UvA Start magazines
Online welcome magazines for international students and staff at the University of Amsterdam: everything you need once you're admitted, from planning the journey to finding the best spots in the city.
- Client
- University of Amsterdam (via DutchGiraffe)
- Period
- 2014 — 2017
- Type
- Online magazine platform
- Role
- Art direction, Editorial design, Illustration, Responsive UX
The UvA Start magazines collect everything an incoming international student needs to know — alongside a parallel edition for staff. Planning the journey, the steps to take on arrival, and of course studying and working at the UvA: practical information, stories, and videos from current students and lecturers about living and working in Amsterdam.
Foolproof and up to date
What started as a single magazine grew into a platform for almost everyone with a stake in the UvA — interactive, responsive, and full of photography, video and illustration. Along the way we layered in maps, analytics and a substantial reader survey to keep editorial decisions honest.
A range of illustration styles
Not every subject lends itself to photography. So I picked up the Wacom pen and produced a library of illustrations, icons and infographics — including eight visual interpretations of the programmes at the Faculty of Science.
Variation in layout
No two pages look the same. There are photo essays and illustrated spreads, topographic overview pages and video-led articles — even a language page with audio and a stylised top ten — all sequenced into a pace that suits a young online audience.
