My Thesis (For Those Interested)
I was originally asked to post my thoughts on the design process, which I haven’t really done yet. So what I’d like to do, if you will indulge me, is explain the process I’m going through with my thesis project.
First a little background: I’m in my second and final year at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan working toward my MFA in Design. The program title is Designer As Author. In other words, the focus of this program is to get graphic designers to move beyond being decorators and become authors of their own work. Our thesis project is to design a product that is entirely our own idea which we design, brand, package, market, and attempt to sell in the marketplace. It has to have a real market and we have to actually market it. This eliminates a lot of experimental thesis projects, but opens a whole new set of parameters and challenges (which designers love).
(Examples of recent projects are: one student just sold her redesigned prescription drug labeling and packaging to Target. Another guy designed a book called Speck and had it published. And another has just gone to market with her bowls (which have measures built in, for dieters) that have been published in dozens of magazines and are featured on QVC.)
Anyway, so the first semester is deciding what you want to do, how you want to do it, all the research, and write a pitch book (as if you were pitching the idea to investors). The second semester is production. We have thesis advisors, chosen professionals who are willing to assist you on the project. All of this ends in May when you finish prototype production, finish the pitch book, and display everything in the final exhibit/show. Then after graduation, if you desire, go out and actually produce it and sell it.
This is a little different than other MFA projects (and a lot like an MBA thesis).
Initially I had many ideas. I’d think I had the perfect idea, research and work on it for a week or two, and then decide it was too big, not realistic, I wasn’t qualified to do it, I couldn’t raise enough money, etc. (trust me, I was right.) After a couple months of this I remembered a project I had worked on the previous year and realized with a series of changes, it would be a fantastic project to fully realize. So I made a number of adjustments, did loads of research, spoke with scores of professionals, and engaged in hours of discussion. This is the result:
I am creating a magazine for teenagers (high school) that explores multiple perspectives on current issues. Each issue will explore a different theme (such as religion, entertainment, sex, technology, fashion, sustainability, relationships/love, etc.) in an engaging, smart, and entertaining manner. Every article will be comprised of at least two perspectives on said issue. The topic might be something heavy like the two sides of the Iraq war, or something light like if button or zipper fly is better. This will be carried out in a variety of ways: Op-Ed style articles, comics, choose your own adventure style writing, music/movie reviews, “most important movie of (topic)”, etc. The purpose of this magazine is to create discourse among teenagers, leading to better understanding and sensitivity to ideas that circulate within and without our culture.
Milton Glaser and Gail Anderson are my thesis advisors, and I have the rest of the faculty at my fingertips (including Steven Heller, Stefan Sagmiester, Brian Collins, Julie Lasky, among others). I am surrounded by amazing, brilliant, gracious people who are taking steps to help make this happen. It’s very exciting and I invite any and all to come to the thesis exhibit in May.
A couple notes:
1) I sometimes think I kinda know what I’m doing, but I always welcome others informing me otherwise. Please give your opinions, thoughts, criticisms, etc.
2) A magazine is inherently a collaboration and I’m not much of a writer, nor will I be when this is published (my plans are to be the creative/art director, leaving most editorial decisions up to an editor). Therefore, I will need writers and contributers. I know there are many talented and passionate writers on this blog, if anyone is interested in contributing please email me at rusty at rustyclifton dot com. Also, if anyone’s interested in reading the pitch book, let me know and I can send you a PDF.
Posted on February 1, 2005, in Design. Bookmark the permalink. 14 Comments.
Interesting Russ, though I don’t know if I totally grasp your goal. Is the point of the magazine to be fun/entertaining, to learn what teens like/dislike and what’s “in” with them? Or is your goal to help get teens to do more critical thinking and discussion through important and unimportant issues? Or is it both or neither of those?
Bret, my purpose is stated in the last line in the 7th paragraph (more like your latter conclusion).
Sounds like a cool project, Rusty. A question — do you envision mostly teenage contributors? Most of us are at least a decade removed from that time of our lives.
Bryce, I’ve actually done research of (small) magazines written “by teenagers, for teenagers” and it isn’t the route that I want to go. I think maybe a regular department could be strictly teen contributors, but not the whole magazine. It’s important that I find writers who understand this audience (and what will engage them) but I don’t think teens are the only ones that do. I want the tone to be along the lines of, “here’s what I’ve found out about this, what do you think?”
