For first-generation Asian-Americans, the battle of balancing bicultural identity is all too common. I created Kintsugi Magazine to foster community and share resources that help them navigate their identity.
Kintsugi is a magazine written by and for Asian-Americans that centers the Asian-American experience, with curated content on topics such as cultural identity, navigating culture clashes, understanding the immigrant experience, and how to heal from cultural trauma.
Typography, Layout, Art Direction
InDesign, Illustrator, Procreate, Photoshop, Sketch
Developing a magazine centered around the Asian-American experience
For first-generation Asian-Americans, the battle of balancing bicultural identity is all too common. I created Kintsugi Magazine to foster community and share resources that help them navigate their identity.
Kintsugi is a magazine written by and for Asian-Americans that centers the Asian-American experience, with curated content on topics such as cultural identity, navigating culture clashes, understanding the immigrant experience, and how to heal from cultural trauma.
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View the process
Typography, Layout, Web Design
InDesign, Illustrator, Procreate, Photoshop, Sketch
01. Determining User Needs
After researching popular forums and online communities, I created three user personas that encapsulated the pain points and needs of potential readers. Ultimately, Kintsugi needed to focus on building community and providing resources on navigating identity in bicultural environments, healing from trauma, and strengthening relationships that have been strained as a result of bicultural conflict.
02. Developing the Brand
style guide
Moodboard
Kintsugi centers around finding community within the Asian-American experience, breaking down the many components of cultural identity, and finding ways to piece it back together again.
With a minimalist, airy feel, the brand aims to focus on the content and give heavy topics room to breathe. The refined but approachable aesthetic garners a sense of trust and authority in the brand, making it a safe space that readers can rely on for help.
03. Establishing Visual Language
I created an inspiration moodboard and began defining a “recipe” for brand tones and expressions. This recipe would become the foundation for the magazine spreads. After scouring the web, I compiled a list of relevant articles written by Asian-Americans that would address the pain points of my three personas. From there, I used the article content to experiment with type and layout that was in line with Kintsugi’s brand expressions.
