Connecting communities: Curatorial approaches in collaborative publication design
Abstract
Traditional editorial design frameworks often reinforce dominant narratives, limiting alternative perspectives and reducing cultural plurality. Standardised systems prioritise singular viewpoints, while overly flexible approaches risk losing coherence. This article examines how a co-design curatorial publishing model can support multivocality in editorial design. The study focuses on Threaded Magazine and its two-decade evolution in fostering practitioner-led inclusivity as the place of inquiry. It investigates how curatorial frameworks can maintain both visual coherence and diverse representation, addressing the challenges of balancing structure and inclusivity. As part of a doctoral qualification, this article documents the first year of a PhD practice-oriented design research project, outlining its development through a key review and approval stage. The study employs two methodological frameworks: close reading, a literary analysis method used in the confirmation of candidature, and creative production, which integrates visualisation and prototyping in the thesis construction phase. The findings contribute to discussions on inclusive editorial design by reconsidering curatorial practice beyond traditional publishing models. Additionally, the study examines how a Māori and non-Māori collaborative framework informs bicultural partnerships in publication design, offering insights into relational and culturally responsive editorial strategies.
References
Barnett, S. (2010). What's wrong with media monopolies? A lesson from history and a new approach to media ownership policy. MEDIA@LSE Electronic Working Papers, 18.
Berryman, M., Ford, T., Nevin, A., & SooHoo, S. (2015). Culturally responsive contexts: Establishing relationships for inclusion. International Journal of Special Education, 30(3), 39.
Bhaskar, M. (2016). Curation: The power of selection in a world of excess. Piatkus.
Bhaskar, M. (2019). The content machine: Towards a theory of publishing from the printing press to the digital network. Anthem Press.
Breakwell, G. M. (2015). The psychology of risk. Cambridge University Press.
Cavannah, M. (2021, January 21). Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing: A guide to the pros and cons. Reedsy. https://blog.reedsy.com/learning/courses/publishing/self-publishing-vs-traditional-publishing/
Coker, J. (2017). The imprints of change: How publishing shapes society. Public Policy & Administration Quarterly, 21(4), 482-501.
Coser, L. A., Kadushin, C., & Powell, W. W. (1982). Books: The culture and commerce of publishing. University of Chicago Press.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Derrida, J. (1976). Of grammatology (G. C. Spivak, Trans.). Johns Hopkins University Press.
Durkheim, E. (1982). The rules of sociological method. The Free Press.
Edwards, R. (2018). Independent publishing and the future of books. Routledge.
Ellis, J. M. (1988). Against deconstruction. Princeton University Press.
Friedman, J. (2016). The business of being a writer. University of Chicago Press.
Gaillard, J. (2007). Aesthetics and identity in visual culture. Routledge.
Gale, M. (2019). Design voice: The role of contrast in communication. MIT Press.
Grieve, F., & Clarke, K. (2022). Threaded magazine: Adopting a culturally connected approach. Revista GEMInIS, 13(2), 105-119.
Grieve, F., & Redmond, M. (2009). The site of publication in contemporary practice. Scope: Contemporary Research Topics (Art & Design, 4).
Grieve, F., & Steagall, M. M. (2024, October). Connecting communities: Curatorial approaches in collaborative publication design. In LINK 2024 Conference Proceedings (Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 54-57).
Heller, S. (2015). Citizen designer: Perspectives on design responsibility. Skyhorse Publishing.
Heller, S., & Vienne, V. (2003). Citizen designer: Perspectives on design responsibility. Allworth Press.
Ings, W. (2015). Disobedient teaching: Surviving and creating change in education. Otago University Press.
Jenkins, H. (2014). If it doesn't spread, it's dead: How the new media spreadability is shaping the media landscape and a new approach to public participation. Columbia Journalism Review, 52(3), 66-79.
Kalantzis-Cope, P. (2020). Introduction: Publishing as a social practice: Considering publishing studies. Information, Medium and Society, 18(1).
Kawasaki, G., & Welch, S. (2018). Disrupting the gatekeepers: How self-publishing is changing the publishing industry. Journal of Cultural Economy, 11(2), 189-207.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (1996). Reading images: The grammar of visual design. Routledge.
Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press.
Laranjo, F. (2017). Modes of criticism. Onomatopee.
Ludovico, A. (2024). Tactical publishing: Using senses, software, and archives in the twenty-first century. MIT Press.
