“This fall, we hope you cozy up with this magazine and a hot drink of your choice, and enjoy this little book we worked so hard to make just for you,” reads part of the Letter from the Editor of Horizon Magazine’s Fall 2019 publication, The Community Issue.
Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) Horizon Magazine is a student run organization that puts out magazines once per semester, tackling themes and issues around Grand Junction and the Western Slope.
Combining elements of journalism, graphic design and photography, the magazine offers opportunities for students looking to get involved in a campus organization.
“There’s a lot of stories to tell within the community of CMU and the Grand Valley. I feel like a lot of them haven’t been told before,” Editor in Chief Jenna Kretschman said. “The theme fit with a lot of our story ideas, and so we decided to just run with it.”
Horizon Magazine has a history of excellence, winning the “Mark of Excellence Award” in Region 9 from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They were nominated for three Pinnacle Awards at the National College Media Convention in 2018. They won two: Best Photo Package and Best Photo Illustration.
“We’re here to be the voice of the students. What students do, what students say and think, that’s what we’re here for,” Horizon Managing Editor and The Criterion Photo Editor Casey Smith said.
The Community Issue is 64 pages long and features 18 total stories. The Launch Party was held Nov. 14 to celebrate the release of this semester’s publication.
“It was more difficult this time. There was a lot of people last semester that didn’t come back this semester to help, so a lot of the design on my side was pretty heavy,” Art Director Logan Wagner said. “I did have some superstars like Leah Ward and some illustrators like [Jessica Todd] and Esme [Contreras] who really pulled a lot of weight.”
The illustration on the cover of a bear and fox was designed by Wagner, who also provided and oversaw original illustrations and designs for the rest of the magazine.
“In making [the magazine], a lot of it was planning. The rest of it makes itself once you have theme, colors, fonts and the layout. You’re just rocking and rolling for the rest of the time, just making all the words fit, making sure all of the stories reflect the design and vice versa,” Wagner said
Elisa Bianchi and Raymond Hamer served as Social Media Director and Advertising Director, respectively.
“It was definitely a lot of work this semester. This was my first semester as an editor so I got to see how all the backstage stuff happened,” Photo Editor Kasia Kucera said. “It’s a little stressful because you don’t know when people are actually going to commit or not to the stories, but overall I was very impressed by some of the photographers that we got through the semester. We had to switch around a lot of things, cut some stories […] but it was definitely worth it and I’m really proud of this magazine this semester.”
Stories included in The Community Issue tackle topics including Mesa County Libraries’ Comic Con, Ski Hut trips in Colorado and Ghost Towns in Western Colorado.
“It was a lot of fun. It’s really cool to see what people come up with, but it’s really hard trying to decide which one is going to fit the magazine and the story the best. Usually when someone submits a lot of photos to me [there’s] a lot of really good ones, and it’s really hard to pick sometimes,” Kucera said.
Horizon Magazine’s next issue is coming Spring 2020.
