Compile

With a direction in mind, I began researching precedents. I purchased over a dozen leading (design-forward) independent magazines, analyzing content, stylistic choices, and medium-specific nuances perhaps otherwise taken for granted. I then did the same with online longform publishers and immersive web experiences.

I found that many “digital magazines” are in fact either content-rich blogs or lifeless PDF scans of print publications. If Compile was to be successful, it would need to convey the confidence, creativity, and quality of print magazines while embracing its digital medium by leveraging the immersiveness and interactivity of modern web design.

I drew out the general information architecture for Compile leaning heavily on the familiar experience of flipping through a print magazine. I decided that curation would be most effective if content had an intentional progression, but also wanted to give users the option to casually hop from article to article.

I then drew rough wireframes considering the user flow through each issue. Each direction was made into both graybox and high-fidelity wireframes using Sketch.

I knew from the outset that I wanted Compile to be weird, expressive, and (if possible) darkly humorous. In short, I wanted to make something that I would give my attention to if I stumbled across it online.

I saved the Compile identity for the final stages of my design process so that content collection and article design could be guided by a general ethos but uninhibited by a visual identity. This allowed me to create the bulk of the first issue, then use it as inspiration for an authentic wordmark and identity.

I ultimately made the Compile wordmark by manipulating type using a scanner. This solution not only embodied the subversive streak of the magazine, but was itself the direct product of digital technology and human intervention.