The biggest challenge of designing an art magazine is that the content, the artworks themselves, provides no visual consistency. Every artwork is different, and no two spreads share the same visual character. The consistency had to come entirely from the design: a flexible editorial grid and a clear set of typographic rules that could hold together a wide variety of work without overshadowing any of it.

The existing grid system allowed a wide range of layouts, particularly on the larger cover pages where there was significant creative freedom. Typography was kept modest and minimal throughout, always in service of the art. Wherever possible, the placement of text responded directly to the artworks on the page, creating a dialogue between the editorial design and the work being presented.

Working on a publication where the content varies this much made clear how much editorial design relies on restraint. When the artwork is the focal point, the design does its job best by staying out of the way while quietly holding everything together. The grid and typographic system were the invisible structure that made that possible.

The project resulted in two fully designed issues of Metropolis M, including layouts and supporting illustrations, produced in collaboration with Studio Remco van Bladel during a three-month period in 2019.