided to be quite safe and not follow the global trends of similar magazines -- such as offset images with small font text giving it that artsy feel.
The reason was that we wanted to ensure that our first issue would be easily understandable by the average reader. So we followed the typical magazine layout and clear understandable font sizes.
Similarly as well for the content, we focused on general and basic articles for similar reasons and eventually try to get into more niche ideas.
The magazine would be distributed for free in order to maximize its reach and distribute it across the right locations. Even though the only revenue stream would be through the advertising sponsors, we wanted to ensure that the magazine felt elegant and luxurious in the hands of the readers. To stand out from others, we opted out of the standard A4 sizes and used a litter wider dimensions.
Page Dimensions: 230 mm x 297 mm
Cover Paper Weight: 250 gsm
Cover Finish: Matt Anti-Scuff, soft touch lamination
Inner Paper Weight: 170 gsm
Inner Finish: Gloss coated
Binding: perfect bound, shrink wrapping each magazine
