Abstract Magazine is a free, award-winning quarterly lifestyle and culture publication, designed, produced in Hawai'i. It is created as a vehicle to help cultivate a new generation of designers and post-graduates. Oftentimes,
these emerging professionals have technical skill but lack real-world experience and struggle to find work.
Hawai‘i’s top creative talent–senior graphic designers and art directors from local advertising agencies, city magazines, and universities--partner with these recent graduates to offer guidance and mentorship. Emerging designers then receive Abstract’s creative content (words and images) to work with and style as they see fit, creating original design spreads for the publication.
The result is a beautiful publication that emerging designers can add to their portfolio, connections with mentor designers and a network of resources that may help keep these creative professionals on-island.
My role in this magazine is multi-faceted. From the day we conceived this magazine, I've been on hand to help this project get off the ground alongside our editor, design staff as well as our mentors and mentees by providing misc. graphic design, advertising, photography & editorial whenever needed.
The spread below was the first issue where I worked alongside one of our designers with his spread, providing copy for the epilogue as well as the imagery, which is actually a photo of me.
Before our mentor/mentee program was established, our first couple of issued called for many of us in the design industry on Oahu to take on misc. roles, designing spreads ourselves. Here's one of my first which marks a series of historical events in Honolulu's Chinatown district which flowed over 4 separate pages throughout the magazine.
The "Midnight" themed issue allowed me the freedom to create a full-spread photo essay which I shot, designed and wrote. I chose to shoot an image of the house my mom grew up in which over time has become overgrown and dilapidated but still holds great memories.
An on-location shoot with the World Wide Window Cleaning team for our "Hardcore" issue of Abstract.
Another on-location shoot for a stand-up paddle board article in the second issue of Abstract.
