HelloHorror is an online literary magazine of psychological horror.
circaNEXT designed the logo, the website, all
associated graphics and as of this writing, the first four covers of the
magazine. During client consultation, the client stressed that the
magazine was about "psychological" horror, not the slash and bleed that is often
pervasive in the genre. The challenge was to integrate this requirement into all
the design elements by suggesting horror rather than shout it.
The Logo:
The logo consists of the name of the magazine and a monogram in the form of a
stylized spot of blood. The central concept is the "guillotine H". To create
this, we modified the font chosen to carry the weight of the name in such a way
as to suggest the guillotine. Then we incorporated a spot of blood as the
backdrop with the guillotine H to create the monogram. At first glance the logo
is simple but as the viewer looks closely, the elements present themselves and
hopefully cause a little chill.
The Website:
The key task for the website was that it be a backdrop for the content. Again,
the requirement was that it suggest horror while reinforcing the brand. The end
result is a minimal site where each issue is allowed to have its own space and
shine brightly. Branding is reinforced with the watermark of the
guillotine H in the background of each page. The goal for the user
experience was that the reader be allowed to spend time "alone" with each story,
poem or visual art piece as if in a spare and slightly frightening room.
The Covers:
For the first issue, the cover was created as a form of Rorschach image asking
the question - "What is horror?" As one takes the time to take in the image,
different forms take shape. Take a look - you might be surprised about what you
find.
The second issue was related to Spring as if turned on its head. The goal was to
surprise the reader and immediately make them a little unsure of what they were
about to get into.
The third issue hearkens back to the haunted houses of our youth as many of the
stories and poems in the issue incorporated a house in some way as a central
character.
In a somewhat dark way, issue four was the "baby" issue. The image is
represented by stylized pair of fetuses that may just be a butterfly - the
horror again suggested rather than shouted.
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www.hellohorror.com
cover design
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