HIGHLANDER
Leading design
My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and my eyes threatened to spill with tears. My design had been changed without my knowledge, and when the judge questioned the combination of squares and circles in the spread — something I hadn’t done myself — I felt frustrated and misunderstood. While an editor-in-chief has the authority to modify a spread, my approach upon becoming editor-in-chief of Highlander was different. I would either communicate any changes I planned to make or take the time to deeply understand the designer’s choices and discuss how their design could better align with the magazine’s style guide.
Since starting in my position, the main aspects I focus on in design have shifted from last year. Rather than simply cookie-cutting everything to make it cohesive— though consistency is undoubtedly important — I am personally prioritizing visual flow and appeal, creating relevance through artistic choices, and integrating art and photography, the latter of which we have been emphasizing more in our spreads.
We have primarily implemented this approach by encouraging our design editors to focus on visual flow during Stage 2 of Canva brainstorming—when they create mockup layouts. You can learn more about this process in the Editing, Leadership, and Team Building section of my portfolio. I remind editors that visual elements should be organized into dominant elements (such as large images), secondary elements (smaller images, text, graphics), and additional visual elements (infographics, statistics, pull quotes) to create a clear hierarchy of importance. I also guide them to think about visual flow by drawing an arrow from the top left to the bottom left, then to the top right, and finally to the bottom right, which ensures that the layout follows the flow of the text.
Additionally, with stricter deadlines, clearer communication, and regular check-ins with content producers, we avoid last-minute art creation and can instead feature high-quality photography.
Relevance is embedded through artistic choices, as seen in the covers we’ve been creating. They are visually eye-catching, either through bold colors and strong photography or by featuring students, which increases engagement and encourages more readers to pick up the magazine.
Volume XVII Highlander Covers (Issues I-III)
HIGHLANDER
Creating designs as an editor
Issue 1, Volume XVI — Center spread
For the first issue I ever worked on, I was assigned to design the spread for Scotlight—now the photography-based section of our magazine, but formerly dedicated to the center spread feature. The December issue focused on the increase in pet adoptions during the holiday season. I went through multiple design variations, testing which layout best balanced visual flow with readability.
During my initial design phase, I attempted to combine both illustrative and photorealistic styles in an attempt to visually convey the adoption process. However, this approach made the spread feel cluttered and lacking cohesion, so I decided to focus primarily on using images to highlight the emotional aspects of the story and generate sympathy for the pets needing adoption. Nonetheless, I still managed to include elements from my original idea by including paw prints as a small art motif.
In total, I created 13 variations of different pages during this process, demonstrating my determination to improve, my ability to take feedback, and my willingness to incorporate others’ perspectives, as I encouraged peers to vote on the variations.
Through this experience, I not only gained a deeper understanding of what creates visual cohesion, but also learned the importance of adaptability and persistence in design to create a spread that truly works. Overall, I felt really proud of how my first published design turned out, despite the stressful process.
Issue 3, Volume XVI — Features
For the second issue I designed as a Highlander editor, I was assigned to the features section, which was a refreshing experience. Before starting my spreads, I was inspired by how other designers combined illustration and photography. When I received two photos of a student who founded a hoodie company at my school, I wanted to elevate the spread beyond simply placing two cutout images.
In my first iteration (shown on the second slide on the right), I knew I wanted to create visual flow that physically guided the reader’s eye from the left page to the right. To achieve this, I designed an artistic line that connected the two pages. In the final iteration (shown on the first slide on the right), I refined this idea by tying the line to the motif of clothing so it felt purposeful rather than decorative. Because the hoodie designs themselves were playful and cartoon-inspired, I added stars to reflect her brand’s visual identity and further enhance the spread’s design.
For the other feature, “Urban to Alpine,” which explored how Bay Area skiers travel from the city to snowy destinations like Tahoe, photography presented a challenge. Since the magazine was published in February, production began months earlier, making it unrealistic to travel to snow-covered locations. We initially experimented with photographing a car packed with snow gear, but the images lacked impact. As a result, I ambitiously picked up a digital pencil for only the second time (after first experimenting with illustrated lines in the previous spread) and created original artwork to convey the concept.
In this spread, I again used a line, this time mimicking a ski trail. I wanted to naturally guide the reader’s eye from the top left corner to the bottom right. This reinforces the principle of visual flow, a design element I now prioritize as editor-in-chief and ensure is present in all spreads whenever possible.