Rusty, this is really interesting work. I’d like to see the pitch book, mostly out of curiosity but also maybe to contribute. It seems to me like you want a more conversational tone to the work, something verging on blog-speak or IM conversations; I’d be curious how you plan on translating that to the printed page, since previous attempts to translate those informal media have seemed a little amateurish to me (like people are trying too hard to reach kids).
I’d love to see your pitch book too. I have kids that are teenagers. I wonder if they’d be interested in a magazine like that…I really have no idea. My son has a subscription to Thrasher and never looks at it. What topic are you using for your prototype issue, do you know yet?
Steve, you’re right, I’d like the magazine to have a conversational tone, not necessarily in the literal sense of two people talking back and forth (though that could be a regular department), but rather an understanding that there are multiple ways of seeing the issue at hand. I’m still not sure how that will translate (what I’ve done up to this point is big-decision, big-picture stuff, I’m only starting to get into the editorial voice.) In this aspect I am an amateur. I have a few contacts through the school, but I don’t want to limit it to them. It would be great to hear your (anyone’s) thoughts on how this could be translated.
Susan, I confess that I am under no illusion that all teenagers would enjoy this magazine. In fact, I can imagine only a small proportion would actually spend the time to pick it up and read through it. But there are over 16-million high school kids in this country and it doesn’t take more than a couple from each school to build a healthy readership.
My (tentative) topic for the prototype will be religion/morality. It is a topic that is diverse enough to have many perspectives, that can be both light and heavy, that’s not fluff, and that is important to have understanding of others. The other topic that I considered was sex, but figured that I wouldn’t want start it off with a topic that could be deemed controversial, especially in the hands of teenagers.
Steve and Susan, expect emails.
…er, not that religion wouldn’t be controversial…
Do teenagers read much anymore? I’m sure your research has shown you the numbers. Would you extend the connection by having a website which could open it up to more opinions…like a blog. Would it be easier done online?
I think teenagers need what you’re offering. It’s a great idea.
I think the concept is fine, but what I think will be most interesting (and perhaps challenging) is the actual design of the magazine. How do you design to appeal to this demographic in a way that still treats the material with a certain amount of respect (since it’s topics that are kind of serious)?
That sounds like a fun problem to solve.
Not being up-to-date with teen magazines, can you tell us who else is doing this (so that we can get an idea of your competition)?
Don, yes, teenagers read. Teenagers aren’t all video games and make-up, think of your own kids. I will definitely bring the discussion online though. That’s a necessity.
William, it’s funny you say that about the design (and by design I assume you also mean editorial). Just today Milton Glaser was explaining to me how the most important thing a magazine has is its editorial voice, that it creates an editorial excitement. So your question is really the most relevant question I can be asked. That’s my challenge. I have a number of ideas, but I’m always open to more. But overall, I think the tone of the magazine has to be that of a smart inquisitiveness, not condescending, and making the important subject-matter relevant to their lives. An example I use in my pitch book is an article about the effect skateboarding has on the environment (the manufacturing, the places they skate, etc).
Ronan, there really aren’t many teen magazines. The most popular ones are Teen People, Us Weekly, Seventeen/YM, etc. for girls, and Sports Illustrated/ESPN, Stuff/Maxim/FHM, and video game magazines for guys. It’s mostly fluff. Scholastic produces a number of magazines that are more educational, but it’s kind of a different thing. They’re very straight-laced, conservative (in writing/reporting, not in politics), and boring. There is no direct competition. That’s one of the big reasons this has such a chance to be a success, because there really isn’t a magazine out there written for intelligent, thinking, reading teenagers.
I think ‘smart inquisiteveness’ is a good place to start. Yes, I was talking about editorial voice, but also simply about stuff like layout and heds and fonts and graphics. The challenge is to make it smart and fun and approachable but not stodgy and not too lightweight. You don’t want to look like The New Yorker. You also don’t want to look like People.
Rusty, this looks like a really cool project. I’d love to see the pitch book. If you are accepting contributions from unpublished writers, I’d certainly think about that.