NZ Life & Leisure
“It was always a rewarding experience to be asked by Yolanta to do a photographic shoot for L&L.
“Importantly for me, she would make herself available to discuss the brief and talk through various strategies, which often made the shoot more challenging but, without fail, produced a better result.
“One of her many strengths was juxtaposing images, which invariably made each image stronger than it would have been used by itself or with the wrong pairing. She also introduced me to the idea of negative space being an important element in photography, a concept I have embraced in many aspects of my work.”
This iconic New Zealand lifestyle magazine was conceived jointly by editor Kate Coughlan and art director Yolanta, with the inaugural issue launched in May 2005. Yolanta’s design stood the test of time with consistently beautiful layouts starring visually arresting photography of how New Zealanders choose to live. In Yolanta’s hands, the magazine told its stories as powerfully visually as it did with words. Her ability to inspire the country’s finest photographers to go the extra mile and strive to give her their best work arises from her in-depth briefings, consistently detailed feedback and the use of their work to its absolute best. They loved to please her and loved to see their work in her layouts.
For her NZ Life & Leisure work, Yolanta won many accolades over the years, including Designer of the Year and Magazine of the Year (MPA Awards 2006), Best Use of Photography, Best Cover and Best Designer, Gold at Pride in Print 2014, and finalist in Magazine of the year in Voyager Media Awards 2020.
“I have worked for Yolanta for two decades. She is a brilliant art director with awesome precision. She’s super fun to work with, crafting visually compelling narratives that resonate with brands and stand the test of time. I could always reach her, even calling her on location for adaptations or insights in testing situations. She’s a quick thinker with endless energy and can multitask like a virtuoso conductor – always direct, always on point.”
— Tessa Chrisp, photgrapher
Video interviews
Yolanta can also create content, including writing stories (especially travel stories) and shooting videos. Here is a video interview with an award-winning printing press expert and avid collector, Willy Coenradi. She would often film and edit ‘extras’, helping to draw readers to the digital platform, thisNZlife.co.nz