Print Deliverables for Historical Society
Print Deliverables for Historical Society
A print design project created for the Swedish Finn Historical Society that brings their rich archive to life and engages a younger audience.
A print design project that brings a rich archive to life.
Project Overview
Project Overview
Introduction
Kusiner is a print design project created for the Swedish Finn Historical Society, a nonprofit preserving the stories of Swedish-speaking emigrants from Finland. With thousands of historical records, letters, and photos—many not yet digitized—the organization needed a compelling way to bring their archive to life and engage a younger audience.
I was brought on as a freelance designer to create a timeless, high-quality magazine and brochure that honored the emotional weight of this legacy while appealing to modern sensibilities.
My Role
Freelance Graphic Designer
Collaborated with members of the Swedish-speaking Finnish community in the U.S. and Finland
Led print layout, image selection, typographic systems, and visual storytelling
Balanced archival integrity with contemporary design aesthetics
Design Goals
Create a readable, beautiful magazine rooted in the aesthetics of Ancestry.com
Visually reflect the organization’s branding and website style
Highlight complex information in a clear, engaging way
Minimize page count due to print budget constraints
Carry over the design system into a matching brochure
Design Process
Research & Inspiration
Conducted interviews with community members
Explored visuals through Pinterest
Observed how “time” appears in everyday life—both emotional and visual
Typography & Layout
Chose Garamond for its balance of screen and print readability
Carefully integrated the organization’s rustic serif logo into layouts
Structured content like a textbook, using contrast, layout, and typographic hierarchy to guide the reader
Research & Inspiration
Conducted interviews with community members
Explored visuals through Pinterest
Observed how “time” appears in everyday life—both emotional and visual
Typography & Layout
Chose Garamond for its balance of screen and print readability
Carefully integrated the organization’s rustic serif logo into layouts
Structured content like a textbook, using contrast, layout, and typographic hierarchy to guide the reader
Cover – Timefolds
Cover – Timefolds
Magazine Highlights
The magazine opens with a double-exposure image—a visual metaphor for identity layered across generations. The technique merges historical photographs with subtle textures, reflecting how personal and collective memory can blur and resonate across time.
The magazine opens with a double-exposure image—a visual metaphor for identity layered across generations. The technique merges historical photographs with subtle textures, reflecting how personal and collective memory can blur and resonate across time.
DEE – Documenting Every Emigrant
DEE – Documenting Every Emigrant
Magazine Highlights
This feature introduces the Society’s deep archival work: tracking the emigration stories of Swedish Finns. Inspired by textbook-style formatting, the layout is organized into clearly defined informational sections, supported by visuals from the organization's database. A visual intermission page offers a sense of daily life in the "new world," with stamps and postmarks from both Finland and the U.S. to signal cross-continental lives.
This feature introduces the Society’s deep archival work: tracking the emigration stories of Swedish Finns. Inspired by textbook-style formatting, the layout is organized into clearly defined informational sections, supported by visuals from the organization's database. A visual intermission page offers a sense of daily life in the "new world," with stamps and postmarks from both Finland and the U.S. to signal cross-continental lives.
Oral Histories
Oral Histories
Magazine Highlights
This was the emotional heart of the project. As I designed this section, I was reminded of an oral history recording made about my paternal great-grandparents. Since my father is adopted, hearing any voice from that side of my family feels like magic. I wanted to channel that sensation of wonder and preservation into the layout.
Imagery from Rochester, WA—a small industrial town with historic ties to this immigrant population—grounds the spread. The town’s aging train tracks symbolized not just movement, but enduring memory. I imagined each oral history as a portrait that comes to life, echoing the storytelling magic of “moving portraits” in folklore and fiction.
This was the emotional heart of the project. As I designed this section, I was reminded of an oral history recording made about my paternal great-grandparents. Since my father is adopted, hearing any voice from that side of my family feels like magic. I wanted to channel that sensation of wonder and preservation into the layout.
Imagery from Rochester, WA—a small industrial town with historic ties to this immigrant population—grounds the spread. The town’s aging train tracks symbolized not just movement, but enduring memory. I imagined each oral history as a portrait that comes to life, echoing the storytelling magic of “moving portraits” in folklore and fiction.
Inside Covers: The Archive Unfolded
Inside Covers: The Archive Unfolded
Magazine Highlights
Both inside covers serve as immersive, tactile collages. They present a cross-section of the photos, letters, and scanned artifacts in the organization’s care—offering readers a sense of the physicality, intimacy, and richness of the collection.
Both inside covers serve as immersive, tactile collages. They present a cross-section of the photos, letters, and scanned artifacts in the organization’s care—offering readers a sense of the physicality, intimacy, and richness of the collection.
Brochure Design
Brochure Design
The accompanying brochure was developed to match the magazine’s tone while streamlining its purpose. Meant for educational outreach and general distribution, it retains visual continuity while simplifying the narrative arc for first-time readers and potential members of the organization.
The accompanying brochure was developed to match the magazine’s tone while streamlining its purpose. Meant for educational outreach and general distribution, it retains visual continuity while simplifying the narrative arc for first-time readers and potential members of the organization.
Reflections
Reflections
Final
Final
Kusiner became more than a client project—it became a meditation on the weight of memory and the strength of stories passed down. I wanted to design something that made history feel personal and alive, especially for younger generations who might only have fragments of the past to hold onto.
