Deek Magazine, in print from October 2003 to May 2006, was an experiment in subversive publishing. Founded originally as an online zine by Editor-in-chief Matt Stroud, when Deek went to paper in 2003 a scant 200 black and white copies were printed. art:product was tapped to design the publication beginning with the third issue, the Curse Incident. Shortly thereafter art:product became a partner in the business as Nate Boguszewski took the helm as creative director and co-publisher. By the end of publication, Deek was full-color, nationally distributed, reached about 125,000 readers and still, as ever, available for free on the streets. Deek ceased publication in the Summer of 2006 when core staffers decided it was simply time to move on.
We called them not issues but Incidents. With each Incident, the design and subject matter of the magazine changed, directly relating the artistic to the editorial content. For example, the Race Incident was done in a style reminiscent of 1861. The gag therein: things haven’t changed much since then. The How-To Incident required the reader to assemble the magazine, Self-Destruct fell apart upon opening, Madness required the removal of pages in a reverse onion skin pattern.