"Current Obsession" is an interview with a student that has a particularly interesting or unusual hobby or obsession. It runs on the back page of every issue of the Brown Alumni Magazine, the 120,000-circulation, 121-year-old flagship publication of Brown University, which is published five times a year.
BAM, as alums call it, reflects the ethos of Brown, something the university's president describes as “constructive irreverence.” To be true to our alumni, we set out to tell stories that are surprising, bold, intellectually rigorous, progressive, and engaged with the world; and we do it in a dense, bold format with a smaller trim size that allows us to mail to all alumni in a cost-effective way.
From the Judges
Highlighting student voices is an important part of any alumni magazine, and “Current Obsession” is one of the most successful, authentic approaches we’ve seen. It’s always a good sign when judges say things like, “I wish I had thought of this.” We especially appreciated the staff’s commitment to, as they write in their nomination, “faithfully preserve the way story subjects actually speak.” The design is equally eye-catching.
