Twice a year (Pre-COVID, at least), the NMC Magazine publishes an issue of student-created art and literature, which they distribute free of charge throughout the Traverse City community. At the beginning of each semester, the Design Staff create a Call for Submissions (CFS) poster and supporting graphics to be displayed around campus. Often, these designs need to be executed before the look & feel of the upcoming issue has been established.
The Spring 2020 theme (the last semester I spent at NMC) was “Bootleg.” It was partially a reference to the 1920s, and partially a reference to things being cobbled-together, improvised, or otherwise unconventionally-obtained; whether out of creativity, or out of need. As the publication’s joint Design Editor, I created the above graphics in addition to the CFS print material layouts.
Wood-block type was the primary inspiration for this typographic composition. Several of the typefaces used were from the Hamilton Wood Type foundry. The ramshackle, crammed-together, distressed aesthetic was crafted in response to the CFS copy, which was developed by the Literary Staff.
When Michigan’s Coronavirus lockdowns began in earnest (mid-March 2020), the publication was shelved until the following semester, at which point I was no longer attending Northwestern Michigan College.
