Experience was never meant to market Northeastern directly. Its job was to reach readers who seek out excellent journalism, the audience of The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine, and give them journalism just as good that happened to come from Northeastern. When the university brought the magazine to print, I led the design of the new edition, from the trim size and design system to the cover and every page of the first issue. I then directed six more issues, each 80+ pages, with a circulation of 80,000.

The challenge
People get endless content online and very little in the mail. A print magazine stands out by definition, and it stays on a coffee table, kitchen counter, or office credenza long after a single article has scrolled past. Print could do things the website couldn't: signal quality to the people who received it and serve as a takeaway at university events. To do that, the design had to say "prestige journalism" on every page, not "university publication."

The approach
I chose a large trim size that gives photography and illustration room to carry the story. I built a design system with a sophisticated, luxurious tone that could flex from issue to issue across subjects as varied as computer science, biology, psychology, and the humanities. I directed the cover portrait for the first edition and commissioned photography and illustration throughout, working within a $60k annual production budget and with guidance from Marketing and Advancement.

Results

• CASE Circle of Excellence Gold for magazine design, 2023

• Society for News Design Award of Excellence for page design, 2021

• Society for News Design Award of Excellence for commissioned illustration, 2022