HOLO’s transformation begins with its core architecture—the ‘spaces’ that organize content into thematic and/or functional sections and provide the editorial framework of the magazine. They dictate not only how we navigate—and fill!—a publication; they set the pace for how things flow from page to page.

In HOLO 1 and 2, the architecture reflected what the magazine was designed to do: meet creative practitioners in their studios and explore emergent themes. Both issues (Model 1) feature two sizeable clusters of Encounters (A1, A2)—long-form interviews and studio visits—separated by a sprawling research section, Perspective (B), containing essays, surveys, and commentary. More complementary, Grid (C) set foot into nascent hybrid spaces—digital art galleries, creative incubators at scientific institutions—while Frames (D) examined emergent tools and tech. Stream (F) compiled news gathered during production and closed each issue by situating it in time.

With HOLO 3, we’re outgrowing that rigid formula. Years into navigating disciplinary interstices, we began to notice—and question—some of the hard lines we’d drawn in our magazine (e.g. why are artists and designers segregated from, for example, curators, researchers, and toolmakers?) Eager to build bridges within the magazine’s architecture, we became increasingly interested in aligning things with an overarching theme. Hence, a lot of work went into streamlining and consolidating—from tightening studio visits while expanding the space for inquiry (Model 2) to tying Grid and Frames closer to the research section (Model 3). The work on HOLO 2.5 was pivotal—as it came into focus, so has HOLO 3. The more we leverage this expanded online space for episodic interviews, profiles, and news, the further future print editions can lean into a single unifying theme (Model 4). Like a yearbook, “The Annual” will dig deep into a pressing topic, drawing on and responding to the stories we now share on HOLO.mg.