fashion, beauty, & culture
DAMchic Magazine is a decade-running student-led fashion publication at Oregon State University, published by Orange Media Network. The magazine creates 3 print issues per year alongside online stories covering fashion, beauty, and culture on campus. Over the course of four years, I contributed to 10 issues, of which I designed for seven and served as Editor-In-Chief for three
production history
I joined the magazine staff as a writer shortly before the covid-19 pandemic, allowing me to adapt to both in-person and remote work styles. DAMchic typically changes editors each year, with each editor heading three seasonal issues and managing articles. I served as DAMchic’s Editor-in-Chief for one year, during which time I headed three seasonal issues, ensured the quality of their component articles, and provided support to my team. When starting as editor, I was one of only four remaining staff from the last in-person production
design goals
When I started work at DAMchic, I pledged to push the design of an already incredible publication even further. We had the content, the writing, and the incredible photos; we just needed consistency. When redesigning the magazine, our main target points were consistent branding and clean copy.
production timeline
(a.k.a how we made a magazine in ~10 weeks)
magazine theme
The editing team analyzes current and upcoming fashion trends, creating a cohesive theme for the issue. Editors list possible stories, connected to the themes news and aesthetic values.
the pitch
Directors attend Pitch Night, where they all gather to pitch two to three ideas for the magazine. Directors tailor their pitches to the theme, providing details on what they are writing on, where they are shooting, how they are getting the clothes and plenty of photographic inspiration to sell their article
shoot + write stories
Stories are assigned to directors, who only have 2 to 3 weeks to find models, clothing, and sources for articles. Stories are sorted in three categories that reflect the tenets of DAMchic:
Fashion, Beauty, and Culture.
editing and
publication design
(aka the fun part!)
The editor and creative team together design each spread of the magazine, as well as edit stories, create pull quotes, and validate sources are credible.
send to printer
Once the final document is assembled in InDesign, we ship the PDF off to our printer, Oregon Web Press. Each issue typically print around 3000 copies for distribution
launch and promotion
To promote the magazine, we organize a launch party, design promotional posters, flyers, stickers, and merchandise, and host a fashion show for local designers and vendors.
the center of a crowd that does not exist
Normal Girl is a fashion editorial I directed and designed, focusing on the concept of the overdresser, and how dressing uniquely is both freeing and isolating. The fashion is influenced by John Galliano and Simone Rocha, while the design elements and layout highlight the gorgeous photography and the decaying opulence of the typography. The editorial ultimately served as the cover shoot for the Fall 2022 Issue, Adorn.
the documentary
Interested in learning more about DAMchic's production process? Check out our documentary on our Spring 2022 issue, Revelry. This issue won the Associated Collegiate Press Magazine Pacemaker Award at the 2022 College Media Awards in Washington, DC.
SOCIAL MEDIA
On OSU's campus, DAMchic's Instagram is the go-to hub for fashion news. With the creative growth over the last 4 years, there was a distinct need to standardize and promote of web content.
During the conception stages of developing our social media templates, I designed a minimalist reel layout paired with a bold but youthful san-serif font.