SideStreets Magazine
SideStreets is a cultural magazine dedicated to bringing forward the common humanity of America’s people and culture. Comprised of interviews, essays, and personal narratives, SideStreets explores universal themes through the stories of specific individuals.
The theme of this issue of SideStreets is “Small Towns.” When curating the content for this issue, I looked for articles that fit within the theme, but fell outside of the normal stereotypes one associates with small town America.
Boontling is a language created by the citizens of Boonville, CA in the late 1800s. Today it is only spoken by a handful of people, and is in danger of dying out. For the opening spread of this article I used a set of vintage alphabet cards, and replaced the words with their Boontling counterparts.
The first feature article centers on an African American intentional community in South Carolina rooted in the traditions of the Yoruba culture. To highlight the vibrancy of this community, I created bold patterns based on West African textiles that carry throughout the article.
Singles in Agriculture is a dating service for farmers and ranchers who live in isolated rural areas. For this article I used stark black & white imagery of people and empty landscapes to convey a sense of isolation and loneliness.
The magazine ends on an upbeat note with an article about the Minnesota State Fair. I chose playful imagery and matched it with colorful type treatments to make the reader feel like they are at the fair in the midst of it all.
