Das Neue Testament als Magazin

Oliver Wurm (Concept & Editor) and Andreas Volleritsch (Design) have for the first time published the entire text of the New Testament (from the German Catholic Einheitsübersetzung or “unified translation”) in the format of a modern magazine. They worked for more than 500 hours, using all manner of typographic tools, to give the “Book of books” a contemporary presentation over 244 magazine pages. In taking on this task, their top communicative goal was to publish the text of the Bible – often described as overly dense – in a highly readable version. In their approach, they were unfettered by theological constraints, and free of missionary zeal. However, key passages have been formatted in such a way that they optically stand out. And through design concepts, single words have taken on the effect of images. Those who examine the passage describing the Sermon on the Mount, for example, can detect a cross atop a hill in the optical layout of the page. The improved readability is supported by the use of modern photography. Of course, not a single word of the German Catholic “unified” translation was omitted or changed, nor new words added. The New Testament as a Magazine (NT Magazine for short) makes it easier for every interested reader to access the text of the Bible.