A few months ago, I was invited to join a group looking to create a pretty ambitious DIY print publication. Writing was already well underway by the time I attended my first meeting— but editorial design, logo, illustration, and all other things visual had yet to be defined. Luckily, creating a cohesive visual language across all aspects of a project, and working toward a common goal with friends, are two of the great joys of my life.
I’m incredibly proud to present the very first issue of Murmuration, a magazine of solidarity and struggle in the Pacific Northwest.
Being entrusted with full responsibility for editorial design meant that I had the flexibility to adjust typography, layout, and illustration, pushing and pulling to bring all three into balance and fill the space of each page meaningfully. All six pieces contained within, whether journalism, fiction, or poetry, are supplemented with illustrations I drew digitally, constrained to just black and white (no grayscale!).
Type is set entirely in Swear by OH no Type Co, which covers everything from a legible roman serif for body text, to a wacky reverse contrast italic that I had to restrain myself from using in every single header.
The Murmuration wordmark was custom lettered, inspired by the flowing and reversing curves formed by groups of starlings in flight. The cover was drawn in color, and composed to wrap the front and back covers continuously. It really is turning out to be my year of drawing birds.
All of these components work together to create a distinctive visual identity. And now that the big style decisions have been made, creating future issues will be relatively straightforward. Nice!
Huge appreciation to everyone who made this possible—from writers, to editors, to print production, to logistics. It has been an absolute pleasure working with such a skilled, enthusiastic, and kind group of people. I hope we get to keep doing this together for a long time.
You can read Murmuration in digital form on our website, or receive a copy in the mail by supporting us on Patreon.
