The challenge

Since 2016, Heads & Tales has partnered with the Art Gallery of New South Wales to produce Look – the bi-monthly magazine for members of the Art Gallery Society of NSW. Distributed across print and digital to more than 30,000 members, the publication plays an important role in connecting audiences to exhibitions, artists and the broader cultural life of the Gallery. 

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Producing Look requires balancing editorial rigour, visual integrity and complex stakeholder management within one of Australia’s most respected cultural brands. At the same time, the publication needs to remain visually engaging, aligned to the Gallery’s evolving identity, and delivered to an exacting production schedule every issue. The process involves multiple rounds of review across artwork, captions and approvals, requiring a highly structured and collaborative production approach behind the scenes. 

Our approach

Over the past decade, we've evolved Look through a combination of design refinement, production discipline and long-term creative partnership. 

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In 2021, we worked alongside the Gallery’s internal design team to implement a redesign aligned to the institution’s updated visual identity, introducing new typographic treatments and design elements while creating a distinct editorial presence for Look itself.  

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Alongside ongoing design, production and print management, we've developed a highly structured workflow to support the realities of a detailed, stakeholder-heavy publication process. Our role has also expanded beyond production, acting as a trusted publishing partner – contributing creative ideas, sourcing illustrators for bespoke editorial features, surfacing audience insights and advising on the future evolution of Look’s digital experience.