About the Brand
Stance is a snowboard magazine that aims to provide its readers with unique insight on the industry, with a more serious and formal approach. Many action sports magazines are very loud and in your face, mainly focusing on the tricks and danger acts performed by the pros. Stance will incorporate aspects of the traditional editorials while also giving the pros a space to be vulnerable and share their story with the audience. Stance magazine targets an audience that consists of adults aged 25-40, with an interest in snowboarding and those involved in the sport.
Problem
Develop a snowboard magazine that provides readers with unique understanding of the industry, as well as the opportunity to interact with the brand and get involved with the process.
Exploring different layouts with various text placements, as well as seeing how the cover photo can interact with the typography.
Finding an appropriate typeface for the logo and cover of the magazine. Further explorations surrounding cover images that interact with the typography/graphics on the cover. Main colour palette of black and white, with the cover title colour changing to match with the cover image.
Solution
The final editorial for Stance incorporates grace of snowboarding and the raw aspects of being involved in an action sport. The logo uses the typeface HWT Etta, a bold display typeface with heavy curves and weighted towards the top and bottom of each character. The expressive and flowing nature of the type reflects the way most snowboarders approach the sport: with creativity and as a way to express themselves.
Stance also aims to give pros the chance to speak on topics that don't traditionally get discussed in the industry. Giving them the space to be open and vulnerable, pros speak on topics including mental health, the struggles of finding success, and more. In this issue, Stance sits down with Jed Anderson, a professional snowboarder from Calgary Alberta. Jed opens up about his personal struggles with mental health, and the impact it had on his pro career. A variety of specific questions, combined with portraits of Jed that are more emotionally driven, gives the reader a better understanding of him on a personal level, and the expectation that other interviews will go this in depth and explore topics outside of snowboarding.
With an adaptable colour palette, the colours used in the cover, as well as interviews are dependant on the imagery that is in use. For example, the interview spread with Jed Anderson consists of warm colours, mainly incorporating brown and orange. This was drawn from the image of Jed's side profile silhouette. This palette brings comfort to the reader as well as keeping the design consistent and adding elements to create visual interest.
