This project was crafted to answer a university brief that asked for a new magazine brand to be created to compete within Aotearoa’s magazine market. This birthed the brand, BUOY, a magazine centred around self-expression and individualism, showcasing the alternative music and style culture within Aotearoa. BUOY’s goal is to step away from convention and celebrate those who go against the grain to form their own identities in a world that values conformity. Providing a space that features the work of under-represented creatives; a voice for the unconventional.
Problem
How might we create a magazine brand within Aotearoa's market for youth (aged 14-24) to embrace and encourage alternative expression in a world that values trends and social conformity?
Approach
The core of this project was based on interview findings from the target demographic of Aotearoa citizens aged 14 to 24 years old with interests in alternative culture.
Additionally, an integral part of the brand was centred around creating a sense of belonging and community to users through creating a sense of representation.
Output
The identity of this project was heavily influenced by a variety of alternative-leaning design styles, from grunge to collage to deconstructivism, to craft an authentic visual direction with a contemporary spin to cater to the youth of the digital era in which we live today.
This took shape through developing disruptive and bold designs with strong typography, effusive photography, and layered components, overall crafting a look and feel that is both youthful and slightly edgy, while feeling current in todays world.
Typography was a commonplace for boundary-pushing across the magazine’s design, exploring how the shape and formation of type can be used to craft a sense of meaning throughout the pages. This sometimes looked like pushing the edges of readability to explore the line between function and form.
Outcome
This project exhibits the weight of importance on creating media in which youth can explore and belong within their authentic selves.
Through embracing identity freedom and daring youth to go against the grain, BUOY provides a platform for unconventional voices and conversations to be heard.
