Filling Station

Canada’s experimental lit magazine.

The filling Station society is a collective with about 25 people behind the scenes bringing you the magazine three or four times a year, as well as various Calgary literary events. At the end of 2012, I was approached by the managing editor looking for a redesign. Our goal was to strike a visual balance between literary chapbook and commercial magazine, while fulfilling the fS mandate to consistently provide an exciting contrast to more traditional arts journals.

The editorial team was open to change in all areas except the logotype, which was created back in 1993 by the founding group of University of Calgary students. I did, however, sneak in a sort of secondary trademark using a blocky slab serif by Chilean designer Daniel Hernandez at Sudtipos Type. Conceptually, it works well with the idea of “filling” something: when the counters disappear, the letters become abstracted, testing legibility. 

I’ve been adapting art featured in the interior for use on the covers: Kara Sievewright on the cover of issue #55, Tim Fitts on #56, Natascha Stellmach on #57, and Zachari Logan on #58.