Rather than framing immigrants as passive figures in sepia-toned sadness, this project frames them as powerful ancestors, whose choices shaped nations, communities, and identities.
Client Feedback
Client Feedback
Final
Final
“Daisy dear, just previewed the mini-Kusiner. How lovely—your ancestors are smiling and so am I. Beautiful work, thank you!”
— Cassie Chronic
“Nancy, I agree. Looks great. Will be nice to have that go out in hard copy. Well done to you and Daisy.”
— Dick Erickson
“Nancy, I agree. Looks great. Will be nice to have that go out in hard copy. Well done to you and Daisy.”
— Dick Erickson
“That looks awesome! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Over a year of fretting about Kusiner just got lifted from me. Thanks to you, and to Daisy. Heroic effort.”
— Karen Lundgren
“That looks awesome! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Over a year of fretting about Kusiner just got lifted from me. Thanks to you, and to Daisy. Heroic effort.”
— Karen Lundgren
Multimedia Graphic Designer
Daisy Bell
Framer 2024
Multimedia Graphic Designer
Print Deliverables for Historical Society
Print design that brings a rich archive to life.
Design Process
Introduction
Research & Inspiration
Conducted interviews with community members
Explored visuals through Pinterest
Observed how “time” appears in everyday life—both emotional and visual
Typography & Layout
Chose Garamond for its balance of screen and print readability
Carefully integrated the organization’s rustic serif logo into layouts
Structured content like a textbook, using contrast, layout, and typographic hierarchy to guide the reader
Cover – Timefolds
Magazine Highlights
The magazine opens with a double-exposure image—a visual metaphor for identity layered across generations. The technique merges historical photographs with subtle textures, reflecting how personal and collective memory can blur and resonate across time.
DEE – Documenting Every Emigrant
Magazine Highlights
This feature introduces the Society’s deep archival work: tracking the emigration stories of Swedish Finns. Inspired by textbook-style formatting, the layout is organized into clearly defined informational sections, supported by visuals from the organization's database. A visual intermission page offers a sense of daily life in the "new world," with stamps and postmarks from both Finland and the U.S. to signal cross-continental lives.
Reflections
Final
Kusiner became more than a client project—it became a meditation on the weight of memory and the strength of stories passed down. I wanted to design something that made history feel personal and alive, especially for younger generations who might only have fragments of the past to hold onto.
Rather than framing immigrants as passive figures in sepia-toned sadness, this project frames them as powerful ancestors, whose choices shaped nations, communities, and identities.
Inside Covers: The Archive Unfolded
Magazine Highlights
Both inside covers serve as immersive, tactile collages. They present a cross-section of the photos, letters, and scanned artifacts in the organization’s care—offering readers a sense of the physicality, intimacy, and richness of the collection.
Brochure Design
The accompanying brochure was developed to match the magazine’s tone while streamlining its purpose. Meant for educational outreach and general distribution, it retains visual continuity while simplifying the narrative arc for first-time readers and potential members of the organization.
Final Product
Post-Production
Oral Histories
Magazine Highlights
This was the emotional heart of the project. As I designed this section, I was reminded of an oral history recording made about my paternal great-grandparents. Since my father is adopted, hearing any voice from that side of my family feels like magic. I wanted to channel that sensation of wonder and preservation into the layout.
Imagery from Rochester, WA—a small industrial town with historic ties to this immigrant population—grounds the spread. The town’s aging train tracks symbolized not just movement, but enduring memory. I imagined each oral history as a portrait that comes to life, echoing the storytelling magic of “moving portraits” in folklore and fiction.
Project Overview
Introduction
Kusiner is a print design project created for the Swedish Finn Historical Society, a nonprofit preserving the stories of Swedish-speaking emigrants from Finland. With thousands of historical records, letters, and photos—many not yet digitized—the organization needed a compelling way to bring their archive to life and engage a younger audience.
I was brought on as a freelance designer to create a timeless, high-quality magazine and brochure that honored the emotional weight of this legacy while appealing to modern sensibilities.
My Role
Freelance Graphic Designer
Collaborated with members of the Swedish-speaking Finnish community in the U.S. and Finland
Led print layout, image selection, typographic systems, and visual storytelling
Balanced archival integrity with contemporary design aesthetics
Design Goals
Create a readable, beautiful magazine rooted in the aesthetics of Ancestry.com
Visually reflect the organization’s branding and website style
Highlight complex information in a clear, engaging way
Minimize page count due to print budget constraints
Carry over the design system into a matching brochure
Design Process
Research & Inspiration
Conducted interviews with community members
Explored visuals through Pinterest
Observed how “time” appears in everyday life—both emotional and visual
Typography & Layout
Chose Garamond for its balance of screen and print readability
Carefully integrated the organization’s rustic serif logo into layouts
Structured content like a textbook, using contrast, layout, and typographic hierarchy to guide the reader
Client Feedback
Final
“Daisy dear, just previewed the mini-Kusiner. How lovely—your ancestors are smiling and so am I. Beautiful work, thank you!”
— Cassie Chronic
“Nancy, I agree. Looks great. Will be nice to have that go out in hard copy. Well done to you and Daisy.”
— Dick Erickson
“That looks awesome! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Over a year of fretting about Kusiner just got lifted from me. Thanks to you, and to Daisy. Heroic effort.”
— Karen Lundgren