new teen magazine design
Understanding Society, the largest longitudinal household panel study of its kind, has many young participants that provide essential information about their lives and what life is like for children and teenagers in the UK. Their contributions are vital, as the information is used by the government and charities to help improve the lives of children and young people.
So to keep connected with this audience, Understanding Society commissioned a brand new magazine, exclusively targeting 10-15 year olds, filled with content to engage with and inspire them.
The brief / project objectives
The Understanding Society team wanted to produce an annual printed magazine for young people. Participants join the study at the age of 10 and a magazine designed specifically for 10-15 year olds would be a way of motivating them from the start, as well as promoting Understanding Society’s new youth website.
Designing for Generation Z can be tricky – the tone needs to be informal and the design bold; speaking to young people on their level, without being condescending. The magazine needed a catchy new name, masthead and cover theme, that would be continued throughout the following spreads. Of course the publication needed to be gender-neutral and diverse, so the initial cover image of the first issue was carefully and deliberately chosen to feature a contemporary, ambiguous figure.
Click on the thumbnail images to the right to see full copies of the first two issues of Highlight as low-res pdfs…
