A.S. Strategy, Branding & Communication - Antonia Skaraki

With sophisticated brand strategies and innovative packaging, A.S. Advertising has been impressing international clients from many industries with its unique style since its founding in 2012. The independent Metaphorm project shows how the team pushes boundaries in print projects. With a keen sense for oversized formats, they created a magazine that paints an authentic portrait of the people of Vietnam 50 years after the war ended. The magazine compels readers to pause and let the materiality sink in.

Interview with Antonia Skaraki

Red Dot: Metaphorm stands out thanks to its unusual format – one has to make space for this magazine. Was that your intention?

The photographs show the everyday life of the locals. But we wanted to achieve something that transcends the everyday. The viewer is invited to change their role, and to look closely, discover and remember. In this way, the magazine simulates a kind of gallery in which huge, immaculate walls house disproportionately small works in order to intensify observation. We use the pages as a theatrical stage for the narrative: sometimes with a strict frame in which the motifs are placed, sometimes by removing these natural boundaries so that the motif extends beyond the edge.

This is already the second issue of the magazine. What criteria did you use to select the topics?

The selection is guided entirely by emotions. We don’t start with goals. Instead, we clear our minds, remain open and allow our hearts and minds to become receptive. The strongest impulses did not come from rare landscapes or historical monuments, but from people. Especially people whose lives are far removed from the comforts and privileges of the Western world. The first edition was inspired by the joy and light-heartedness of children in Mozambique and Madagascar, who are happy despite their poverty. This second edition bears witness to a daily life that moves forward and yet repeatedly plunges into memories of war. So in answer to your question: the subject chooses us, not the other way around.

All photographs were taken with an iPhone. How does this contribute to the aesthetics?

When selecting motifs, we view photography as a pure means of expression, free from corrective interventions. This decision enables an unpretentious and honest dialogue with the viewer, preserving the captivating authenticity of the moment. The images take advantage of the spontaneity and unobtrusiveness of the device, allowing us to capture life unfiltered and alive.

What does materiality mean to you and your work?

Design, format, paper and print come together to create a sensorial environment. The sound of turning different types of paper, the feel and weight of the printed object, the changing layouts that captivate the reader’s gaze, the scent of the printing inks – all of these elements transform the viewing experience into one that appeals not only to the eyes but to all the senses.