Huck (magazine)

Huck is a bi-monthly magazine, website and online video channel that explores stories from across DIY culture. It has been recognized for its style of exploring subcultures as "entry points for articles about music, politics and places all over the world." ^[1] It is published by London-based media company TCOLondon,^[2] which also publishes Little White Lies magazine.

History and rationale

Huck launched in 2006 and was initially inspired by the rebellious heritage of surf and skate with the tagline: "More than just the ride." But over the years, the magazine's coverage has broadened to cover the wider world of DIY-culture.^[2] Founding editor and TCOLondon Publisher Vince Medeiros had previously edited Adrenalin, an adventure sports and lifestyle magazine started by journalist Michael Fordham.^[3]

Speaking in 2006, Vince Medeiros said of the intended readership for Huck: "Our readers will be part of the tribe of surf, skate and snowboard culture, but they will be people who appreciate that there are other things in life."^[4]

The first issue, which featured snowboarder Shaun White on the cover, was delayed by two months after burglars cleared out the magazine’s Shoreditch office, two weeks before the original release date in May 2006.^[4]

The magazine adopted the tagline "Radical Culture" in February 2013. For Huck, radical culture includes anything that challenges the dominant discourse, such as starting a record label or skateboard company "because no one else would give you a shot," editor Andrea Kurland said, explaining the magazine's ethos in 2014. "It’s that DIY attitude that gave birth to everything we admire and love: punk, skateboarding, surfing, activism, hip-hop, outsider art, indie publishing – people who make something happen because they have an urge to make something happen."^[5]

Huck cover stars often co-curate the issue in which they appear, suggesting stories on people, places and moments that inspired them. Dave Eggers, Miranda July, Mark Gonzales, Kim Gordon and Cat Power are among those who have guest-edited Huck.^[5]

Book: Paddle Against the Flow

San Francisco–based Chronicle Books is due to publish the first Huck book, Paddle Against the Flow in Spring 2015. The book brings together the best insights from more than 60 of the most inspiring people Huck has spoken to over the years, along with exclusive photography and art that has come to embody the magazine’s distinct aesthetic, according to Chronicle publicity materials.^[6]

Awards

Huck has won several awards for its design and journalism and was featured in “Graphic Design – Now In Production,” a major international exhibition co-organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York, and the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis that toured the United States from 2011-2014.^[7]

Huck's awards and commendations include:

• Society of Publication Designers (2014) Merit winner in editorial design^[8]
• Art Directors Club (2013) Merit winner in illustration ^[9]
• Amnesty International Media Awards (2012) Special Commendation ^[10]
• D&AD Awards (2010) Yellow Pencil nomination Illustration/Magazine & Newspaper design ^[11]
• The Maggies (2009) Best cover award, Sports and Men’s category ^[12]
• Magazine Design and Journalism Awards (2008) Nominated Best Designed Magazine ^[13]

Distribution

Huck is stocked by leading bookstores and art galleries, including London's Tate Modern and New York's Museum of Modern Art.^[14] It is distributed around the world and available in the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Malta, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Brazil.

Issues

Other publications

• Paddle Against the Flow: Lessons on Life from Doers, Creators, and Culture-Shakers. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2015. ISBN 978-1452138060.

References

External links

• Official Huck website
• TCOLondon website