INDIGENEITY Mag:
Vol. Acuti
New Media & Design Capstone Project
2021
Displayed at Greensboro Project Space
November 23, 2021- December 11, 2021
INDIGENEITY Magazine: Vol. Ačuti (Vol. Red) is a publication designed to bring awareness to the crisis of Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (and Girls) across Indian Country. The magazine got its name from my introduction to the term while attending a conference for Native students across the UNC system. We discussed a research paper by La Donna Harris and Jacqueline Wasilewski titled Indigeneity, An Alternative Worldview: The Four R's (Relationship, Responsibility, Reciprocity, Redistribution) vs. Two P's (Power and Profit). Sharing the Journey Towards Conscious Evolution. INDEGENEITY Mag includes statistical information from sources like the Urban Indian Health Institute and Lakota Law, testimonials, Indigenous women way-makers, and Indigenous artists.
Front and Back Cover (Spread)
STEP 1: Deciding Medium
I took the New Media & Design Capstone course during the Spring 2021 semester at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I chose to do a magazine because it was a unique way to showcase my skills, my most favored method of design, and a topic I am passionate about. That topic, of course, is Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG).
STEP 2: Gathering Content
The next step in the very tedious process of creating a magazine was to do research and gather content. I had done most of my research for a previous project in my Graphic Design course about MMIW. I also found some other great sources to add to my research, one being the source located on the back cover. It provides resources to Native and non--Native people about MMIW, ways to bring awareness and do something about this crisis, various hotlines, i.e., the National Suicide Hotline, how to talk about MMIW----issues related to MMIW----with family and friends, etc.
Next, I reached out via Facebook to see if anyone would like to be featured or contribute to INDEGENEITY Mag. After two attempts, some great people volunteered to get involved. The magazine showcases an interview with one of my Alpha Pi Omega sorors, Crystal Cavalier, and a thesis paper by another, Kristin Gentry.
MMIW Infographic
STEP 3: Writing and Curating
A magazine is not a magazine if you don't carefully write and curate the placement of words and content. Some feature titles, including the cover title, are in my font. It is a handwritten font based on my signature (located at the bottom of the back cover). Picking fonts to match mine was time-consuming, but I am satisfied with the outcome. If I could repeat this, I may have chosen a different font for the body copy. I'm thinking Futura (lol).
The curation process for the pictures was intriguing because, as I mentioned above, most of my content comes from those who volunteered to be featured. In my short, valuable time working in the design world, there's one thing I've learned: You have to make do with what you have and make it work well. I am confident the pictures and content I was given are effective, and the product came out very nicely.
Feature Interview
Artist Spread
STEP 4: Editing
If IDIGENEITY Mag was a magazine company, I would have multiple editors. In this case, I was the magazine company. I usually try to stray away from editing as I go, but this time I did exactly that. I actually edited at least two more times: placement of photos, body copy, titles, fonts, etc.
STEP 5: Printing
As mentioned above, I created this magazine for my New Media & Design Capstone project. The Capstone course is a thesis class for undergraduate seniors to showcase their knowledge and skills in their particular concentration. With the Capstone comes a required Senior Exhibition at the end of the semester. INDIGENEITY Mag: Vol Ačuti was displayed in the form of print. I want to give a shoutout to Spartan Printing in Greensboro, NC (across the road from the Maud Gatewood Studio Arts Building on Tate Street) for being super patient with me. I made sure I had the correct file format and arrangement to properly print my magazine, and they did a super job making sure I knew what I was doing. I totally recommend them. If you are printing a booklet, make sure your pages are in multiples of four. I am not sure how other print vendors operate, so wherever you go, that is something to inquire about; something I definitely did not know until the day I printed.
INDIGENEITY Mag: Vol Ačuti on display
at Greensboro Project Space
