Quick flick – Kasino Creative Annual

It’s been a year since Kasino put out their first Creative Annual, and now issue two has landed on my desk. The first one was more like a book than a magazine, but Kasino fans won’t be surprised to hear that the format has changed and this second issue is nothing like its predecessor. More a loose brochure than a magazine, it’s printed in black and gold (which looks a bit dull and brown in these pictures, but is really lovely and shiny) and green and red (to pick out bottles of Heineken – their back-page advertiser and I imagine their sponsor for the project).

The idea is to offer a glimpse inside the Kasino world, with big, weird illustrations by Nipa on the right-hand pages and short, clipped notes on the left-hand pages. This first spread tells the story of making the first Creative Annual.

“Sprinting and printing in Spring” – the Creative Annual is published, beer is drunk.

The final illustration – “June 2011. The sign on the Kasino office door is flipped back to ‘Gone Fishin”. The small print contains the clause: ‘However, if you have jobs to do, call us’. Because work makes us tick.”

It’s a lovely update from Pekka, Jussi, Jonathan and co. It feels last minute and dashed off, but in a good way. As with anything I’ve ever seen from Kasino, it’s absolutely packed with personality and fun, and it’s surprisingly dense – every time you look at the illustrations you see another odd/upsetting detail.