Cuba Creatives
Interactive iPad Publication on Cuban Artisan Stories
art direction
brand design
video/photo/layout
Course: University of Oregon Journalism Study Abroad
Role: Co-lead designer, brand, layout design, photo/video
Team: Meet the Team
Tools: InDesign (DPS), Adobe CC
Duration: 9 weeks
Background:
Cuba had been forbidden for half a century, but in the spring of 2015, it became a welcoming destination for 25 University of Oregon students, faculty, and staff—just as tensions eased between our two countries.
We were acutely aware that we were among the last to experience Cuba’s arts, culture and people at a historic moment in time. These are six profiles of Cuban creatives—people who embody the spirit of their country’s past and the possibility of its future.
Approach:
As a student-run creative agency, we took inspiration from NYTimes interactive news stories, Humans of New York, Yann Arthus-Bertrand's HUMAN documentary.
We developed a visually compelling human-centered storyline profiling “Cuban Creatives” across diverse backgrounds and professions.
Each story featured interactive elements that enabled readers to engage with the story as a living entity—transporting them to Cuba through the sights and sounds of this vibrant culture.
Introduction to Cuba Creatives Video by Sutton Raphael + Jordan Bentz
As a co-lead designer, I crafted the logo and visual system, contributed to art direction, and led layout design for the iPad publication. I wanted the brand to organically reflect Cuba’s vibrant colors and culture, including its pastel Art Deco architecture and iconic vintage cars.
I produced interactive layouts for the iPad publication, and third-camera photo/video footage for the Experiencing Motion story team.
I used Adobe Digital Publishing Suite to design responsive layouts with features such as:
interactive galleries
scrollable text
embedded video
pull quotes
Design:
By practicing the art of empathy-based ethnographic interviews, our stories came to life with the gentle nudge of open-ended questions and active listening.
The SOJC's solutions-based journalism philosophy taught us that personal details unveil important contextual history and that humanizing a story leads to eye-opening results.
We understood that human-centered storytelling would leave a more lasting impact than metrics and statistics alone.
Outcomes:
The website, created by José Contreras, was selected to be featured on Adobe Muse’s “Site of the Day” in July 2015. The project was featured in an interview by MediaShift.
Experiencing Motion: A video story capturing the rhythm of everyday life in Havana: Kelly Wolfram and Casey Minter + Jordan Bentz/Sutton Raphael
Behind the Scenes, Making of Cuba Creatives by Sutton Raphael