This is Poiema Magazine.

At Poiema Magazine, we believe that creative talent is a ministry. We’ve made it our goal to uplift a community of emerging creatives who might slip through the cracks of contemporary art culture, fostering God’s presence in the literary and creative space.

At Poiema Magazine, we hope to create a platform in which these unique gifts can be shared, represented and celebrated.

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Poiema (poy-eh-ma) is a Greek word meaning ‘something made’.

In its Biblical context, it reminds us of our purpose: we are God’s workmanship, created for good works through the gifts of our individual characters.

I chose to characterise Poiema Magazine with fun textures and bright colours, while also drawing from natural, tropical imagery. For the brand’s visual identity, I pulled inspiration from my time living in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. While the scenery and vibe changes dramatically from Coffs Harbour to Byron Bay, the overall friendliness and the laid-back, life-first culture is a characteristic that I really wanted to incorporate into this project. I like to think of the magazine as sort of a digital ‘third space’ where communities can form and creatives feel safe to share their works.

The details.

The font I used for the logo is ‘Botch’ by Hvnter Pty Ltd. I love this font’s malleable look and jagged edges, giving Poiema a ‘handmade’ look right from a reader’s first glace at the logo or masthead.

I chose the hibiscus motif because I loved spotting the beautiful colours and varieties when I lived in sub-tropical Lennox Head. In Hawaii, the hibiscus flower actually represents hospitality, and I feel like this greatly reflects Poiema Magazine’s vision for a digital creative community.

What’s the deal with the cover designs?

Of our three issues, one cover was commissioned by a small digital comic artist (@chaotic_campaign), while the other two were made at home. I love playing around with different mediums. Our cover for Issue 03: Tables was a visual play on the principal of ‘child-like faith’, where I used Crayon on cardboard as my background and assembled a dining setup on top. Throughout my process, I reflected upon the activities that restaurants provided during my dining experiences as a child, including a tablecloth made entirely of drawing paper. For the Issue 02: Local Praises cover, I used my 1970s original Polaroid camera and expired film to photograph the Mordialloc pier, my local beach. I loved the process and found it very fitting for our summer release.