The Plant redesigns with new masthead by Seb McLauchlan

Barcelona-based horticulture magazine The Plant has redesigned for its twelfth issue, featuring a newly drawn masthead by designer Seb McLauchlan.

Led by creative directors Isabel Merino and Carol Montpart, the new “more mature” design includes a change in typography throughout – featuring fonts Verdigris and Union – and a more “immersive scale” to the imagery. The latest issue also incorporates a new short story section, replacing a portion dedicated to a specific plant.

“It’s been seven years since we launched the first issue of The Plant and after all this time we felt that the design needed to evolve; just as we and the content have evolved too,” The Plant team tells It’s Nice That. “This is not a redesign from scratch, more of a development that keeps the same spirit and soul of the project.”

The team felt the masthead needed a strength that reflected both the spirit and the quality of material within the magazine. “Our initial thoughts were that the masthead should have some relationship to the typography within the magazine, and, like the rest of the design, it should feel like a natural evolution,” says The Plant team.

London-based graphic designer Seb McLauchlan tested various directions, eventually settling on an alphabet inspired and adapted from the work of Jean-Francois Rosart. “Rosart’s work has a vibrancy and detail that feel particularly suited for display use – every letter has a strong sense of visual movement and elegant details that give a pleasing complexity to each word,” says Seb.

The magazine relaunches with two photographic covers by Nobuyoshi Araki and Sam Rock. The former is a shot from a floral series for the magazine and the latter image was taken in the magazine’s hometown of Barcelona. “We are very happy with the covers and feel together they’re the perfect way to signal a new, exciting phase for the magazine,” The Plant team adds.