Layout
Art Direction
Timeline
6 weeks
Tools
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Skills
Illustration
A magazine for people who are interested in fashion and culture—but want to know more than just the exclusive world of luxury brands—instead seeking to inform its readers on a wider range of topics related to culture, history, and current events.
Challenge
For those with an interest in all aspects fashion and its culture, reading material—and especially magazines—can be frustratingly narrow in range. The big names we all know—Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W—are relentlessly elitist and limited to luxury brands. There is a significant lack of fashion publications that offer an educated look both into streetwear and luxury labels, as well as a gap when it comes to a wider range of topics relating to fashion (i.e. culture, history, current events, etc.)
Background
Fashion is an endlessly intriguing realm, branching out and relating to many different areas of our lives. It is interwoven with culture, politics, history, the environment, representation, and identity. From an anthropological and historical standpoint, it’s a meaty subject, but also hugely appealing hugely for its artistic nature and aesthetic value. Plus, it’s just plain fun. Fashion is something that influences all of us, and there are endless avenues to be explored, unpacked, and marveled at.
Solution
From these insights, and a personal craving for more from fashion publications, I created the magazine Material. The intention was to develop something both intellectual—a slightly anthropological take—and irreverent. I wanted to break from purely traditional high-end format of Vogue and include a wide range of content. To be sure, luxury brands still merit attention, so I didn’t exclude them completely, but rather included them in conjunction with stories from different perspectives.
My goal was to create and brand a publication that has a unique take on fashion culture, covering new angles and perspectives, and telling stories that might not otherwise be told.
Process
Making sure I hit the right tone and found fitting content for this magazine was a substantial undertaking. I was overwhelmed by the number of articles about current trends and celebrity fashion, and it took some time to navigate through these to find the right mix of “intelligent” articles without veering off into the realm of boring. There is a large emphasis on photography in this magazine, and I curated images that were bold and impactful, since the aesthetic value of fashion is one of its biggest draws. The layouts feature large and unconventional typography which steer away from the accustomed format of article titles.
Make it stand out.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Summary
I consider this magazine a success because it fills a gap in content that has long existed in fashion publications. The end result was something that includes the most interesting aspects of fashion, while introducing some irreverence and playfulness into the mix. This magazine is meant to both examine fashion from new perspectives, but also take it off its current elitist pedestal, and I believe that Material accomplishes both tasks.
Next steps
I consider this magazine a success because it fills a gap in content that has long existed in fashion publications. The end result was something that includes the most interesting aspects of fashion, while introducing some irreverence and playfulness into the mix. This magazine is meant to both examine fashion from new perspectives, but also take it off its current elitist pedestal, and I believe that Material accomplishes both tasks.