Columbus Alive
Graphic Designer | 2012–2016
Columbus Alive was an alternative weekly tabloid published in Columbus, Ohio, with coverage of the music, arts, food and nightlife. As the Graphic Designer, I produced the magazine, which averaged about 64 pages a week. Alive was distributed for free on newsstands, with a circulation of about 32,000 copies. The magazine ceased printing in 2019 and transitioned to an online-only format.
Often my responsibilities went beyond editorial design. In addition to collaborating with the editorial team on story and cover ideas, I also oversaw and art directed cover photo shoots. For Alive's various annual events and promotions, I teamed up with the marketing director to create web and print ads, logos and social media images. Below is a sampling of my work on Alive over my four years as its designer.
Covers
Because Alive was distributed in racks and newsstands for free, our covers needed to be eye-catching and engaging from a distance. Our approach to each cover depends on the topic and what would illustrate the story best.
We chose to illustrate a lot of covers, throughout the years and they are still some of my favorite covers. Most are created using a combination Photoshop and Illustrator. Big typographically treatments were also a good way to make an impact.
We also liked to feature people on our cover whenever possible.
Feature packages
One of my favorite Alive features is "Let's Talk about Sex," which was a sex survey that the staff conducted in 2015. We wanted the feature to be playful but also informative. Our survey gave us a lot of interesting material to work with, and we had to decide how we were going to illustrate sex without being too graphic.
"Strike a Pose" was another favorite. Alive featured students' collections for the annual CCAD Student Fashion Show. I love the environmental portraits and seeing the details and sketches from each student.
Marketing Materials
Alive hosted various events and concerts throughout the year. I collaborated with the marketing and editorial teams to come up with event branding that fit the Alive style. I designed most of the collateral for the events (print ads and posters, Facebook event banners, Instagram posts, etc.)
Bands to Watch is an annual event in which the Alive staff chooses five bands or artists they predict will be the next big thing. For this issue, we would print five covers, one for each band. Below are images I created for the Bands to Watch Class of 2016 that were posted on Instagram.
Rocktober Fest was also an annual concert. In 2015, our show had a pop rock theme. Below are the print ad and the Instagram promos.
Miracle on High St. was a one-time concert in 2014. Staff members dressed as Bad Santa and his elf for the evening. Below are the print ad and the Facebook event banner.
