FOCUS Magazine

Designing the Voice of Cleveland Heights

I worked on FOCUS Magazine across multiple roles — first as a vendor, then as a Communications Specialist, and later as Communications Director — shaping how the city shows up on the page.

As Creative Director and lead designer, I developed the publication's visual system: layout, typography, pacing, and image direction. The goal was consistency across issues — something the team could use and build on, not reinvent each cycle.

I also contributed photography and wrote select articles, working directly inside the content rather than designing around it.

In my final role as Communications Director, I began expanding the publication’s structure and direction. That issue was developed but ultimately not released.

The throughline across all roles was the same:

Build a publication that people don’t just flip through, but keep.