Wild Alchemy: multi-sensory, sustainable magazine printing
Wild Alchemy Journal, produced by Mama Xanadu, was always meant to be a very different kind of publication.
Jenna Rodgers and Mama Xanadu came to Park because they needed a printer whose environmental credentials aligned with their ethical standards, and which could create a product that had sustainability at its core.
Wild Alchemy is a multi-sensory journal which explores nature, science, and esoterica in a mixture of media formats: print, and audio visual content which launches from QR codes dotted throughout the magazine.
The physical journal has a further sensory dimension: scent. The second edition is sprayed with perfume which Park undertook in their in-house handwork department.
Park worked closely with Mama Xanadu to find the right materials and processes for their publication. They selected ‘Oxygen’ paper by Eliott Baxter & Company Ltd, which is uncoated and manufactured using 100% post consumer recycled fibre.
Since recycled paper is more textured, we applied a seal on the cover and text. This protects the print from damage whilst maintaining the visual and tactile effects which add to the multi-sensory experience of the magazine.
The belly band around the journal jacket was made from an innovative paper containing vegetable residue, Favini Crush Corn Maize. We applied the sleeve vertically rather than horizontally, to best display the journal’s striking artwork and mirror the unique shape of their logo.
Both issues were made carbon neutral through our partnership with Climate Partner. Through this partnership, Wild Alchemy supports a solar energy offset project in Namibia , which readers can learn about via QR codes found in the magazines.
The first edition of Wild Alchemy was ‘Earth’; the second was ‘Fire’. The next will be ‘Water’ and should be published by Park around the end of 2021.
