The magazine Super stands out not only for its content but also for its visually rich and striking layout, which is the result of the work of its design team, who constantly innovate in representing reports with varied and creative artwork.
Images in the articles can be generated by various methods, including illustrations, photography, collages, and 3D modeling. In many cases, designers collaborate with freelance artists, always under the supervision of the Super team.
In the past, the printed format allowed for greater investment of time and resources in visual artists using artisanal and specific techniques. Currently, although the quality is maintained, external hiring has become more challenging. In response, the internal team is trained annually to incorporate these techniques, prioritizing the hiring of external specialists when possible.
A notable example is the September issue of Super, where two articles were created manually through the combination of different processes by the designers. A special highlight is the article about absinthe, which had an innovative approach: the layout was designed to be read after the reader rotated the magazine by 90 degrees.
Juliana Krauss, creative director, comments that, in her view, magazines are resembling vinyl records because she considers the physical interaction with the object a differentiator. She expresses the desire for readers to interact with the magazine, citing the absinthe case as an example where the reader is forced to turn it to read.
Each designer details the creation process of their respective article. During moments of intense inspiration, the Super art team tests unconventional approaches. One designer reported being affected by this impulse while reading Pamela's text on mental changes during motherhood, feeling that the article deserved a more delicate finish.
This need led her to draw inspiration from an article in the neighboring magazine, VC RH, where Camila Leite had made complete illustrations using felt layers. She consulted Juliana Krauss, art director, about the possibility of replicating something similar. Juliana Krauss had previously worked with the designer on a project where paper mini-foods were created for a report on ultra-processed foods, confirming that paper would provide the desired finish. This time, a 2D layered format was chosen.
After an intense ideation phase (brainstorming), which generated several drafts, the decision was made to transform the article into a flipbook, where an illustration would be divided into sections affecting a central element. After defining the scenes and objects, the designer created an illustrated version in Illustrator to facilitate visualization and approval by Rafa, the chief editor, and Ju.
With minor adjustments, she began separating the shapes into files, organized by paper color and required quantity for cutting. Although a cutting machine would be more practical, she performed the work with a precision scalpel. After a long period and a large volume of paper, the shapes gained cohesion by receiving layers, aided by masking tape.
Upon finishing the assembly, she and Juliana Krauss left the editorial office at Editora Abril, looking for a suitable location and different light sources to set up an improvised studio. They opted to photograph the backgrounds separated from the brains to have greater control in the editing. Subsequently, in Photoshop, the images were merged and small details were adjusted, resulting in the material ready to be applied to the layout with the final text.
At another point, upon joining Super four months earlier, the designer received her first article in issue 491. Luck brought her the topic of absinthe, or the 'green fairy,' and it was by diving into this subject that she discovered unknown facts about the drink and the creation process at Super.
She began researching the topic, captivated by the mystery of the drink. She gathered graphic, visual, and historical references, bringing all this 'green aura' to Juliana Krauss, Super's art director. She initially proposed a simple idea: that the opening page should have a different orientation, such as portrait, requiring the reader to rotate the magazine to read, presenting an elegant label of the drink.
Juliana Krauss drastically expanded the proposal, suggesting: 'Why just one page? Why not an absinthe bottle crossing the three spreads, and the reader 'strolling' past it as they turn the pages?' The idea was immediately accepted.
Although the initial intention was to use physical illustrations and collages from the start, the decision to embrace manual techniques only occurred after a digital sketch. When collecting images for the collage, the idea arose to create the elements through pencil illustration, and Juliana Krauss suggested using colored papers in shades of green as a base.
The first test was simple but generated enthusiasm. The designer drew the components separately (bottle, cork, label, glass, sugar cube, and table) in her notebook, cut them by hand, and assembled them next to Juliana Krauss's desk. In the same week, a second prototype was presented on colored paper, with colored pencil and ink illustration, on a smaller scale, to evaluate the overall style.
The initial tests differed from the final result, as the project evolved with every learning and feedback. The designer also learned a lot, as illustration was a hobby, but she began to consider factors such as light, shadow, proportion, and texture in a real article.
Fascinated by the green, she acquired various shades of paper from stationery stores and art supply shops. Additionally, Carol, responsible for the other half of the text on motherhood, provided more shades of green from her stock. Thus, some elements of the final article were made with paper used in the other report.
She gradually discovered the best coloring technique: applying an intermediate shade of colored pencil, followed by a darker shade to give shape, and an even darker shade to accentuate shadows, finishing with a very light green for the light areas, and ending with black pencil. This process added textures, and each type of paper reacted differently to the pencil layers.
Throughout the process, Juliana Krauss sought to implement the layout in a vertical orientation, which deviated from the magazine's standard. With each step forward, a printout was made to check legibility and structure, and to decide which elements to include in the scene. The suggestion of the fairy and decorative dots came from Rafaela Reis, a colleague of the art team who works on other brands at Editora Abril.
With 90% of the elements ready, the scene was set against a black background, with the cut-out drawings attached with masking tape, and photographed. At this moment, the proportion of the drawings changed; some were too large, there were color variations, and some drawings were more textured than others. Despite photographic efforts, it became clear that extensive post-production work in Photoshop would be necessary.
The image treatment performed by Juliana on the computer corrected flaws from the manual work (since there was no Ctrl+Z in the analog drawing). In the digital environment, it was possible to intensify the textures of the work, highlighting that the illustration was done by hand. Without this treatment, the photos might not convey the artisanal character of the image to the reader, which was the intention.
It was concluded that manual work with an experimental bias does not mean a lack of criteria. It is possible to make mistakes, correct, and improvise, but always with direction, testing, and course corrections. It was through these small-scale tests, identification of flaws, and adjustments (manual or in Photoshop) that the article took shape, thanks to the important exchange between the designer and Krauss, and the interest of the entire team in the behind-the-scenes process.