Design
Highlander
As an editor for the Highlander magazine, I am involved in multiple steps of its publication. We first brainstorm story ideas including our Scotlight which is essentially our cover story. After, writers choose what they cover and editors delegate the sections such as campus, sports, features, opinions, and 'fun stuff.' Each editor then manages the writing and art that writers create in the context of the whole magazine. I communicate through class time and the app, slack, to make sure their work is moving forward. I edit their writing and art
and then design the spreads (some writers design their own spreads) then, during a circle edit, the whole class gets a chance to point out things that need fixing. From that point on, the spreads move on to more editing by the managing editor and the editor-in-chief until it is finally published and delivered to people's homes. Below are a few spreads and pages that I have designed/edited for the Highlander along with an explanation of my design process.
This spread was one of the first spreads I had edited. My writer designed it and we discussed what kind of art and colors she was going to use. In the end, I chose to not use some elements she initially had like an infographic and art because of the business it created. Instead I enlarged the other pieces of art to create a focal point.
With every issue of the magazine and every writer I worked with, I always learned something new. In this Valentine's Day spread, I struggled a lot with the art and concept of what would be done. In planning with my writer what would be done, we did not have a diligent plan so she created one piece of art, a heart box of chocolates. The art itself was good but it was one piece of art on a white page with writing and I wasn't sure what to do. After our second circle edit with the other editors, I made new art that could be used in the design of the spread. I learned that sometimes things needed to be changed and in design, everything has to do with everything. One piece of art, while it might be really good, won't look great if it's not used properly in the context of its design.
This spread came quite easily and a lot had to do with the great work that the writer produced. The art of the map I was given was already a circle so it seemed obvious to put the other images as circles as well. Originally I thought I would make the art much larger and the images like pin drops on the map but as I began to place the writing on the spread it became clear that there wouldn't be space for that.
In this spread, I juggled with finding a creative way to create a timeline that was also organized, made sense, and didn't look too cluttered. With so many movies and other elements, this was a hard thing to accomplish. Through trial and era, I was able to create the spread shown.
Due to time restraints and poor planning, I had to create this spread without art. This was initially a struggle because I didn't know how to make the design interesting or engaging with only the recipes. I decided to use the ideas of Spring with color to bring life to the spread. While it didn't come out how I had planned it out from the beginning, I adapted my design to create something new.
All That's Lit to Print
As a design editor for All That's Lit to Print, I participated in master copy, designed spreads, and edited other people's spreads. During master copy, the executive board and design editors looked over all of the art and writing that was submitted for the magazine. We decide what pieces of art or writing will be used and
what won't. After based on the stories and ideas told through the art and writing, we match and pair together certain art with certain poems or prose. After master copy, each of us including page editors, design assigned spreads. We edit each others work until it's ready for publication.
