The Smudge: Clay Hickson and Liana Jegers launch publication in reaction to US presidential result

Date
22 February 2017

Illustrator and founder of Tan & Loose Press Clay Hickson and illustrator Liana Jegers have launched a monthly publication The Smudge.

The Smudge with its 60s bubbled typeface masthead looks back to a generation of underground newspapers and is produced in reaction to the US presidential election results. “Suddenly everything felt more urgent and everyone we talked to seemed to be struggling with how to move forward given the political situation in this country,” explain Liana and Clay. “I think many people felt very helpless all of the sudden, and that’s when it seemed so important to spring into action.” The pair utilised their familiar tools spurring them on to print the publication. “The decision to use our printer, despite not really having any design or type experience, seemed like an obvious choice – find the tools you know best and use the hell out of ‘em."

Each issue of The Smudge, covers a varied ground and “while every article isn’t directly about politics, so many decisions we make day to day are starting to feel more politically charged,” the pair tell It’s Nice That. “Whether it’s recycling, eating local, or driving a car, these choices all represent a political stance on an issue. Every choice you make contributes to a stronger sense of your being, so we also want to offer advice or thoughts on to be moving forward from here.”

The first issue of the publication sees Clay and Liana utilise the creative pool of talent they have curated with Tan & Loose Press. “We reached out to people we’ve worked with before and whose work we admired, and other artists who had been expressing the same feelings we suddenly felt, especially true with Nathaniel Russell’s flyer Missing It.”

From 1 March issues will be available to buy each month and as issue one’s cover states, they’re “Just gonna do this until we figure something else out.”

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The Smudge

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The Smudge

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The Smudge

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The Smudge

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The Smudge

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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