Design
My approach to design
Being competitive made me into a designer. When I took over Wingspan I studied the top high school magazines, to figure out how to make our publication better. In doing so, I learned basic design through observations.
I’d notice when other publications integrated their pictures and illustrations in new creative ways. I kept asking our Design Editor Mira Weiss, “How can we do this in the Wingspan?” Every time she'd sit with me patiently, teach me how to work InDesign and put my ideas on to the spreads.
As the backbone of our team, I learn the inside-outs of every article. That knowledge helps me create attention-grabbing designs that fit the content. That’s my job as a designer: linking a reader to the article.
Training Turf
Published in Wingspan Vol. 13 Issue 1
Designer's Insight
This article was about our school’s new indoor facility that gained local attention from Springfield news outlets. Because my article would come out a month after multiple Springfield News Leader articles, I wanted my design and article to highlight action the local papers missed. So, I focused on student action. The two large pictures and the headline are done to draw attention to the students. I got the blended headline and photo idea from a few other high school magazines. While it's not a complex design, it's easy to distinguish and understand.
A few months after this spread was published I gave a presentation at our middle school and included this design as an example. A student told me they really liked this headline. Knowing that younger, future journalists, are taking note and learning from my design work is extremely rewarding.
Getting Ready for College
Published in Wingspan Vol. 13 Issue 2
Designer's Insight
This article is about strategies for applying to college, a topic my team asked me to write about when they saw some of the strategies I used. My concern about the topic was that students tend to find the idea of college stressful or they think they know a lot about it already. My goal design-wise was to attract readers with either the College Application Tools or the tips. It’s easier to consume advice content when you’re presented with the tips head-on or with tools you don’t know.
For other advice pages, I focus on making it easy to consume. If the headline is the attention-grabbing part then I make it stick out. If it's another element like the tools or tips, then I make those stick out.
History Class Flip
Published in Wingspan Vol. 13 Issue 1
Designer's Insight
This story was about how our school was switching the order of history classes, so there wasn't a clear action shot to go with it. The photographer for the spread gave me photos of history textbooks which aren't necessarily interesting. But I'd seen the technique of a giant center piece in a few other publications and knew it would make the textbook images more attention grabbing.
What makes the pages feel cohesive is the one book over the other, text wrapping around them, drop shadows that make it feel real and a headline that matches the books. This is one of my favorite designs because it came together so quickly.
Teens In Tune
Published in Wingspan Vol. 13 Issue 1
Designer's Insight
I’m a sucker for big pictures and it worked for this spread. After a garage-band canceled our photoshoot I reached out to our local Guitar Center, who luckily was having a showcase the same day.
I ran over, hoping there’d be a teenager performing. Luckily there was. Out of all my pictures, my favorite was this one with the girls looking at each other. However, it was vertical and didn’t fit my original design. So, I made the choice of filling a whole page with that picture.
If I designed it now I’d change the headline, centering it and moving it off one of the girl’s heads. But overall the simplicity works well.
click, watch, Censored
Published in Wingspan Vol. 13 Issue 1
Designer's Insight
I tend to struggle to fully integrate illustrations into layouts. This page was no exception. The illustration filled half the page, while the text filled the other half, creating a hard visual divide down the center.
To resolve this, I designed what I would call a “funky” headline. I added a glow effect to the headline, similar to a computer screen in a dark room. This choice connects to the “Account restricted” text in the illustration and reinforces the story’s focus on social media.
The glow also supports the editorial’s message that YouTube’s age verification system is problematic. Just as a user may be left in the dark about why their account has been restricted, the illuminated headline stands out against the surrounding space, visually representing that uncertainty.
Setting the Stage
Published in Wingspan Vol. 13 Issue 2
Designer's Insight
I wanted this spread to feel chaotic. This year’s theater production of “Seussical the Musical” included some of the largest props the team had ever used. We decided to focus our story on the behind-the-scenes work and the messiness of creating the props, stage and costumes. The chaotic design matched the message and aligned with Dr. Seuss’s often crazy and creative stories. The challenge came from showing chaos while still matching the cohesiveness of The Wingspan.
I achieved this with lots of cutouts and text wrap. Because the props were central to the story, I placed around the edges like a border. The cutouts frame the center stage.
Design rules
After observing hundreds of designs and becoming a designer myself, I have developed a set of design rules. While creativity is a priority, the central question behind every design is, "What appeals to our audience, high school students?" As a designer I connect the content of my reporters to our readers. So in the future, when I design for a different audience my rules will adapt. But for high school students these are my go-tos.
Rule 1: Make it unique
Templates make design easy, but boring. When I struggle with ideas, I’ll use a template, but I never leave it untouched. I change something, whether it’s a headline, a glancebox or the color scheme. Every article is different, and a design should reflect that uniqueness.
Rule 2: Visual appeals
A spread should be around 50 percent visual elements. That includes pictures, illustrations, headlines and infographics. Visuals are often the first thing readers notice. However, large visuals should serve a purpose, adding context or clarifying information, rather than filling white space.
Rule 3: Integrate design elements
Design choices should work together. A spread should feel unified to tell an effective story. When elements connect intentionally, the design supports the story instead of distracting from it.
Rule 4: Every rule can be broken
Some rules are meant to be broken. For example, an article we did last issue highlighting two beloved substitute teachers didn’t need big visual appeals because most students had met them and loved them. Before we break a rule we go through all options, but sometimes it makes sense.