Lupton, E. (2015). Graphic design: The new basics (2nd ed.). Princeton Architectural Press.
Manzini, E. (2015). Design, when everybody designs: An introduction to design for social innovation. MIT Press.
McCoy, J., Rahman, T., & Somer, M. (2018). Polarization and the global crisis of democracy: Common patterns, dynamics, and pernicious consequences for democratic polities. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(1), 16-42.
Miller, L. (2009). The cost of warehousing and distribution for publishers. Publishing Research Quarterly, 25(3), 207-219.
Noam, E. M. (Ed.). (2016). Who owns the world's media?: Media concentration and ownership around the world. Oxford University Press.
Poulin, R. (2011). The language of graphic design: An illustrated handbook for understanding fundamental design principles. Rockport Publishers.
Pouwhare, R. (2020). Indigenous knowledge and research methodologies. Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.
Powell, W. W. (1985). The institutional ecology of publishing. University of Chicago Press.
Redmond, M. (2024). Publishing as a socially engaged zone of relations. Journal of Cultural Studies, 19(1), 45-62.
Rogoff, I. (2013). Curatorial practices in publishing: Collecting, exhibiting, interpreting, and publicising. Journal of Visual Culture, 12(3), 22-38.
Scrivener, S. (2002). The art object does not embody a form of knowledge. Working Papers in Art and Design, 2.
Shoemaker, P. J., & Reese, S. D. (1996). Mediating the message: Theories of influences on mass media content (2nd ed.). Longman.
Smith, A. (2019, December 12). The democratization of publishing: How the internet is changing the way we share stories. Publishing Perspectives. https://publishingperspectives.com/contact/
Smith, J. (2021). The evolution of self-publishing: Digital platforms and the democratisation of the publishing industry. Journal of Digital Publishing, 15(3), 45-60.
Steagall, M. M. (2022, December). Reo Rua (Two Voices): A cross-cultural Māori-non-Māori creative collaboration. LINK 2022 Conference Proceedings, 3(1), 41-44.
Stets, J. E., & Burke, P. J. (2000). Identity theory and social identity theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63(3), 224-237.
Sunstein, C. (2018). #Republic: Divided democracy in the age of social media. Princeton University Press.
Tavares, T., Grieve, F., Clarke, K., & Sheehan, M. (2023). Threaded Edition 21: Exploring Māori creation narratives with augmented reality-animated sonic experiences in publication design. Journal of Pervasive Media, 8(1), 123-142.
Thompson, J. B. (2012). Books in the digital age: The transformation of reading in a hyperconnected world. Polity.
Tinius, J., & Macdonald, S. (2020). Curatorial practices as reflective processes: Expanding the field. Museum and Society, 18(2), 67-84.
Triscott, N. (2017). Transdisciplinary co-inquiry: Curating across disciplines. Journal of Artistic Research, 5(1), 1-12.
Uzuegbunam, C. E. (2020). Concentration of media ownership. In D. L. Merskin (Ed.), The SAGE international encyclopedia of mass media and society (pp. 368-369). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483375519.n144
Vaughan, L. (2018). Designing research practice: Critical reflections on the design thinking research symposia series. Routledge.
Von Bertalanffy, L. (1967). General system theory: Foundations, development, applications. George Braziller.
Wittgenstein, L. (1953). Philosophical investigations (G. E. M. Anscombe, Trans.). Blackwell.
Copyright (c) 2025 Fiona Grieve; Marcos Mortensen Steagall (Translator)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors submitting articles for publication warrant that the work is not an infringement of any existing copyright and will indemnify the publisher against any breach of such warranty. By publishing in LINK PRAXIS Journal, the author(s) agree to the dissemination of their work through the LINK PRAXIS Journal.
By publishing in LINK PRAXIS Journal, the authors grant the Journal a Creative Commons nonexclusive worldwide license (CC-BY 4.0): Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License) for electronic dissemination of the article via the Internet, and, a nonexclusive right
to license others to reproduce, republish, transmit, and distribute the content of the journal. The authors grant the Journal the right to transfer content (without changing it), to any medium or format necessary for the purpose of preservation.
Authors agree that the Journal will not be liable for any damages, costs, or losses whatsoever arising in any circumstances from its services, including damages arising from the breakdown of technology and difficulties with access.