In April of 2021 I was contacted by the Bishop's University History Department with a request to develop the design and layout for their "Historical Review": A collection of essays submitted by the students over the course of the school year. I first had the opportunity to work with BUHA in January 2021 in the development of their new logo (pictured on the rear cover of the journal). During discussions with BUHA, I set an ambitious goal to break the archetype of academic journals, by creating something that was bright and bold, full of fun graphic details and a fresh color scheme – the antithesis of most academic journals.

At the same time, it was important to maintain a sense of visual professionalism to ensure the academic texts were still the primary focus. I chose to work with an extension of the university’s color palette, paired with a set of bespoke icons that represented both the department and the spirit of the university. I used the same icon set throughout the book to maintain visual consistency, and offer a subtle way of dividing the book into three clear sections.