There was a lack of coverage of contemporary art in Oklahoma City, and no modern, local art magazine that gave voice to the city’s growing creative scene. At the same time, as a student designer, I faced my own challenge of not stepping out into the world to gather influence and connect my design work with real experiences.
My solution was to create a contemporary art magazine that balanced modern editorial elegance with pockets of experimental layouts. The design remained consumer-friendly so a wide audience could engage with it, but still carried bold, dynamic energy. To ground the magazine in authenticity, I visited Oklahoma City museums, photographed interactive exhibitions like Factory Obscura, and sought out hidden art across the city to feature throughout the pages.
Project Photos
I produced a full magazine concept from start to finish. This included the masthead, table of contents, event calendar, upcoming artist features, a reusable cover design system for future issues, fictional yet realistic advertisements (designed by me), and three fully written and designed articles. Every element of the magazine—from imagery to layouts—was created, photographed, or designed by me to give the project a cohesive and immersive feel.
This project taught me the immense effort required for editorial design, but also the satisfaction of seeing a full publication come together. I learned that my best work comes when I engage with the world around me—using photography, research, and lived experiences to feed into the design process. On a technical level, I strengthened my ability to balance text and imagery, refine color grading for tone, build dynamic layouts, and tell stories through design. More importantly, I discovered that completion and momentum come more naturally when I approach projects proactively with my mind, body, and soul fully involved.