Contributors
Stephan Church - Publication, Magazine Designer
Timeframe
Oct - Nov 2019
Programs
Illustrator | InDesign | Photoshop
Alien Life was a magazine project I completed in the first part of my Junior year of NCSU.
The goal was to create a publication that could be informative while still having a specified marketed audience. My answer was Alien Life,
a publication that covers various scientific fields (geology, astronomy, biology, etc.) through the guise of introducing an alien world
and showing how theoretically life could exist on that world. For someone who is a fiction writer or fascinated with space, this opens
an avenue where the reader can learn about the world around him/her by the means of imaginative exploration.
Publication
Design Language
I wanted to explore creating a dynamic language that provides freedom for future publication.
Below you can see how I used the grid to establish hierarchy and organization.
Alternate Covers
Alternate covers were made of the magazine to show how the brand could have a consistent but
interesting language for future volumes. The cover art was not created by me.
Process
Layout Iterations
I drafted approximately a dozen layout concepts, each time experimenting with the layout structure while carrying over visual
forms that were appealing and "on brand."
Logo Iterations
I wanted something that could capture the scientific yet alien nature of the publication.
Early on I tried to incorporate the NASA map as an element. While conceptually a fun idea, it added too much noise
to the logo design and was ultimately dropped. I was also enamored by the alien nature of having a outworldly 'A,'
so I tested it alongside various layouts.
Part of the testing process was seeing how the Logo would appear on the front cover or on the top header of a page.
