Project

Hand/Eye Magazine

Project

Hand/Eye Magazine

Array of open HAND/EYE magazine spreads laid flat on white, showing features like ‘Ancient Clay,’ a ‘Working Together’ textile, ‘The Afghan Heart’ portraits and ‘signs, signifiers & symbols.’

Giving world craft culture a voice.

Branding

Creative Direction

Design

UX / UI

Print Promotional

Challenge

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Hand/Eye Magazine covered world craft culture—from ancient traditions to contemporary makers—for an audience spanning collectors, artisans, donors, and design enthusiasts. Over three years and ten issues, we produced an ad-free, editorially driven publication that relied entirely on content quality for its survival. 

The design challenge was creating a system flexible enough to honor hundreds of diverse artists and writers while maintaining a cohesive, modern aesthetic—often working with wildly varying source material, from museum-quality photography to cell phone snapshots from remote areas.

Process

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As Art Director and Lead Designer, I led a rotating team of 3-5 Junior Designers (former students from my time teaching at Parsons) through the complete design and production of each ~80-page issue. I handled overall magazine architecture—covers, table of contents, feature layouts—while mentoring designers on typography and composition as they developed individual stories. 

The work required constant cycling: reviewing layouts, pushing solutions, refining until each article felt right. We had to learn from challenges: when artists sent limited visuals, we used creative typography and space; when flooded with content, we curated ruthlessly. The role demanded we be fluent across cultures and crafts—translating a Moroccan ceramicist’s story, a Japanese textile artist’s process, and a Mexican weaver’s history, working directly with artists and writers to develop narratives, conduct interviews, and sometimes photograph work ourselves.

Process

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Impact

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Hand/Eye built a dedicated community that remains active today—14,000 Facebook followers still engaged with craft content years after the magazine ceased print publication in 2013. The publication established a reputation for beautiful, substantive craft journalism and helped launch the careers of multiple junior designers who went on to work in fashion and design. The magazine's approach to honoring diverse craft traditions while maintaining editorial quality has influenced how craft culture is covered in contemporary publications.

Impact

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HAND/EYE magazine spread titled ‘Grit & Glitter’ on artist Liza Lou’s South African partnership, featuring a vividly beaded geometric panel.
Animated illustration of the “Be fluent” design method

Be fluent

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Everyone communicates differently. Learn to connect people, teams, and ideas.

Animated illustration of the “Be fluent” design method

Be fluent

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Everyone communicates differently. Learn to connect people, teams, and ideas.

Two HAND/EYE magazine issues — a ‘New Mexico’ cover and the green ‘Craft and Compassion’ Winter 2012 cover with a portrait of an African woman in green.

The challenge was creating a system flexible enough to honor hundreds of diverse artists. When artists sent limited visuals, we used creative design; when flooded with content, we curated ruthlessly.

The challenge was creating a system flexible enough to honor hundreds of diverse artists. When artists sent limited visuals, we used creative design; when flooded with content, we curated ruthlessly.

The challenge was creating a system flexible enough to honor hundreds of diverse artists. When artists sent limited visuals, we used creative design; when flooded with content, we curated ruthlessly.

Fanned stack of black HAND/EYE postcards with the white hand-and-eye logo and the purple HANDEYE wordmark.
Animated illustration of the “Learn” design method

Learn

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Mistakes are gold. Let your challenges teach you.

Animated illustration of the “Learn” design method

Learn

►

Mistakes are gold. Let your challenges teach you.

An ad-free, editorially driven publication that relied entirely on audience appreciation to survive.

An ad-free, editorially driven publication that relied entirely on audience appreciation to survive.

An ad-free, editorially driven publication that relied entirely on audience appreciation to survive.

Open HAND/EYE magazine on a wood table showing a ‘Green & Greener’ emerald feature and a black-and-white portrait of an older man wearing goggles.
Two HAND/EYE promotional rack cards — one with the red-draped logo cover and one collaging colorful global craft photos with subscription details.
Extreme close-up of glossy multicolored vertically striped silk fabric folded into soft peaks.

  • “No matter what was on our plates, Noah’s thoughtful, patient process made it better.”

    Keith Recker, Editor in Chief and Co-Owner, TABLE Magazine

  • “What I value most is his exceptional design eye, attention to detail, and ability to be a true creative partner.”

    Mark Zurada, COO, Pinpoint Analytics

  • “Noah is so valuable to any organization lucky enough to work with him.”

    Clare Hertel, Founder of CHC and the Santa Fe International Literary Festival

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