Candid Orange Magazine
Editorial illustrations for poems and articles in UK-based digital magazine covering R&B music, queer community, body dysmorphia, climate change, Covid and more.
For article ‘The gut microbiota: your second brain’ by Natalie Burnett. “While research is ongoing, microbial imbalance is suspected to be a huge factor in many depressive disorders, as this can cause a loss of microbes that are key for producing metabolites we rely on for happiness.” This graphic follows a microscopic aesthetic in exploring bacteria, with images from old scientific journals. Given the text’s nature is educational, the explicit use of the human body’s system in words is important to lay emphasis on the relationship between physiology and mental health. In the same line of thought, the brain and intestines are shown, as seen in anatomical diagrams, to refer directly to human organs.
23rd May 2021
For article ‘Why climate change is a feminist issue’ by Samira Rauner. Women in many countries are directly impacted by climate change, sometimes more than other parts of the population. Despite this, there is a lack of action to support them against climatic impact within international policy-making, where again, there is a lack of female leadership. The imagery follows a landscape style to focus on the enormity and catastrophic potential of global warming. A deliberate choice was made not to include female faces and bodies here because picking and choosing a skin colour and ethnicity would be both unjustified and exclusive. So, the text speaks for itself with terms like ‘women’ and ‘feminism’ visible.
1st April 2021
20th March 2021
For article ‘Not another Covid-19 variant?! - How viruses evolve and why it’s so difficult to kill them’ by Anna Staddon. The background uses a graph of rising Covid cases in the UK. The green colour coincides with the transparent injection up front, representing the hopeful and much needed vaccine. The black squares are images of microscopic slides of bacteria, swirling around, growing, infecting. The old-school lung anatomical diagram is the central image, emphasising on the most vulnerable body part.
For the poem ‘Mind Split’ by Carmina Budworth on body dysmorphia. The emphasis is on the mind itself, seeing the black and white anatomical diagram of the brain. The coloured scraps on top of the mind represent thought, emotions and sheer confusion. The concept of sight is prevalent given the closed eye in the diagram along with a glimpse of eyes at the back; emphasising the connection between the mind and sight, of inner-reflection and what others think of you.
10th March 2021
For article ‘What R&B taught me in 2020’ by Dara Coker. Many R&B and soul artists were mentioned in this piece who were important to show in the visual—VanJess, Cleo Sol, Rapper Weed, Boogie, Peng Black Girls and more. Part of the background, the purple/green left-hand-side, is extracted from VanJess’s album cover called ‘Slow Down’ from 2020. The barcode and torn paper aesthetic feeds into the '“coolness” of R&B music.
1st February 2021
For article ‘Trump may have left the White House but his dangerous legacy lingers’ by Megan Hill. Soon after the Capitol riot in the beginning of 2021, the focal point is Donald Trump. Surrounding images represent US history from the Bill of Rights to old postal stamps next to the country’s map in black and white. The King of Spades to the left represents Trump’s, both self-proclaimed and very real, power that led to hate speech, incitement of violence and so much more. The 1st version is with a dark red paper-like background whereas the 2nd version’s background is the US flag, the one which was published.
8th February 2021
For article ‘The weaponisation of makeup is radical and political in the hands of the queer community, not Kamala Harris’ by Caitlin Thomson. The editor wanted to see colour and glitter, both of which are visible, and the butterflies add an extra edge. The queer community is nothing less than colourful. The figure to the left in black and white is Claude Cahun—a famous queer photographer, sculptor and writer from the early 20th century. Cahun’s placement in this frame contextualises modern queer activism in its zealous progression.
5th December 2020