Issue 06 Materials
Time — 2023
Type — Web Design, Publication
Team — Akanshya Upadhya, Paul Jaskunas, Tony Venne
01. Background
Full Bleed is a reputable visual and literary journal. Their latest 6th issue, titled Material, was published in 2023, encompassing 190 pages of Prose, Poetry, and Art contributed by talented writers and artists. For issue 06, Full Bleed aimed to expand their brand language to embrace the theme of Material in their printed publication, while also revamping their web landing page and digital journal page for a more captivating launch experience.
Questions
Questions
- How can we effectively incorporate the concept of "Material" throughout the print design, ensuring it complements and enhances the written content and artworks without overshadowing them?
- What would a modern and engaging Full Bleed website look like after the update?
02. Process
The web design process involved conducting extensive research on competitors' journal landing pages, analyzing how they enhanced user engagement in exploring the journal and presenting digitized issues. Successful trendy literary journals like The Stinging Fly and Flaneur served as valuable references.
Additionally, to maintain a cohesive design across the various works, I ensured communication with the contributing creatives. This collaborative approach allowed us to represent their pieces as they intended while also incorporating minimal ideas to achieve a clean and cohesive design.
Additionally, to maintain a cohesive design across the various works, I ensured communication with the contributing creatives. This collaborative approach allowed us to represent their pieces as they intended while also incorporating minimal ideas to achieve a clean and cohesive design.
03. Visuals
Combining elements of sucessful literary landing pages with FullBleed's legible and clean brand language, we successfully updated the landing page to offer more comprehensive information about the journal, the latest issue, purchase options, and highlighted features from the archives, encouraging users to explore further. As part of the redesign, we executed a web soft-launch, teasing the audience with the first section of Issue 06 to generate excitement, track engagement, and drive preorders ahead of the official launch.
The design of the Issue 06 page was carefully crafted to harmonize with the print edition, utilizing rules and a 5-column grid for consistency. For the poetry section, I employed two variable start lines for the headlines, creating a sense of unity while subtly incorporating colors and textures to maintain a minimal yet tangible connection to the material essence of the journal.
The design of the Issue 06 page was carefully crafted to harmonize with the print edition, utilizing rules and a 5-column grid for consistency. For the poetry section, I employed two variable start lines for the headlines, creating a sense of unity while subtly incorporating colors and textures to maintain a minimal yet tangible connection to the material essence of the journal.
04 Conclusion
The redesign of Fullbleed's website was an overwhelming success, setting new records for website engagement during the Issue 06 launch. This project has been a pivotal experience in creating an engaging live website, where meticulous UI/UX research fostered a meaningful connection between users and the journal.