Jessica Birthisel | Jan. 30, 2011
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| 812, the new magazine created by a class last fall, should be available soon. The next issue already is under way in the spring class. |
It could well be called J360, as that’s the course number for last fall’s class, Creating an Indiana Magazine. The students have done just that.
Lecturer Nancy Comiskey said she and her students set out to create a one-of-a-kind magazine that captured and celebrated the distinctive nature of southern Indiana. In doing so, they also created a one-of-a-kind classroom experience.
“This course was closer to real life than any other course I’ve taught,” said Comiskey, former managing editor at the Indianapolis Star who has taught many courses during her more than 10 years at the school. “It was a magazine production class, a magazine reporting class, a magazine editing class, a magazine design class. It was all of those rolled into one.”
The inaugural section of this course was graduate student Scott McDaniel’s brainchild. He says he’s long been a fan of the eclectic approach of the Smithsonian magazine.
“If it’s a fascinating story, it’s in there,” McDaniel said. He had a similar vision for an Indiana magazine, one that could cover the unique and engaging stories of the people and places around the state. He also envisioned the publication emerging from a classroom setting.
He pitched the idea to Comiskey, who pitched it to undergraduate dean Michael Evans, and the course was approved in record time. Sixteen students were accepted into the class following an application process, and once enrolled, they applied again for editor positions.
McDaniel, taking the course as a graduate-level independent study, served as editor. Cassandra Orton and CJ Lotz were named managing editors, and Larry Buchanan served as art director and the publication’s sole designer.
Comiskey said the first few weeks of the course operated much like a traditional classroom, with the students researching competitor magazines, developing a mission statement for the publication and conducting readership surveys. They also quickly decided to narrow the focus of the publication to the southern part of the state.
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| One of several feature stories is by a vegetarian who follows a local turkey hunter for a day. The magazine focuses on southern Indiana. |
The tone of the publication was something the class discussed at great length, says Comiskey. They didn’t want it to be a standard tourism magazine. More than just promoting the state, they wanted to celebrate it.
“We’re appreciative of what southern Indiana has to offer, and we wanted people to know about it,” she said.
McDaniel put it another way.
“We wanted the magazine to remind us why it’s a compliment to be called a Hoosier,” he explained.
The magazine’s features, including online exclusives at its website, www.812magazine.com, explore a range of questions: What can a vegetarian learn from a turkey hunt? How is southern Indiana connected to the Underground Railroad? Is Indiana still the basketball state?
While both were pleased with the magazine’s stand-out content, Comiskey and McDaniel praised Buchanan for his dedicated work creating a visual style for the publication. Buchanan, who recently was named Student Society for New Design’s national designer of the year, said he designed the magazine with the knowledge that it was “going to have to live on after us.”
With this in mind, he said he tried to come up with a design that was open enough for future classes to pick up and experiment with, but rigid enough so they wouldn’t have to start over. The spring section of the class is trying out his theory right now.
Buchanan said his favorite spread in the magazine is the feature story about seven Hoosier diners known only to locals. Initially, he dreaded it, he said, as it featured seven sidebars. In the end, though, he was happy with the way it finally came together and the way it relates to the cover photograph.
The final product is special, too, he said. Unlike other classes, where a project’s final destination might be a file your computer desktop, this project is printed and distributed.
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| Another feature explores little-known diners in the area. The entire magazine was designed by senior Larry Buchanan. |
McDaniel, too, is satisfied with both the final product and the process of creating it.
“It’s really awesome,” he said. “I’m just proud of the variety in it. We laid the groundwork, and now future classes can go forward with it. I feel we’re fortunate to have had the class we had. Everyone worked really hard.”
Comiskey said that beyond the polished, professional final product, the class experience itself was special.
“One thing I thought was extraordinary was how they kept working and polishing their pieces after the semester ended. That kind of dedication was amazing,” she said.
She also praised her students’ camaraderie. “They truly celebrated each other’s successes. It’s the most fun I’ve had in the classroom.”
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