Design is a cornerstone of print journalism that can transform stories into visually compelling experiences, and I’ve worked hard to hone my skills in layout, typography and visual storytelling to elevate every page.
My Experience
As Editor-in-Chief of a print magazine, design is as integral a part of my experience in journalism as writing itself. While I love writing articles, I know that they can only truly fulfill their potential impact through visually compelling designs. As such, my skills in writing and editing have grown alongside my skills in design, creating a monthly edition that compels the deep-readers and flip-through-ers alike.
Upon stepping into the role of Editor-in-Chief with my co-editor Celia Brown, we knew that design could play an even greater role in making an impact on our readers. So, we worked tirelessly to innovate a new design scheme that could elevate The Spartan Shield to a new level of artfulness, adding a creative flare to boost readership and create a cohesive magazine.
Upon stepping into the role of Editor-in-Chief with my co-editor Celia Brown, we knew that design could play an even greater role in making an impact on our readers. So, we worked tirelessly to innovate a new design scheme that could elevate The Spartan Shield to a new level of artfulness, adding a creative flare to boost readership and create a cohesive magazine.
Cover Story Design
Upon taking on the role of Editor by myself this year, I was tasked with creating the cover story schemes and designing them using online design tools Canva and Adobe Photoshop. Below are some of the cover story designs I produced myself, including the covers, inside covers and article pages.
January Edition, 2025
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November Edition, 2024
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September Edition, 2024
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Other Designs
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Design Process
Design is not something that can simply be taught—it's a feeling, one that I have worked to capture again and again on the dozens of design pieces I've worked on. First, I examine the tone of a piece—is it investigative? Lighthearted? Impactful? Design should never contradict a piece of writing, so ensuring that it complements the article on the page is extremely important.
Once I've determined a color scheme and general idea of the design, I like to consult our staff design inspiration document. On this slide show, my staff and I can contribute color swatches, magazine designs, graphics and anything else by which we find ourselves inspired. This document, to me, symbolizes our team's effort to create a cohesive magazine each month that is a reflection of our teamwork and collaboration skills.
From then, I get busy designing. My favorite design tool in Canva, and I love utilizing the dozens of unique apps that can elevate designs to have a professional edge. However, I love using Adobe Photoshop and Procreate when I need a hand drawn element to complete a vision.
Once I've determined a color scheme and general idea of the design, I like to consult our staff design inspiration document. On this slide show, my staff and I can contribute color swatches, magazine designs, graphics and anything else by which we find ourselves inspired. This document, to me, symbolizes our team's effort to create a cohesive magazine each month that is a reflection of our teamwork and collaboration skills.
From then, I get busy designing. My favorite design tool in Canva, and I love utilizing the dozens of unique apps that can elevate designs to have a professional edge. However, I love using Adobe Photoshop and Procreate when I need a hand drawn element to complete a vision.
Editing our Photo of the Month for our back cover through Adobe Photoshop.
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Our staff design inspiration slides are a great way to generate themes, color schemes and unique typography ideas when creating a design.
Canva is home base for the dozens of designs that go into each edition. Here, our staff can collaborate to create designs that fit each of our visions.
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