Overview

Culturica is a youth-led magazine created through a collaboration between NewPrensa, the University of Minnesota’s Chicano and Latino Studies Department, White Bear Lake Area High School’s Latinos Unidos, and El Colegio High School. Developed as part of a leadership program, the publication provides Latine/x students with a platform to share their perspectives through storytelling, journalism, and creative expression. 

 

As the publication’s Graphic Designer, I created an editorial system that celebrated each student’s voice while maintaining a cohesive visual identity. Using bold typography, expressive layouts, and custom illustrations, I designed a publication that reflects the tone, culture, and personality of each story. The result is a magazine that feels both unified and deeply personal, allowing every contributor’s work to stand out while strengthening the publication as a whole. 

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Process

Designing Around Student Voices

Rather than applying a single visual style to every article, I approached each story individually. I read every submission closely, identified its themes and emotional tone, and gathered input directly from the student authors about the imagery, symbolism, and feelings they wanted readers to experience. 

 

Those conversations informed the design of each spread, from illustration concepts to layout and pacing. While every story has its own visual identity, I developed a flexible editorial system that ties the publication together through consistent typography, spacing, and graphic elements. 

 

Many of the stories in Culturica explore deeply personal experiences, including identity, family, immigration, discrimination, and belonging. My goal was to create visuals that supported these narratives without overpowering them. This process required thoughtful research, close collaboration, and careful consideration of symbolism, tone, and cultural context. 

 

The final publication demonstrates how editorial design can strengthen storytelling while honoring the people behind it.