Over a five-year tenure as Design Fellow and later Digital Design Manager, I served as principal designer across six Hillsdale magazines and recurring publications. During a formal transfer of departments, institutional leadership made the explicit decision that these publications would remain under my direction, even as I assumed broader design management responsibilities. Other designers supported adjacent work, but stewardship of these titles was intentionally retained, reflecting the level of trust placed in my judgment and continuity.
Each title addressed a distinct audience—alumni, President’s Club members, and Legacy donors—requiring tailored visual tone, pacing, and hierarchy rather than a single aesthetic solution.
The work emphasized quiet stewardship. Design decisions were guided by restraint, clarity, and trust, allowing content to carry institutional weight without visual urgency. Typographic systems, grids, and image use were calibrated to reflect seriousness and continuity while remaining readable and inviting.
These frameworks scaled across issues, editors, and production cycles, supporting both print and digital editions without erosion of quality. The publications functioned as long-term institutional assets—reinforcing credibility, sustaining engagement, and supporting philanthropic relationships through consistency rather than persuasion.