Magazine service package 1
“The Only Way Is Through” is a multi-story feature package published in the Fall 2020 issue of Ohio State Alumni Magazine.
Employer: The Ohio State University
Position: Associate Editor, Ohio State Alumni Magazine
We hired an illustrator specializing in conceptual design to create a bold and powerful image to lead off the package. The image includes recognizable symbolism in the stars and stripes, but readers are invited to make up their own minds about what the illustrator is trying to say, just as they are invited to keep open minds and hearts while taking in the stories to follow.
In the weeks following the swell of national demonstrations in protest of the murder of George Floyd, including protests on campus in Columbus, I considered how the alumni magazine could contribute to the dialogue in a constructive and brand-consistent way.
The magazine is designed to be a gathering place for alumni, a town green where the Ohio State alumni community learn about and consider ideas. We also showcased faculty thought leadership. This seemed like an opportunity to listen to a lot of perspectives of faculty and staff, who approach the complexities of systemic racism from a multitude of disciplines.
We enlisted history Professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries to discuss how students have led the call for social change throughout Ohio State’s history. The package included recurring calls to action inviting alumni to further engage with content online.
Role and process:
Conducted research into potential faculty, staff, and alumni sources for these stories and made a rough sketch of the space request and story forms within the package.
Acknowledged racial, economic and educational homogeneity of the magazine staff. In response, developed a rubric against which we could measure our work.
Recruited and secured engagement of partners outside the department to review and push back on our work as it developed.
Won buy-in of university Chief Marketing Officer and alumni association CEO.
The final two pages of the package includes stories about the 50th anniversary of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, an interview with the university’s Chief Diversity Officer and dean of the College of Social Work, and voices of student activists.
Cemented stories and sources, in several cases engaging in raw, vulnerable conversations with potential sources about the purposes and aims of the package. Some people declined to participate on principle.
Assigned and shepherded content among staff and freelance writers.
Collaborated with art director, designers, photographers to capture imagery and hire illustrator for the conceptual image that leads off the package.
Coordinated with UX/UI designer to determine optimal presentation of package on digital magazine.