Is Not Magazine
Is Not Magazine was an alternative bi-monthly publication in Melbourne, published as a large poster instead of a traditional magazine. The posters measured about 1.5 meters by 2 meters and were posted around the city on public walls and in venues such as cafes, bars, and laundries from 2005 to 2008.
The magazine was created and edited by five young Melbourne writers and designers: Mel Campbell, Stuart Geddes, Natasha Ludowyk, Penny Modra, and Jeremy Wortsman. The first issue appeared on 9 April 2005. After 11 issues and several special editions, Is Not declared itself defunct on 30 August 2008.
Most content came from the editorial team or from local writers and illustrators, but submissions were open to anyone. Writers and artists from other countries, including Finland, the United States, and Argentina, also contributed. Although it was a non-profit project that did not rely on advertising, it funded itself by charging entry fees to issue launches, which were themed parties with live music and entertainment rather than traditional book launches. Is Not could also be bought worldwide through subscriptions and back issues in its online store. It was available only as a full-size poster and used fonts created by the European design studio Underware. Issue four was repackaged as Is Not Take-Away #1, a booklet version kept in full poster size to showcase Underware’s typography.
In October 2007, the magazine produced a special issue with the Melbourne International Arts Festival to celebrate Merce Cunningham. The issue, Who Is Merce Cunningham?, was described as a map-like collection of names, works, events, and places connected to the choreographer and his influence.
The magazine aimed to explore complexity and ambiguity. Each issue presented two overlapping or contradictory themes, and writers and illustrators were encouraged to explore how the two related. The design itself was part of the project—a deliberate editorial experiment. The poster format used edge grid references instead of page numbers, and submissions could be sent by mail, email, SMS, or even written directly on the posters. Some pieces were made so they could be read when photographed with a mobile phone.
Co-designer Jeremy Wortsman summed up the idea: a magazine can be more than words on paper and should inspire curiosity and innovation. Is Not also treated public space as a place for thoughtful engagement, not just advertising, aiming to reach readers as thinkers and citizens who are part of the city.
The project gained international attention. Is Not issue two was featured at the TypeCon design conference in New York, and the magazine appeared at the CMYK Magazine Festival in Barcelona and Colophon 2007 in Luxembourg. It was also recognized in Melbourne’s design scene and contributed to Melbourne’s UNESCO City of Literature submission. In 2009, its work was displayed in The Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria at the State Library of Victoria. Geddes and Wortsman won the 2006 Victorian Premier’s Communications Design Prize for the first six issues. The final issue, All That Glitters Is/Not Gold, was nominated for the Designs of the Year award at the Design Museum in London in 2009.
After Is Not, Geddes and Wortsman founded Chase & Galley, a design studio focused on publication design. Wortsman started the Jacky Winter Group illustration agency and the Lamington Drive gallery in Melbourne, and later stepped back from daily leadership. Modra went on to edit ThreeThousand, a Melbourne weekly email newsletter about subcultures. Ludowyk moved into market and social research, and Campbell helped launch The Enthusiast, an online arts and culture magazine, while continuing work as a journalist focusing on popular culture.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:49 (CET).