Poetry Aotearoa Series

Poetry New Zealand Yearbook (renamed Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook in 2023) is the country’s longest-running poetry magazine, showcasing new writing from Aotearoa and overseas.

It presents the work of talented newcomers and developing writers as well as that of established leaders in the field.

Designed for Massey University Press, Poetry 17 was designed with Thomas Le Bas and Fay McAlpine, and 18, 19 and 20 ongoing collaborations between Tom and I. 21 and 22 were solo projects (Thomas now being a busy design manager in Canada). Poetry 23 was a collaboration Thomas Cumming and Krista Barnaby. 

It pops! Everyone I’ve shown it to so far agrees that not only is it a beautiful piece of design, but that it draws the eye to an extraordinary degree …

Lovely feedback on Poetry 18 from Dr Jack Ross, Editor of Poetry NZ

Design notes

The 17—22 covers used the number/letterforms as the central parameter for cover design. 2023 saw a departure from this. We had been wondering for some time about how to emphasise the theme of the collection, so we moved the system to draw on evocative words that were used in the introduction. Afterburn won over in 2023, and from that came a murky, moving volcanic marbled print and a new type treatment. 2024 followed this convention, with the name Revalations and a colourway to suit the tone.