Photograph by Ben Chrisman
Elite Wedding Collection Magazine
Category: magazine publishing, wedding and travel design, project management
Role: art director, designer, photo editor, style editor
Project Summary: For 11 years, I worked as Art Director and Lead Designer for the international magazine Elite Wedding Collection: Destination Weddings, Honeymoons and Trips for Two. The one-of-a-kind publication, which had a circulation of 25,000, catered to brides looking for the ultimate resort destination to tie the knot and enjoy a romantic getaway. It also featured the latest travel and bridal products, services and advice. In my position as Art Director, I established long-lasting relationships with numerous travel and wedding photographers from around the world. I also sought out fashion designers and helped source services and products that highlighted the theme of each issue. Being part of a small staff meant that I worked side by side with the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher to structure each issue, including editorial and art content
Photos by McKenzi Felt
Strategic Partnerships
One of my favorite tasks was searching out and working with top of the line photographers from around the world. By cultivating thoughtful relationships with them, I was able to feature award winning photography issue after issue while meeting our shoestring budget. Our pages were also filled with images of curated products and custom services, most of which I researched and tracked down. This combination of stunning photography, must-have products, and one of a kind services gave a voice and personality to the publication
Page Design
My approach for page design was to lead with visuals. The front-of-book pages are always tricky, requiring you to pack lots of elements into a limited space. I strived to find the right balance of images and text to tell the story the editor wanted to highlight. In one example above, to showcase the “color of the year,” I sought out beautiful wedding trends and items that featured that specific color. Then I fused these elements together to tell a cohesive, visually appealing story. When approaching a feature piece, I used strong typography to complement the compelling photography. I am a sucker for the way type can serve double duty: verbally communicating with the consumer while aesthetically setting the mood
Covers That Sell
As with any magazine cover, there is always a fine line to walk and our goal was twofold: to sell the destination and sell the story of love. Sometimes we focused on love. Sometimes we made it all about the destination. And often, it was a combination of both. Whatever the scenario, the image and crisp copy had to strike an emotional chord and stop a consumer in her tracks. Elite Wedding Collection was published for 11 years (from 2003 to 2014) and distributed in a dozen countries as well as bridal shows across North America.
Want to see more?
Email me at akar123@gmail.com for more details.
