I had the opportunity to redesign ALIVE Magazine as they explore a period of rebranding their image. A lot of research was spent on the current "bookazine" market, the styles and trends as well as what made their new brand unique. The result is a clean, modern and feminine aesthetic with beautiful photography and art direction as the focus. The paper was upgraded from a glossy stock to an uncoated matte finish which brings out the color and quality in the photography. All layouts are built on a grid system and incorporate white space and minimal columns of copy for a relaxing experience.
This cover design won the 2016 Great Plains Journalism award for Best Magazine Cover.
Left: Old December 2015 cover. Right: Front and back of the new Volume 15 Issue 1.
The significant changes made to the cover design were cleaning up the coverlines to only include the issue name. The cover used to feature a celebrity portrait every month but the new brand had another direction. We featured local spoken word artist Cheeraz Gorman in a photo by Adrian Walker that reflected the issue theme and new brand style. Other new details were a quote on the back instead of an ad, a white border around the issue, and the spine illustration that changes per issue.
The significant changes made to the cover design were cleaning up the coverlines to only include the issue name. The cover used to feature a celebrity portrait every month but the new brand had another direction. We featured local spoken word artist Cheeraz Gorman in a photo by Adrian Walker that reflected the issue theme and new brand style. Other new details were a quote on the back instead of an ad, a white border around the issue, and the spine illustration that changes per issue.
Above: New clean and feminine designs for the masthead, publisher note, and table of contents. The masthead background corresponds to the issue theme and also goes on the spine each issue to create a collectible quality. The table of contents has a collage effect which allows the reader to get a glimpse of the stories to come.
Another large shift was working in collaboration with businesses who partnered with ALIVE to provide custom content. I worked on the layout and on art directing each of the photo shoots to create unique images that showcased the brands but would appeal to our audience. I also styled the Metro Lighting home decor scene to show our audience's aesthetic.
Check out the full digital issue here:
