Three hundred editions means 300 attempts at wooing readers on the streets. Our Art Director, Bretton Bartleet, explores a rich (and sometimes risky) visual history.

Covers! Every magazine has one; some are more effective than others. Sometimes it is only possible to make an informed judgment about a cover’s success or failure after a particular edition has come and gone. It is an inexact science. There is no magic formula. I think of it as a visual house of cards, with you – the reader – being the ultimate arbiter of success.
Over almost 12 years and 300 issues, The Big …

Charlie Sublet, a past contributor to The Big Issue, has long been intrigued by Burma and wanted his photographs to reflect the peaceful side of the nation, rather than the violent oppression that also exists. “I just wanted to photograph the people, the places … to try and highlight the common bond between us all,” he says. “I did say to myself that the only way I could justify going there, given the debate about whether tourists should go there, was if I could do something with my photographs to help raise awareness about the country.”

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