During my time at the University of Alberta, I had the opportunity to build the brand identity for Crossings, an undergraduate student journal launched in 2021. As part of the original team, I developed the logo design, website layout, and social media content, shaping the journal’s presence from the ground up. The goal was to create a platform that showcased diverse student perspectives while balancing a professional, academic tone with a modern and engaging design. This project highlighted the power of branding, layout design, and digital strategy in making academic work more accessible and exciting.
The first volume of Crossings was a unique challenge—without images, the design relied entirely on layout and typography to create a modern, engaging reading experience. The goal was to establish a flexible yet cohesive visual identity that could evolve while maintaining consistency. By developing a strong design system, Crossings now has a framework that ensures adaptability without losing its core aesthetic, making it a timeless and innovative publication.
Crossings volume one
The second volume of Crossings allowed me to push the boundaries of layout design, blending custom visuals with student and alumni work from the University of Alberta. This edition reinforced the brand’s studious yet youthful identity—balancing serious, thought-provoking messages with engaging, modern design. My approach centered on collage art, a medium rooted in political expression and youth-led movements, which aligned seamlessly with the journal’s themes. This design direction created a visually dynamic and impactful publication, making Crossings both a scholarly and creative statement.
Crossings volume two
What’s the Brand?
Guided by the keywords studious, academic, youthful, and impactful, I designed Crossings to reflect the voices of university students visually. My research focused on understanding student interests and ensuring the design felt both engaging and meaningful.
The colour palette embraced bold primary colors, evoking a classic academic feel, while textures and mixed media played a key role in the layout. Inspired by collage art, I layered diverse elements to mirror the journal’s purpose—a collection of unique ideas coming together to form one cohesive, impactful publication.
The Crossings logo was designed to be timeless, adaptable, and student-driven, ensuring it could evolve with each new generation of contributors. Inspired by modern journal aesthetics and social media platforms, the design balances simplicity with impact. Tumblr’s influence—a platform popular among university students for sharing ideas and literature—helped shape the concept. The name Crossings reflects the intersection of diverse thoughts, and the period at the end reinforces the journal’s focus on writing while symbolizing the power of making a statement.
