The Mission…

As the new art director for University Affairs magazine, I was brought on as their in-house art director to establish a new design process, conceptual approach to the artwork that supports the editorial content, and refresh the look of the magazine and its new sections.

I call this a “refresh” because UA already has an established brand that, based on survey results, their readership has grown to trust and appreciate. A full rebrand was not the solution. Aesthetically,  I tried to find a way to elevate the already existing brand and design with minor tweaks to the production (switching from saddle stitch to perfect bound, changing print-shops for a higher quality and eco-friendly paper) and small adjustments to titler sizes and photo layouts. I also spearheaded the addition of a photo-essay in each issue to give the reader a visual break in a very text heavy magazine.

The biggest change that I implemented was how we conceptualized the artwork for the features of the magazine.  Previously, the magazine had a literal approach to each feature. For example, a feature article in the September issue of the magazine was about the always changing standards put in universities to adhere to the new international student restrictions. The old approach to the artwork would have been very surface-level, maybe a photo of an overworked administrative employee. Through my efforts, we now put a bigger emphasis on the emotion or deep meaning of the article. Using the same article as an example, we wanted to really show the suffocating, crushing weight and burden on higher-education. Together, with a freelance illustrator, we were able to workshop the concept inspired by the adversity and heroism of Greek mythology to connect the reader with the emotion of the piece.