Audrey Solomon: Design, Publishing and Sustainability

The MA Publishing alumni on her journey through the masters to Condé Nast Germany

Born and raised in Switzerland, Audrey Solomon, a graphic designer and recent graduate from the MA Publishing programme at LCC, now finds herself in Munich at a position that perfectly combines her professional skills and educational background–an art production designer for Condé Nast Germany.

“My experience till now has been with independent niche publications, I want to see how I can use that to impact a big commercial,” she says. After completing her undergraduate degree in graphic design Audrey worked at small-scale publishing houses for a few years, focusing on historical archives in art and photography. This piqued her interest in the world of publishing and led her to pursue the 15-month masters programme through the first two waves of the pandemic.

Stepping into the first semester, Audrey quickly realised the shift from work back into education could be tricky, especially with a course that focuses heavily on group work and collaboration. “Everyone had different levels of experience but we adapted to play into our individual strengths, it definitely took some discipline to get back into that rhythm,” she adds. The module on Context that explores publishing theoretically further encouraged her to tap into a new vein. While Audrey was comfortable with the unit on Content that was design-oriented, the former strengthened her academic research and writing skills, preparing her to re-enter the workforce. The final module in the first semester titled Audience appeared the most challenging for her with its strategic focus on marketing, yet in hindsight it equipped Audrey with consumer-facing skills that she may not have otherwise developed.

“Personally, one of the highlights is the guest lectures through the course, it gave us insight into the inner workings of small and large scale publishing houses. I especially enjoyed the lecture by Annie Underwood, Production Manager at Penguin Adult,” she says, adding that it was an interactive session less than a one-sided talk. Despite Covid-19 restricting long hours of offline workshop experience, the media school’s expansive publishing equipments became a close second favourite for Audrey, particularly the environmentally friendly risograph. Unsurprising then that this interest in sustainability segued into the theme for her final major project as well. Audrey investigated “into how independent magazines measure, compare and improve environmental impacts in their production and the relevance of environmental frameworks and certifications to do so.”

Being cognisant of the climate crisis, the 27-year-old wrote a 14,000 word piece on how eco-conscious the production processes of small, niche magazines are through semi-structured interviews with printers, indie mags and industry experts. Through this she discovered that third party auditing frameworks are often inapplicable to small businesses and that the latter lack funds and sufficient access to resources to publish sustainably. “The course prepared us well to tackle a project of this magnitude and my tutor’s guidance helped a lot. However I also feel it comes down to individual working style, my previous work experience helped me organise my time better,” Audrey says.

Finally, as advice to students currently on the course and for those looking to apply, the Condé Nast employee adds, “try to explore each aspect of the course; such a holistic approach can benefit you beyond the traditional course material. And make sure to meet people, network and participate in UAL’s brilliant societies and clubs for postgrads”.

To see Audrey’s work, please visit her website: www.audreysolomon.com or get in touch with her on Instagram: @morenwyn.