BOBLAND Magazine
Art Direction | Design | Production | Styling
BOBLAND Magazine is a fashion and arts publication from another universe—anonymously run by fictional “BOBLAND staff” characters who shape each issue’s identity. There’s no fixed branding; instead, every volume transforms to match its own world, from the origin issue into BOBLAND to the Gen Z–driven The New Americana.
For this project, I concepted, designed, produced, illustrated, styled photoshoots, cast models, photographed content, and brought each issue to life from scratch—building a fully immersive, ever-changing publication that blurs the line between reality and another world.
Issue No. 1: Into BOBLAND
The first issue of BOBLAND was meant to explore the world of BOBLAND itself, making it the only issue introspective in nature. Into BOBLAND explores the fantastical world of BOBLAND and its mysterious staff, defining the extraterrestrial nature of the publication. For the first issue's direction, I was inspired by artists like Takashi Murakami, Lisa Frank, Jeff Koons, and Roy Lichtenstein, all reinforcing a cartoonish, saturated universe far away. I styled and directed all photoshoots you see above. To give each issue a collectable, specialized feel, I elected to produce 2 unique editons—each one with a unique cover image.
Illustration
I took much inspiration from fantastical, vibrant, and even surreal artists to construct the world of BOBLAND such as Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, and Lisa Frank. I wanted the world to be cartoonish, eccentric, and surreal. At the time, I was really enjoying messing around with the 3D tools available in Illustrator to create these overly cute, fun, and whimsical illustrations that remind me of balloon animals. This effect became a motif we utilized throughout the first issue. I wrote the story and illustrated all the characters within this comic page; as BOBLAND is a fashion magazine, I wanted the silly plot of the comic book page to relate to topical fashion news of the time.
“BOBEMON” Cards
I had the idea to create Pokemon-esque cards for each of the BOBLAND staff characters. Here to the right are 2 of them, created by myself and the BOBLAND design staff. We have IRIS, our rainbow resident head photographer, and STRIKE, the BOBLAND bowling ball web developer. I came up with all the “special moves” seen on the cards.
Issue No. 2: The New Americana
The New Americana
The New Americana marks BOBLAND’s second journey into a new cultural universe—this time reimagining what “Americana” means for a new generation. Instead of Harley Davidson, Bruce Springsteen, and pin-up nostalgia, this issue asks what Gen Z’s Americana looks like: Webkinz, silly bands, early-2000s pop, and the digital memories that shaped us. Continuing the BOBLAND tradition, the issue was released in two editions with two unique covers, each reflecting a different angle on this evolving, youth-driven vision of American culture. You may recognize the Sports Illustrated motif—except this time, it’s BOB Illustrated, complete with a typeface and callouts that whisk us back to 90s and 2000s publication art.
Page Layout
For The New Americana, I designed page layouts that blend grunge and 2000s nostalgia into a cohesive visual language. Using a gritty Y2K-inspired palette, I created spreads that feel both edgy and sentimental—including a layout styled like a retro Windows desktop, complete with throwback apps like Webkinz. In collaboration with another BOBLAND design team member, we created the open email drafts which house the article inside.
The BOBLAND Train
The BOBLAND train is the recurring art piece featured on the back of every issue, evolving to match each new world the magazine explores.
Clad in complete chrome, the New Americana train moves through a desert echoing the likeness of Route 66 and a Harley Davidson wasteland. In this rugged Americana desert, even the cacti are metallic.
The final badass touch was obvious—it’s completely on fire. The old Americana mixes in with the new in perhaps the most uncanny feature—a “Thomas the Tank Engine”-esque face that takes Gen Z back to their childhood cartoons. But, how do we know where we are? Well, simply look around and you’ll notice the iconic highway sign—many of which you’ve probably seen on road trips navigating the Wild West.
Art Direction: Aubrey Matson
Modelling & Construction: Jackson Seal
Retouching: Nathan Zuniga
