Subway People was made to document the people who takes the SEPTA in Philadelphia. Documenting said people incorporate various mediums, which includes: photography, illustration, and design. They are all then composed into a magazine. In the same process, I plan to explore their stories, the clothes they wear, and what they do. People make the world go round, and they all have interesting stories to tell. “People Make the World Go Round” was one of many inspirations, a song by Michael Jackson and his cover for the Stylistics in 1971. What is strongly evident about this track and its title is that people make up this world, and therefore drive the responsibilities, tasks, and moments that make it up. Coming from someone who is currently living in Philadelphia, SEPTA has become an essential mode of transport throughout the city. In a way, it has also become a bridge or channel for cultural exchange and diversity. The people who use this system — cafe workers, cashiers, blue-collar workers, and engineers, have become the very core of this city and the society that we live in. 

APPROACH

I approached this project as an outsider, understanding that everyone is going to have a different story and way of expression. But I also went in with a creative director’s lens, understanding what compositions and framing may work the best for the final products.

MOODBOARDS
First inspirations were a series of moodboards that I compiled through both Canva and Pinterest. These mood boards consisted of magazines that other creatives designed, much of which were also found on Cargo. Other magazines included National Geographic, Fruits Magazine, and Vogue magazines to name just a few. Street and urban photography were huge drivers for many of the pictures in this thesis, especially those by Gordon Parks and Bill Cunningham. Illustrations were inspired by the line art of Kim Jung Gi, Peter Han, and the Korean-based Superani collective.

LAYOUT & TYPE DESIGN
After designing the moodboards, I went in working on the layout design of each spread. Each spread was layed out via parent pages, and colors were decided afterwards. Afterwards, I went out taking photos, beginning with Cecil B. Moore, where I would first use volunteers to get comfortable shooting random people in public. I would continue this process every other week, where I would also shoot in City Hall, Girard, and 48th-54th Street stations. Once I got a majority of the pictures that I needed for the magazine, type was the next step.

When I went into typeface design, I wanted to go down a modern, but fun counterbalance to lead the rest of the magazine. For type, I didn’t want it to be too distracting or overwhelming, but I also wanted it to pop out. So, I decided to go with Century Gothic for the body copy and League Spartin for the titles and subtitles. I realized using a sans-serif typeface was easier to read and not as distracting against the imagery and illustrations that were used.

FINALS