The Guindy Times Magazines
Project Scope: Graphic Design, Print Design, Art Direction
The Guindy Times is the official media body of Anna University, covering all university happenings and events and publishing the same on social media and print media.
Print media of The Guindy Times mainly encompasses publishing quarterly issues in the academic year. The mission was to publish 3 such issues based on different themes by leading and directing a team of 60+ designers in order to enable homogeneity throughout the designs sticking to the theme.
Outcome
3 printed quarterly magazines were published in the academic year of 2019 – 2020, with the themes being Comics, Vintage and 25th Anniversary Legacy respectively.
Services & Credit
Directors of Design: Sai Sudharshan R, Suvalaxmi R, Ashmiya Vijaya Chandran
Design Team: Credited in every page
Research & Planning
The yesteryear printed magazines were explored to unearth themes which hadn’t been picked before. The decision of the topic also boiled down to the convenience of generating content ideas and the freedom of designing and experimenting with the aesthetics abiding the theme.
The ideas of “Comics”, “Vintage” and “Anything Goes – 25th Anniversary Celebrations” were picked to serve as the themes for the magazines.
Process & Final Visuals
Print Issue 1: October - November 2019
The thought of setting off the academic year with a fresh start and a bang was depicted in picking the theme of “Comics” for the first magazine. This theme enabled content writers and designers run wild and channel their limitless creativity through the means of weaving magical words and vivid imaginative illustrations. This theme was aptly chosen to appropriately join the bandwagon of the increasingly raging culture of comic fandoms in Chennai.
Print Issue 2: January - February 2020
The budget limitations which continued even up to the second magazine again restricted the printed ink to a black and white colour palette. In order to do complete justice to such a decision, the theme of “Vintage” was aptly chosen. Content and designs particularly aimed at tingling nostalgia were formulated in order to connect intimately with the audience. Special emphasis was laid on the era of the 90s, owing to the student populace mainly comprising the 90s kids.
Print Issue 2: January - February 2020
The Guindy Times celebrated its 25th anniversary on May 2020 and hence, it was imminent for the 3rd and final issue of the academic year to celebrate its legacy. Complete justice would be done to the same by allowing the contributors to commemorate the occasion in their own manner as per their vivid imaginations and hence, no particular rubric was assigned to the issue.
