The Stack Awards: Best use of illustration

With only four days to go before the big night, it’s time to take a closer look at the magazines shortlisted in the Best use of illustration category.

In this category the judges have been looking for the best, most characterful, most distinctive illustrations published in independent magazines this year. Read on and find your favourite!

Amuseum (London)
Started by London-based illustrator Dan Stafford, Amuseum magazine is filled to the brim with vibrant, playful illustrations that perfectly complement the written content.

Buffalo Zine (London)
With its delicate twirls, embellished frames and initials, Buffalo Zine is a dreamy counterweight to the clean lines of much contemporary editorial illustration.

Guts (Dublin)
Handing over each issue to a single illustrator, Dublin’s magazine of confessional writing provides its artists with the sort of space and freedom they can often lack outside of their own personal work.

Hot Rum Cow (Edinburgh)
A magazine for people who really love their booze, Hot Rum Cow successfully mixes different styles of illustration to make the magazine a fun and inspiring read.

Little White Lies (London)
Old-timer Little White Lies is renowned for its illustrated covers and immaculate use of illustration, which sets a unique tone issue after issue.

The Ride Journal (London)
The Ride Journal’s personal cycle stories are brought to life with exclusively commissioned artwork that makes every issue stand out from the crowd.

Shelf Heroes (London)
Each issue of movie magazine Shelf Heroes is based around a different letter of the alphabet, with writers and illustrators creating pieces of work inspired by movies beginning with the letters A, B and C coming soon.

Spring (Hamburg)
With its avant garde approach to contemporary illustration, the German artist collective Spring’s annual publication is an illustration-lover’s dream.

Stadtlichh (Hamburg)
A mix of collage, drawings, painting and computer illustration helps Stadtlichh add an extra dimension to the stories told on their pages.

Weapons of Reason (London)
A magazine that uses illustration to explain and elucidate, Weapons of Reason aims to provoke action by making complex issues more accessible for the reader.

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