Objective
As a group, create a high-quality quarterly magazine distributed by a Sacramento weekly paper that wants to expand. The publication needs to focus on the cultural development of Sacramento. Each quarter, the publication will rotate to focus on a different general subject—these include art, music, food/coffee, design, and community. The magazine is to reach the greater Sacramento region and connect them to the community.
My group is to create the music issue. The music issue should focus on music related events in the greater Sacramento region and engage and educate the community.
As a group, decide on a name, audience, and goals for the magazine and then each individually create design solutions that represent those group decisions.
Each group member is responsible for providing the content of at least one interview or article, as well as photographs to accompany.
Solution
As a group, we decided that our magazine would be called Aurum, the Latin word for gold. This we felt represented both California and the Sacramento region. Aurum’s goal was to inspire and educate Sacramento residents on the culture of the community they live in. We wanted to highlight what makes Sacramento unique and prosperous to its residents. In result of these goals, we determined that our audience was broad. However, we specifically wanted to target an audience in their mid-twenties and older, people who spend money going to community events and enjoying Sacramento culture.
I took a minimal approach to the layout of the magazine, using wide margins and a subtle color palette. I picked both modern and sans serif typefaces to convey the sophisticated tone decided on by the group. I wanted the design to aid readability and engagement, not overpower the content. Each article has its own voice and I used large photos and stylized titles to convey the tone of the article or interview without breaking the grid system so much that it was distracting.
In addition to the design of the magazine, I conducted two interviews, wrote one article and photographed two stories.