Design

 (9/2024) This entry is important to me because it was the first ever professional spread that I have worked on for the publication and showcases the start of my journey in design, where I am still experimenting with my style and layouts. I approached this project by looking at other feature spreads on the publication to get an idea of layouts and how to make my work more interactive and visually appealing for readers. Some challenges I faced during this project included gathering all of my media for the spread in order to put it together as some elements were weren’t submitted to me yet making it difficult to visualize the project and determining where certain elements would go on the page as new additions arrived

 (11/2024) This entry is important to me because before going into this spread I had never worked on any sports related projects which made this such a unique experience to add to my portfolio. I approached this project by doing research on sports spreads, looking at numerous magazines and booklets to get an idea of how others have approached similar projects in the past with different layouts and design elements. Some difficulties I encountered in this project would include having to rearrange my layout as it did not fit the guidelines of the spread overall, creating a cluttered look. 

 (12/2024)  This entry is important to me because it allowed me to reflect on my personal values and beliefs through my designs. I approached this project by looking on the Scholastic website for the 2023 winners of the ‘Editorial Cartoon sponsored by the The Herb Block Foundation’ for inspiration with my submission, allowing myself ample time to really discuss the political injustices of the 21st century and add my own perspective to it. Some difficulties I encountered includes finding an idea that was unique to the previous work on the website which consisted of policies like abortion, gun violence and LGBTQ+ rights, but ultimately I was able to create something that expressed my exclusive views on the political dilemmas of todays world. 

 (2/2025) This entry is important to me because it was one of the more challenging spreads that I was assigned this year, teaching me a lot about layouts and the importance of planning as a design staffer. I approached this project by looking at the photos for this spread because I wanted the story to be photo heavy to display the emotion of the article, being Senioritis. I then pursued photo heavy spreads in other magazines for inspiration on layouts and design. Some difficulties I encountered included experimenting multiple times to ensure the spread wasn’t overwhelming or awkward to look at.

(2/2025) This entry is important to me because it mirrored the potential of a minimalistic yet effective spread and how it shouldn't be deemed as "bad design." I approached this spread by building off of a layout that highlighted the well-designed graphic, showing off the main concept of the story, Academic Rivalries. With that being at the top of the design hierarchy, I built the rest of the spread to complement the graphic, avoiding excessive elements while encouraging pull and inline quotes to showcase important statistical information. A difficulty I encountered was the off-putting amount of white space remaining.

(4/2025) This entry is important to me because it was accomplished in a time crunch with a lack of completed elements and other necessary resources. I approached this project by looking for inspiration online, since it was notably my first feature story. Since the photography for this spread was extremely detailed yet expressive, I wanted it to be the prime focus of the story because it provides visual background information to the reader before they even engage with the complementary copy. Some difficulties I encountered included getting the proper materials such as the copy and long-awaited photos in time, which delayed my start.