USC Inspire Magazine Illustration
Concept-led editorial illustration for alumni publication
I was commissioned by Pentagram to create a series of illustrations for the University of Southern California’s Inspire magazine.
The publication marked a major milestone celebrating 500,000 living alumni and highlighting the university’s impact across research, education and community.
Client: University of Southern California (via Pentagram)
Project type: Editorial illustration
Role: Illustrator
Usage: Magazine feature / double-page spread
Focus: Communicating scale, community and achievement
I focused on building out detailed, hand-drawn scenes that could hold multiple moments within a single composition, allowing the viewer to explore the illustration over time.
Rather than separating ideas, the aim was to bring everything together into one cohesive visual, reflecting the scale and diversity of the USC community.
The aim wasn’t to simplify the story down to one idea, but to organise complexity in a way that still feels clear and engaging.
The final illustrations were used as double-page spreads within USC’s Inspire magazine, helping translate a broad, data-heavy story into something more human and engaging.
The work adds warmth, personality and narrative depth to the editorial design, making the content easier to connect with and explore.
Brief: Create a set of illustrations that could bring a large and varied story to life, capturing the scale of USC’s alumni network while celebrating its achievements and sense of community.
The work needed to:
Feel energetic and optimistic
Represent a wide range of activity and people
Sit clearly within an editorial layout
The story combined multiple layers, data, milestones, community and institutional impact.
The challenge was to:
Avoid overwhelming the viewer
Keep the illustrations readable within a double-page spread
Balance storytelling with clarity
