Alec Dudson on the new issue of Intern magazine, which looks at education

Two years ago the much heralded first issue of Intern magazine landed on our desks, having been started as the product of founder Alec Dudson’s own frustration with the placement system, and powered by that of his team. It surprised us all with its bold design, excellently curated features and the sheer quality of its editorial content, creating a platform from which would-be interns can speak, and to be paid for it too.

Now Alec is back with the third edition of the publication, called The Education Issue, and it has become clear that not only will Intern continue to match the success of its debut, it will consistently better it. This issue examines its theme from every perspective imaginable, from considering the financial implications of higher education in the UK, and capturing Eike König’s brilliant Berlin playground, to celebrating Camberwell-based creation studio Camberwell Press which is staffed by recent grads, and talking to Ryan Gander about his dream school.

“We’re always looking to build on what’s gone before and refine the way in which we piece the magazine together,” Alec explains. “I think from content to the physical finish, you can see how we’ve grown since our first outing in late 2013.

“In terms of success, it seems that the major challenge for indie mags is to develop and retain loyal readership, such is the volume of new publications coming out each month. The way in which we work with a totally different set of contributors each time hopefully means that the content is fresh and different enough to keep people coming back.”

This issue was Intern’s first time working with a theme, and it occurred quite naturally through the open submissions policy. “It’s been both challenging and fun to work within that extra parameter and I’m delighted with the results. It’s only natural that education becomes a focal point in a discussion around internships, I think we’ve found some typically intriguing and unexpected insights as usual though. Creating a cover around a theme was new for us as well. I knew early on though that It’s Nice That 2014 Graduate Luke Evans was the man to work with and we’ve had a brilliant reaction to his image so far.”

Diplomatically, he refuses to pick out a favourite feature. “There are some really inspiring, clever and moving pieces in there and the illustration and photography came out beautifully as well. I guess our opening essay is worth mentioning, as again, it’s a first for us to look to set the conversation off so directly through a feature. When looking for a perspective that could consider a number of the facets of the discussion around creative education, we were thrilled to find Sophie Lee, who at the time of writing was an artist, educator and student.

“I think it’s a great indicator of the lengths we go to in order to make something that’s both beautiful and enjoyable as a magazine, but also worthwhile as a resource for emerging creatives.” With a piece about invoicing and how and when to do it, an article exploring the choice between earning and learning, and a rich and diverse collection of up-and-coming creatives featured within it, we can’t help but agree.