t2 goes 24 pages from January 1, would you consider designing the first issue?
Hmmmm, let me give it a thought...
What about a special issue on 24 of your most beautiful people and things?
That’s a thought. But would I get to choose the pictures and decide on how the pages will look?
Of course.
Cholo dekha jak... (Let’s see how it goes)
That’s how Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s Ode to Beauty was born. And that’s what you hold in your hands, the first issue of a 24-page t2.
The brainstorming began one December midnight, in the candle-lit drawing room of his Hungerford Street apartment. Deciding the 24 categories was the first step. Lists were made, unmade, made again. Then, the 24 winners were put down. That was a breeze because Sabya knew exactly what and who he wanted. “Shouldn’t we have some others who came close?” he asked. Enter, three names for each category. Again, short and swift.
Half the job was done, but the better (and harder) half remained. Finding the perfect photograph for Mr Perfectionist was a — dare we say — pain. His brief? “All old-fashioned portrait style, black and white or sepia”. Days of photo research and hours of production meetings later, he rejected some and selected the ones you will now turn to.
What about the pages? Simple design, not fussy, not messy. “Only clean lines, neat fonts and dark orange and coffee colours.” Almost as if he was deciding the borders for a sari.
The style bit done, it was time for the substance. We researched the matter and placed it in front of him. Again, he knew exactly what words he wanted where.
When the final pages were shown to him, he really liked what he saw. Hope you do too.
Happy New Year!