8. Commune Magazine
Brand
Design Brand StrategyEditorial DesignArt DirectionCommune is a magazine for a life worth living. Juxtaposing history and critical theory with pop culture, Commune is a brand without reserves–a theory and analysis publication as a lifestyle magazine.
As Brand Designer for Commune, I partnered with stakeholders, and built the brand’s DNA, character, positioning, look and feel, and art direction. I established a visual identity with its winks to journalism and radical history. A series of hi/low juxtapositions and historical references create a graphic language that answers the stakeholders call for a radical popular journal which could feel at home in the same browser tab as Teen Vogue or Nylon, as it would alongside Jacobin or the Nation. While the brand’s business strategy hinged on sitting within the ecosystem, the art and design direction aimed to stand out amongst political publications that had no taste. Resting on the pillars “critical, insightful, solid, and passionate”, I helped drive the magazine’s popular direction, recommending features in longform theory content, alongside art directed editorial photography, and curated film, and music reviews.
Leading with the wordmark, the visual identity features an italic O, emphasizing the prefix “co” in commune, and drawing on the etymology as “being-together.” The fundamentally disturbed letterforms of the wordmark and masthead create contrast with the pop culture color palette and strong photo art direction. I used elegant roman typography alongside heavyweight extended geometric sans, using oversized type moments to create form throughout my editorial design system. My art direction was inspired heavily by ‘70s era counterculture publications in the US and UK, and photography was treated to feel a sense of optimism and yearning.
The result is a brand that breaks graphic conventions for political publications, while swimming within the sea of the millennial left media ecosystem, growing rapidly at its launch and first year.
Creative Direction:
Addie Tinnel
Collaborator:
Tom Fosse, Designer