Pigeon Magazine V9 - Black Country

Pigeon Black Country Design Magazine - Designed by students

Designed by me and Eddie Merill

In this project, I took on the role of an art director, which allowed me to test my leadership and teaching skills. Our goal was to create an independent magazine, and I was responsible for leading a team of level 3 designers. I also had to share my knowledge from university and guide a junior designer with limited design experience to replicate my design in their unique style.

As the lead designer, I established the project’s direction and envisioned the magazine’s overall look and feel. My Level 3 student faced the challenge of working creatively with the house style that I had established. I decided to go with a Swiss modern style that complemented the Pigeon magazine logo, designed by my classmate Sam, and it is one of my favourite graphic styles that I excel in. My primary colour choice was peachy pink, with off-black and white serving as the secondary colours. The Swiss modern style is characterized by a minimalist, grid-based layout, the use of sans-serif typography, and an emphasis on clarity and simplicity. This style perfectly aligned with my priority towards accessibility and minimalism, making it a perfect fit for the magazine’s theme.

When communicating the house style to Eddie, my junior designer, I had to be thorough as I was unaware of his level of design knowledge. Thus, I created a pdf document the night before that explained the logomark, fonts, colours, specifications, and even some InDesign tips. I also included a few example magazine layouts that reflected the design I was looking for and a mood board featuring other works that exemplified the Swiss modern style. I even provided my contact email in case Eddie required additional assistance.

Fortunately, Eddie had few questions and was satisfied with the information within the pdf. He appreciated the house style and found it slightly similar to his own, which was a relief as it didn’t conflict with his style. I was worried that Eddie might be hesitant to use pink, given the stereotype of boys not liking the colour, but he surprised me by embracing it and using it as a background colour. His body text was skillfully written, and his personality shone through. 

I only needed to make minor adjustments, such as aligning it more to the grid. Overall, his first magazine design was impressive, especially considering his limited design experience.

I enjoyed this project as it gave me the opportunity to share my knowledge and skills while also reflecting on my own design abilities. Guiding a new design student and helping them enter the world of design was fulfilling, and I look forward to potentially mentoring younger design students in the future.