hä? magazine
the health magazine without taboos was made for young readers, starting at the age of 16 years. every issue adressed one topic about the human body, e.g. tattoos & piercings or beauty. it was published and distributed by rotpunkt apotheken pharmacies in switzerland from 2012 until 2025.
since the beginning, we were responsible for concept, art direction, design and visual storytelling. the overall appearance was very much inspired by punk fanzines from the 70’s/80’s: handwriting, photocopied and pasted articles and no design grid. due to the newspaper printing, it had a very rough and warm feel.
a trademark of the magazine was its direct and fresh photography style. over the course of 52 issues, we’ve been able to work with and art direct some of the most talented photographers, artists and illustrators.
for more insights, you can listen to our interview at the stack on monocle radio.
in 2025, we published a strictly limited edition book containing all 52 issues. the elaborately produced edition comprises more than 1’000 pages.
project details
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hä? was a health magazine created for young readers aged 16 and over, addressing topics related to the human body that are often surrounded by uncertainty or taboo. published and distributed by rotpunkt apotheken across switzerland from 2012 to 2025, each issue focused on a specific subject, from tattoos and piercings to beauty.
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the idea behind hä? was to communicate health-related topics in a direct, accessible and unpretentious way. rather than adopting the polished look of a conventional health publication, the magazine embraced an open, unconventional visual language that reflected the curiosity and individuality of its young readership.
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inspired by punk fanzines of the 1970s and 1980s, the art direction combined handwriting, photocopied imagery, pasted articles and an intentionally irregular layout without a fixed design grid. printed on newspaper stock, the magazine developed a rough, tactile quality that gave each issue its own character.
direct, fresh photography was central to the visual storytelling. across 52 issues, studio marcus kraft collaborated with a wide range of photographers, artists and illustrators to create an engaging editorial language that balanced informative content with expressive imagery.
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over 13 years, hä? developed into an extensive editorial project comprising 52 issues. in 2025, the complete collection was published as a strictly limited-edition book of more than 1,000 pages, bringing the entire magazine series together in a single publication.
hä? magazine was awarded gold at the art directors club switzerland as well as at the best of corporate publishing competition
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client: rotpunkt apotheken
year: 2012–2025
location: switzerland
format: youth health magazine; complete collected hardcover book edition
services: editorial concept, art direction, editorial design, graphic design and visual storytelling -
concept, art direction & design: studio marcus kraft, editing: rainer brenner
photography & illustration: simon trüb, yves suter, randy tischler, peter hauser, anne morgenstern, eva kurz, fabian unternährer, heji shin, ornella cacace, ryan mc ginley, jamie warren, beni bischof, svenja plaas, marlon ilg, and many more; website: ryan daynes; consulting: christian bobst
rotpunkt apotheken: dr. rudolf andres, monica bürgi, jolanda grepper, milena merazzi, sandra ljubisavljevic, volker hagen, giulia huber