Recognition received
- Honorable Mention for Double-truck Layout, National Federation of Press Women – California Region Awards (2025)
Recognition received
- Honorable Mention for Double-truck Layout, National Federation of Press Women – California Region Awards (2025)
Issue 5, Volume XVI — Community
In the third spread I designed, my process with creating layouts and achieving visual storytelling is likely becoming clear: using cutouts and tying visual elements together with illustrative graphics. For a feature article on my school’s instrumental program, I wanted to incorporate the loose symbolism of a musical staff while maintaining a professional tone. To avoid making the spread feel overly cartoonish, I chose not to include literal music notes. In the spread shown to the right, the “staff” line guides the reader’s eye from the cutout of a student playing the viola on the left page to a full image of a student playing the cello on the right page, creating visual flow across the spread.
The second feature focused on sentimental objects and their emotional and psychological significance. I went through extensive brainstorming for this spread, initially imagining a concept inspired by the “red thread of fate.” When that idea didn’t translate as I had envisioned, I once again turned to digital illustration to bring a new concept to life. The opening door and the light spilling through it create a dynamic, sharp shape that cuts across the spread. While I do regret that the shadow behind the bear became less visible after the shift from RGB to CMYK, I am still very proud of how the piece turned out. More importantly, it demonstrates how much I developed as a digital artist, with the growth being directly caused by the creative demand of producing the magazine.
Art Showcase Magazine
Using different components of design, my team and I have gradually evolved how we display art over the past two and a half year. This progression is visible across each issue of the magazine, of which we published four.
The first magazine, Winter 2023, which I published during my sophomore year, is characterized by a highly templated and minimalistic style. At the time, we were still figuring out the magazine’s visual identity and were hesitant to push beyond the boundaries of a set template. As a result, all of the literary works and many of the physical media pages were formatted in the same way. I encourage you to compare this issue with our later editions to see just how much our design approach developed over time. Our priority was consistency and clarity, which resulted in clean but relatively restrained layouts.
In the second magazine, Spring 2023, we began experimenting more intentionally with two-page spreads. For example, in “Bombyx Mori,” we collaborated closely with the artist and repeated visual motifs from the artwork to create a cohesive experience across the spread. Similarly, in Alaina Yung’s artist profile for “Regulus,” we extended the arm of the subject across both pages using a matching shape and color, reinforcing continuity and movement.
By the third magazine, Winter 2024 — our longest and most ambitious issue — we fully applied what we had learned in earlier editions. We paid closer attention to the styles, shapes, patterns, and colors present in each artist’s work and extended those elements throughout the spreads using intentional choices in color, line, shape, and typography to create a seamless visual experience. Despite this increased experimentation, we maintained consistency by including a recurring section for monthly competition winners, using a shared layout structure while varying color palettes to keep each spread unique to the artist.
To the right, in the first slide featuring the artist profile for Alaina Yung, you can see how we used a cutout to combine two of her submitted pieces into a single spread. We then pulled colors from the cutout’s dress to create a geometric background that complemented the muted tones of the artwork on the left. The second slide shows an example of one of the templated monthly competition spreads we created.
In our fourth and final magazine, Spring 2025, the refinement of our design approach became especially apparent. The creativity of the layouts felt more intentional and confident. One example I am particularly proud of is the minimal, cutout-based spread for Aeron Gurski’s origami piece, which emphasizes the geometry of the work. Another major development in this issue was our use of Canva’s background remover tool to extract elements directly from the artwork and integrate them into the layout. For Anna Motamarry’s spread, we isolated a pattern from one of her pieces and placed it in the corner of the page to add visual energy. For “Spectator,” I extracted the eye of the subject and incorporated it into the headline. Similarly, in pieces like “We’ll Be Okay” and “Eternal Flutter,” we reused elements such as paper textures and butterflies to extend patterns and add emphasis across the spread.
Art Showcase magazines
Issues 2-4
Magazine Advertisements
Both Highlander Magazine and Art Showcase Club has collaborated with various companies to place advertisements in our magazine by developing design drafts and engaging in multiple brainstorming sessions. This process requires a strong understanding of design to ensure alignment with each company’s aesthetic through careful selection of fonts, color palettes, and overall layout.
Before inserting any advertisement we design into the magazine, we verify all details with the sponsor and ensure the final design has been approved.
Below are ads I’ve created for both publications.
Art Showcase ads
Highlander ads
