1. Introduction
I am Noah Leighton, and this project is mine alone. Many editorial productions are created through the collaboration of many writers, photographers, and graphic designers; however, I am performing all these duties by myself so that I can create a consistent and personal vision of the final product.
This requires me to complete everything from the initial investigative journalism and interviews to the unabridged technical layout and photo editing of the entire project as a one-person operation, creating a single "voice" throughout the magazine which reflects the tenacity of the subject matter being reported on.
2. Genre and Sub-genre
The publication fits inside the realm of sports journalism, and specifically falls under the human interest sub-genre of narrative non-fiction. I decided to pursue this direction since the "come back from an injury" story has always been a staple of the sports culture.
The story isn't just about reporting raw scores or statistics, but it is also about the mental and physical path of an athlete that has lost his/her identity to an injury and has to battle to reclaim that identity. This storyline linearly fits within a "Hero's Journey" and is easy to tell dramatically with an incredible visual design.
3. Target Audience
People aged 8-18 across America, regardless of gender, making up the magazine's primary audience will be exceptionally responsive and receptive to messages of perseverance, having likely just begun their competitive paths in youth/high school athletics.
The magazine will be a reflection of its readers by placing the focus of the publication on young athletes who will have struggled with setbacks, and to illustrate to them that struggles do not equate to failure.
Being highly engaged with social media, this demographic enjoys aesthetically pleasing photos, as well as "scannable" content that is relevant and motivating to their lives as student athletes.
4. Social Issues and Representation
This document is intended to shed some light on the neglected topic of Mental Health For Young Athletes, looking specifically at how isolation and being "identity lost" impact High School Athletes when they suffer from prolonged injury.
I have also sought to challenge the culture of "toughing it out" that has become common place, and has led to an increase in the number of young athletes who keep their pain a secret and suffer long-term physical damage.
By providing support to a local athlete such as Jorge Rey III, and providing him with the same level of prominence as one would find when supporting any other Professional Athlete, I aim to support my argument that community-level sports can (and do) produce high-level sports heroes in High School.
5. Software, Hardware, and Learning Goals
To bring this magazine to life, I will be using a professional-grade digital camera to capture high-shutter-speed action shots during games, as well as controlled portraits for the feature story.
My workflow will begin in Microsoft Word, where I will transcribe and edit the narrative into a compelling feature article. The heavy lifting of the design will take place in Adobe InDesign, which is the industry standard for publishing.
Throughout this process, I need to master specific InDesign skills, such as utilizing Master Pages for consistent branding, managing text wrap around images, and understanding how to prep photos for print versus digital display.
Learning the balance between "white space" and high-energy graphics will be my primary technical challenge.
6. Production Plan:
1. The Deep-Dive Interview: My beginning point will be with Jorge Rey III. I will do a formal interview with Jorge Rey III, capturing the moment he became aware of his injury - this is what I will refer to as the low point of his injury; and the many long hours he spent in physical rehabilitation will represent the climb to recovery.
2. Photography: I will attend several of Jorge's games to photograph him in action, along with creating one or more high contrast/focus photographs of him. I would like to produce an image that depicts his determination as he comes back from this low period of his life -darkness- which will serve as the cover photo for this project.
3. Narrative Structure/Drafting: I will organize my notes using a three act structure representing Jorge's journey from the Injury; through the recovery process, ultimately culminating in the return to glory (triumphant return). My objective will be to STAY focused on "showing, rather than just sharing" through detailed descriptions for the readers to be able to engage their sense of sights/sounds in the training room, and ultimately the stadium.
4. InDesign Skills: Before the final product comes together, I will spend time viewing in-depth video tutorials on the Adobe software program InDesign. I have a personal goal of finding out how to build a grid system so that there is consistency across every page throughout the magazine. I also need to practice making edits to all my pictures based on the "comeback" theme. One example would be desaturated colors for the "injured" portion of the magazine while vibrant, truly contrasting colors would be used for the "return" sections.
5. Layout: I will create a plan for the cover page and feature article for how/where the advertisements, pull quotes, and pictures will go in order to develop a logical flow to the magazine, giving priority to the areas of Jorge's story that should receive the most significant amount of visual space.
6. Final Assembly: I will take my new technical skills (gained through watching tutorial videos) to be able to insert all text and images into the document in InDesign. In addition, I will focus on typography (modern and "athletic" font styles) so I can make the story have as significant an impact as possible upon completing the project.
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