Northbound

A magazine that breaks its own grid exactly once per issue.

The brief

Field Notes publishes long-form travel writing for people who stay put. The previous design shouted; the writing whispered.

We rebuilt the magazine around a twelve-column grid with one deliberate exception per issue: a full-bleed image that refuses the grid entirely.

The result

Type does most of the work. A condensed display face carries the covers; a quiet serif carries the body. Colour appears only in the folios and the occasional pull quote.

Newsstand sales rose without a single change to the editorial voice.