Process Magazine can only be described as a hidden gem in the creative industry — not only do they shine a spotlight on creative happenings that often go under the radar in the fields of architecture, music, art, politics and more, they are also exclusively a print magazine in an increasingly digitized world. From the time we spoke to them, they just released their first volume and we believe it's only onward and upwards from here!
What inspired the creation of this magazine?
We think that it's important to document and archive ideas by creatives from Malaysia and across the region. When we had our initial idea for the project, we felt that a print magazine was the perfect format in this regard as we wanted something tangible and not ephemeral - no expired URLs or misplaced data in the long run. However, there's definitely an element of bias as we personally enjoy reading via print rather than on a screen.
What was the criteria behind choosing the creatives who feature in the first volume?
Well, we wouldn't say there was a hard criterion when it came to choosing the people we featured in Volume One. At its core, Process is all about the ideas and stories behind the projects we hear about and find interesting. If something fits within the context of our desired narrative, then that's definitely a good first step. We ideally want to give creatives the time and space to really explain their ideas via our long-form interview format.
How did you bring the magazine abroad?
Well, the short answer is that it was a mixture of luck and elbow grease; we are lucky to have friends who live across the globe that helped us to build relationships with overseas stores and galleries. Other than that, we sent out many cold emails to countless vendors abroad - thankfully some of them were receptive and we are forever grateful for their belief in our brand. This project would not be a reality if it weren’t for their support.
Who’s the team behind the brand?
Process Magazine consists of both Shafiq and myself, Kong Hui. We used to be flatmates back when we were studying in Melbourne and we always talked about starting something together back home. I also knew that he was the only person crazy enough to take the risk of starting a print magazine in a digital world, so it made perfect sense, really.
When we had our initial idea for the project, we felt that a print magazine was the perfect format in this regard as we wanted something tangible and not ephemeral - no expired URLs or misplaced data in the long run.
Do you think you’ll be digitizing ‘Process’ anytime soon, or it is planning to remain solely a print publication?
We are huge advocates of printed matter, so Process will always remain a print publication. However, I do think that in today's media landscape, it would be interesting to see how Process evolves over time. Ideally, we want to make our content accessible without sacrificing the quality of the written work and content that we provide. Given the size of our team, we have to really consider a lot of factors. But you never know!