Print Shocker: Vangardist Magazine Cover Inked With HIV + Blood

An Austria-based publisher has done the unthinkable by printing the cover of a magazine's special issue with blood from HIV positive people.

 Men's magazine Vangardist is published in both German and English. For the special edition which features stories of HIV survivors, the magazine's publisher used blood from three people infected with HIV, who are also featured in the issue. The objective was to convey to readers that it is alright to hold a HIV person and to initiate discussion about HIV and AIDS.

"With 80% more confirmed cases of HIV being recorded in 2013 than 10 years previously, and an estimated 50% of HIV cases being detected late due to lack of testing caused by social stigma associated with the virus. This felt like a very relevant issue for us to focus on not just editorially but also from a broader communications stand point," Julian Wiehl, Publisher and CEO of Vangardist said,

Jason Romeyko, Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Switzerland said, "With this unique project, we want to create a response in a heartbeat by transforming the media into the very root of the stigma itself - by printing every word, line, picture and page of the magazine with blood from HIV+ people. By holding the issue, readers are immediately breaking the taboo."

The magazine's regular printers did not agree to print the issue. The publisher had to then go with a small print shop, which incidentally printed the first issue of the magazine. Romeyko and his team also decided to seal the magazine in a pouch with the label 'Break the seal to break the stigma.'

The publisher printed 3,000 copies of the special issue. Many of these copies will be auctioned for charity. Another 15,000 copies are set to be printed in regular ink.