Publication design · 2026

Mukti — The Magpie

An intimate portrait of a restored Karoo cottage, told through objects, memory and the quietly observant eye of a magpie.

Role: Creative direction · Editorial design · Writing for design

01 · The brief

Create a lasting guest experience for Mukti, a historic cottage in Nieu-Bethesda restored with a deep respect for its Karoo character.

02 · The idea

Treat the house as a collection of clues. Architecture, objects, family stories and handmade marks are gathered into two companion volumes with the wit and curiosity of a magpie.

03 · The outcome

A tactile publication system that feels discovered rather than explained — part archive, part storybook and part object to take away.

Mukti editorial board showing the publication covers, restored cottage, printed collateral, tactile details and a gold seal — 01A collection takes shape

Mukti editorial board combining ink illustrations, publication spreads, gathered objects and details from the cottage — 02Objects, images and stories in dialogue

Mukti system board showing the mailer box, booklets, cards, postcard, calling card, art prints, bookmark, note page and poem — 03A considered system of parts

Mukti editorial board showing typographic spreads from The Magpie booklet, including house, Karoo, objects and collection pages — 04Typography sets the rhythm

Mukti editorial board showing photographed spreads from the Mukti booklet, including interiors, objects and the cottage landscape — 05Photography carries the atmosphere

This working edition uses a deliberately concise project story. Jean’s original image archive remains available in full.

View the original archive

Next project

//Hui !Gaeb — Where Clouds Gather

Editorial design · 2025