Background:
Each year, Pima Community College publishes SandScript, a student-led literary magazine featuring selected works of poetry, prose, and visual art. I was hired as the Design Editor for the 2025 edition, responsible for bringing over 75 selected works to life in a cohesive, accessible, and visually compelling 100-page print publication
Deliverables
8"x10" Print Magazine
100 pages
150 copies
Tools
Adobe InDesign
Team
12 member editorial team
Timeline
3 weeks
My Role
As the lead designer, I translated the editorial team’s layout ideas into a polished magazine while honoring both the artistic integrity of the work and the principles of accessible design. My responsibilities included:
Creating the overall visual identity (fonts, color palette, and graphic elements)
Designing layouts to pair poetry, prose, and artwork in ways that respected both form and flow
Ensuring accessibility through font legibility, color contrast, and clarity for all readers
Preparing files for print and coordinating with the print facility to ensure final files met print specifications
The Art Direction
The selected submissions were organized into four thematic chapters: Departures, Places, Haunts, and Home, each representing a stage in life's path, from exploration to hardship to belonging. Each chapter was introduced with a curated quote and distinguished by a specific color from the overall color palette and graphic elements to signal the thematic shift.
Challenges and Solutions
1. Layout Conflicts
Some poetry pieces had strict formatting needs that didn’t fit with the proposed layouts. I led the team in rethinking layout options, suggesting alternatives that preserved the intent of each piece while achieving design harmony.
2. Accessibility Resistance
Initial feedback from the editorial team leaned toward decorative fonts and low-contrast designs. I created a presentation to explain accessibility best practices covering type clarity, color blindness, and inclusive design. This lead to successfully persuading the team to shift toward more reader friendly choices.
3. Fast Turnaround
I had just three weeks to complete the full magazine, including multiple rounds of revisions. I used Adobe InDesign’s parent pages and style sheets to streamline layout updates and maintain consistency across all 100 pages.
The Process
Submission Sorting
Identifying certain themes that presented themselves after looking through all of the submissions. Starting to pair certain pieces together
Inspiration
Looking through existing magazines with the team to identify likes and dislikes as well as magazine size and paper texture
Proofing
After the magazine was put together, I worked closely with the team to make sure there were no errors in the copy and content. The biggest things we were keeping an eye out for was ensuring all artists were paired with the correct piece, grammar issues, spelling issues etc. We also had one last proofing at the print facility after a proof had been made.
Results & Final Thoughts
Result
The result of this project was a 100 page print magazine with over 150 copies printed. Printed copies will be given out on a donation basis with all proceeds going to cash prizes for the artists who contributed
Final Thoughts
It was an honor to be a part of the SandScript 2025 editorial team, and I'm so grateful for my wonderful team as well as all artists and contributors to the magazine. Working with poetry was a very specific challenge that I had never encountered before due to the unique formatting of the text. This was also the largest print project I had worked on before, and gave me a great opportunity to think about efficient workflows in Indesign.
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