Pleaser Magazine

Pleaser Magazine is a music magazine run by fans, for fans. We aim to bring a breath of fresh air to the overly critical music journalism landscape by highlighting our favorite artists and all the behind-the-scenes players that make the music world go ‘round. I joined the team in 2021 and helped relaunch the brand by creating a new logo, new brand standards, and a consistent visual language. Since 2021, I have been serving as the Creative Director of the magazine and have directed and designed 4 print issues as well as online, social media content, and merchandise. Pleaser is well on its way to becoming a full fledged media production company with events, exclusive sessions with artists, and more. I have always loved editorial design and to be able to do this full time would be a dream come true. Pleaser has brought me so many friends and opportunities and I can’t overstate how grateful I am to be apart of this incredible team.

Pleaser is found online at pleasermagazine.com and at Grimey’s Record Store in Nashville, TN.

 

 

ISSUE 004

The Nostalgia Issue: Soundscapes of Our Youth

With the prevalence of nostalgia-core and the tendency to escape to our past in music and entertainment media on a worldwide scale, we at Pleaser wanted to dive into all the music we grew up listening to and feature artists who heavily draw inspiration from the past and make something new out of it!

Braeden Lemasters, Dylan Minnette, and Cole Preston have been best friends and bandmates for well over 10 years and have grown together through all the stages of their lives — personal and professional! So it’s only right…that they are the cover stars for this issue as they reflect on their past and enter a more mature era ushered in by their third studio album, Model. Pleaser was the main press for their album promotion campaign.

This one is also extra special because Pleaser derived it’s name from the Wallows debut single, “Pleaser.” A very full circle moment. :)

Below are some of my favorite spreads I designed from the issue!

I also creative directed the entire rollout which included the 108 page issue, a 24-page mini zine that goes behind the scenes of our cover shoot and some fun interactive activities, a fold-out poster, a custom postcard, and a sticker sheet.

 

As a fun side quest, I decided to make trading cards for each of the guys. The initial idea was to present their individual portraits in a more exciting way and after seeing vintage basketball cards on Pinterest, I decided this was the perfect way to go. We added them in our DIY zine, Scrawny, for people to cut out and use as actual trading cards! These have easily become one of my favorite things I’ve made for Issue 004 and I love seeing all the fans’ reactions to them!

Photos by Lindsey Dadourian + Illustrated portraits by Shamma O

 
 
 

Scrawny Zine

We made this Scrawny Zine for our favorite people—our fellow fans—to really immerse themselves in our creative process. Get a more interactive look at the art we make for our favorite artists! Cut, rip, tear this zine to shreds—let it be the mannequin you can dismember! :-) 
I creative directed this whole thing as well as designed a number of spreads. This was a part of Pleaser’s premium bundle package for the release of Issue 004.

 
 

POSTCARD

As a part of the entire Issue 004 rollout, I creative/art directed the custom postcard to be enclosed in every order. I was inspired by the Lizzie McGuire character and thought it would be cute to have the guys have their own little characters!

Postcard design + illustrations by Shamma O
Photo by Lindsey Dadourian

STICKER SHEET

Another item of the premium bundle package included this sticker sheet, inspired by Wallows’ newest album, Model.

Design + illustrations by Shamma O

 
 
 

FOLDOUT POSTER

The last item in the bundle was a 12 x 18 foldout poster that I designed! We really wanted to give the full fan experience, being fans ourselves, so we just made what we would love to see!

Lettering by Lauren Mitchell
Photo by Lindsey Dadourian
Photo edit by myself

 

ISSUE 003

The Fan Issue

Issue 003 of Pleaser Magazine focused on arguably the most important part of the music industry: the fans. The cover features Brittany Broski, dubbed as the leader of the fangirls in that she’s made a career out of openly and unabashedly loving her favorites. Broski has a large following on each social media platform — amassing just under 10 million followers across them all. She has a successful YouTube show, a top 10 podcast in the world, and conducts interviews with her heroes on red carpets and beyond, all while staying true to who she is at heart: a fangirl. She has been an inspiration to all fangirls that we can still love our favorites with the same fervor and be taken seriously in the business.

This issue tells the stories of fans in three chapters: History of Fandom, that regales us with tales of fans past, while revealing the truths of how fandom has been riddled with misogyny and sexism; Now That’s What I Call Fans: What being a fan looks like nowadays with the advent of social media and the rise of parasocialism; and Fangirling Gone Professional: How fans have turned their passion into career paths. This issue is 132 pages full of fan-centered content, put together with love. <3 Below are some of my favorite spreads I designed!


 

ISSUE 002

Navigating the Virtual Landscape

Issue 002 of Pleaser Magazine focused on how artists and musicians navigate the ever-expanding virtual landscape. Our cover star is Briston Maroney, discussing how they built a lot of their fandom online through doing Instagram livestreams during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Other articles in the magazine discuss the use and ethics of AI, how sharing your favorite songs on your Instagram story can lead to finding your new favorite band, building communities, and the importance of third spaces where people can gather offline.

This issue contains 100 pages. As Creative Director, I established a special set of design styles for this issue including icons, colors, and typography while maintaining the Pleaser brand standards I set up with Issue 001. Below are some of my favorite spreads from Issue 002.

 

ISSUE 001

Pleaser Magazine is the collective effort of an amazing team of talented writers, photographers, artists, and at the very core, music fans. This publication was made by fans, for fans. We focus on music as our main inspiration, but also include the behind-the-scenes workers that make the music world go ‘round. Issue 001 was a collection of interviews, stories, reviews, galleries, and advice from those in the industry gathered over the span of 2020-2022. It was released in October 2022 with 72 pages. We plan to release a quarterly issue!

As Creative Director of the magazine, I set up the design styles implemented throughout the magazine. Each bit of text has its own style from headings to bylines and can be used for future issues as a recognizable part of the Pleaser brand. I wanted our publication to be trustworthy, but also playful in its style. With the tremendous help of my co-Creative Director, Amanda Elman, we interspersed fun hand-drawn doodles in articles and gallery pages. The color palette was derived from the photos featured in the mag. The design styles remained consistent throughout, but I made sure that each story had its own unique flair.

TO THE RIGHT: Table of Contents page in Issue 001

 

Here’s some favorite spreads I designed below!