RABID MAGAZINE

An award winning feminist magazine.

Rabid was born out of anger. Every day I read horrific stories; the consequences of America’s new abortion ban, the growing amount of violence against women and the rise of misogyny in the far right. All of us are angry but nobody seems to be talking about it. This project was about proving that we are not alone in our outrage. 

It is a magazine designed to give people an accessible way to learn about feminist issues. It details current events and provides inspiration for further research. More than anything it is designed to give people hope. One way I do this is through collaboration; reinforcing the multitude of voices engaging in the fight.

Something that was really important to me was utilising grassroots activism, I wanted this project to be collaborative and use hand drawn elements. Therefore the covers of all Rabid issues will feature an illustration rather than a photograph. So far all cover illustrations have been done by me but future issues would come from other artists and designers.

One the right you can see two original illustrations I produced in order to understand the vibe of Rabid. Rabid was named that as a play on the idea of the angry hysterical feminist, historically rabid would be used as a way to describe a state of rage. I am deliberately using violent imagery as a way to draw in an audience.

This project developed out of the research I was conducting for my masters degree. I was exploring graphic agitation as a contributor to political movements, specifically the women’s rights movement. Through this research I found that political messaging and design are intertwined; protest signs cannot exist without typography, propaganda cannot exist without visual communication.

Something that came up again and again was political zines that used grassroots activism to spread information and fight political ideologies; these zines are now all but extinct. I realised that I could use my skills as a designer and typographer to practice what I was researching.

I began developing a magazine that would intertwine design and modern day feminist issues, channelling my anger into a productive and informative outcome. It is important that the magazine has an objective and academic backing, for while I am personally angry about these issues it is necessary to provide a trusted source of information in order to gain any sort of respect from the reader.

Here are the first three covers of Rabid magazine

Here is an example spread from inside issue 1. I have tried to use my knowledge as a typographer to make this magazine visually appealing and also legible for large amounts of text. There were several iterations of the layout throughout my design process all tested on prospective users.

As you can see here there is also a very vibrant colour scheme. Each issue will have four colours to create a palette that can be used inside and out. I have also blended all images within the magazine in an attempt to link to the older zines that used risograph machines and old photocopiers.

Rabid showcase

The work I had done creating Rabid culminated in a showcase of work where both the public and industry professionals could explore my research and purchase copies of the magazine.

For this show I painted my first ever mural seen in the image on the left. This was incredibly fun and took me back to my time studying fine art.

During this event my work was also seen by the board of the Southall trust and I am proud to say that shortly after the show I was given the Southall trust award for sustainability for my work within the community.

Rabid is now being sold and delivered all over the country and helping inform people on feminist issues across the globe.

If you would like to purchase your own copy please send me an email.