Sub Standard Magazine

Role

Lead Designer, Brand Identity, Web Design, Marketing

Timeline

10 Weeks

Tools

Figma, Indesign, Photoshop, Figma

Overview:

Sub Standard Magazine is a quarterly print publication spotlighting strange and obscure subcultures from around the world. Each issue features a curated mix of investigative, entertaining, and thought provoking articles that explore the fringes of culture. Visually, the magazine draws from pulp publications and DIY zine aesthetics to create a bold, immersive, and underground reading experience.

‍

Problem To Solve:

Design a quarterly print magazine for alternative 20–35-year-olds who feel unrepresented by mainstream publications, building a bold, immersive brand identity that channels underground, supernatural, and fringe culture while avoiding parody, cliché, or superficial “edginess.” The challenge is to create a publication that feels raw and subversive yet intentional, credible, and thoughtfully designed.

‍

Solution

Create a quarterly magazine that combines underground zine aesthetics with structured editorial design. Inspired by pulp horror publications, grunge typography, and DIY print culture, I built a visual identity using distressed textures, stark contrasts, and immersive layouts that support the magazine’s obscure and underground tone. The final result is a bold, readable publication designed for alternative readers.

Research

Profiles were created for the target audience. The current publication offerings left an opportunity to create a magazine for readers who feel disconnected from more polished, mainstream publications. Audience profiles showed an interest in fringe topics, analog media, and independent forms of storytelling, while the popularity of YouTube channels like Atrocity Guide and Oki's Weird Stories demonstrated a growing audience for strange, investigative, and subculture-focused content.

Insights

The visual direction uses textured photography and heavy grain treatments inspired by risograph printing to give the magazine a tactile, underground feel. A limited color palette and the use of black pages with white type create a bold, high-contrast visual system that feels immersive, dramatic, and consistent across the publication.