A sound-first editorial platform that serves as a destination for sound culture and the listening-obsessed.
Hii Magazine, which was launched by audio professionals aiming to connect a global community, elevate sound as art, emphasize the importance of listening, and make concepts of audio accessible, wanted to create a destination for sound culture and the listening-obsessed.
Underlying the concept for the visual identity, was the idea of sound blocks. We think of sound linearly, and often see sound represented as blocks in digital audio workstations (DAWs) which allow blocks of sound to stack to create complexity. HM-01For the website interface, we drew inspiration from tactile audio interfaces.
We designed and built a visual identity system and editorial platform for sound culture and the listening-obsessed.
The Hii Mag logo can be arranged in many different ways. Each color block corresponds to an individual sound file, which when combined make-up a unique compound sound. Unlike many generative identity systems that are constantly changing we think about the Hii Mag identity system as “fixed dynamic.” It is dynamic, but the reconfiguration and frequency of reconfiguration are decided by the Hii Mag team, as opposed to randomly or algorithmically, allowing them to create spectacle and meaning around its updates.
To juxtapose the blockiness of the identity system we chose Apercu Regular, an organic geometric sans, as the main typeface for the identity. HM-06The Hii Mag color palette is a functional touchpoint of the identity, the colors that make up the identity represent the types of articles on the website acting as a wayfinding mechanism. The colors were drawn from historical and contemporary digital instruments and workstations.
School designed typeface DAWs Regular.HM-08We developed a bespoke typeface for Hii Magazine called DAWs based on digital audio workstation (DAW) interface, which also influenced the Hii Magazine logo and overall identity system.
hii-mag.com (desktop)HM-11
Search functionality on hii-mag.comHM-12The desktop and mobile interface for the website is meant to serve as a listening interface first and foremost allowing the design to take cues from music interfaces that most of us interact with on a daily basis.
We designed the micro-interactions on the site to have a tactile feel, complete with sound effects designed by Hii, as an homage to sound equipment that clicked and popped and plugged.
HM-15
Project pages – hii-mag.com (desktop)HM-16The color blocks from the logo are used throughout the identity. On social the color is used to denote the type of article.
HM-18Project pages are designed on a block grid that echos the the blocks used throughout the identity system.
Project pages – hii-mag.com (desktop)HM-20Similar Projects:
An editorial platform designed and built to help black entrepreneurs rewrite the blueprint for small business success.
Google Canvas Project
An identity system that dynamically frames art.