The Austin office of Pentagram has created a new magazine for the University of Texas School of Law based in Austin. Texas Law Magazine, the official publication of the top-ranked law school, was designed from scratch with completely new content, reimagined page architecture, and a clean look-and-feel. The fresh, modern layouts are composed with Sharp Grotesk, Maison Mono and a suite of Roman faces that feel lawyerly and Texan at the same time, including Noe Display, Noe Standard and Noe Text.
The design team was involved from the conception of the project and helped with the naming of the publication, advised the editorial team on best practices and created new departments and sections. The naming construct for the new publication uses common law terms for the titles of sections and departments and is roughly based on the chronological progression of a trial.
The magazine opens with a five-page “Discovery” section featuring a short story told through an arresting photograph of a world event (outside of Texas) impacted or influenced by the School of Law. The full-spread narrative silo called “Proof” is followed by a Table of Contents called “Docket.” The next thirteen-page section, “Opening Statements,” includes profiles, news and opinions, and introduces a single-page story told through an object called “Exhibit.”
The debut object featured in this reoccurring department is a first edition of John Rastell’s 1523 Exposicions of [th]e Termys of [th]e Law of England which is a prized holding in the School of Law’s Tarlton Library. The rare volume is the first English law dictionary and the first dictionary, for that matter, of any kind published in the English language. The “Exhibit” page is an example of the Pentagram team’s practice of telling editorial narratives in different ways.
Three features follow the “Opening Statements” section including a six-page cover feature about the legal issues involved with the upcoming 2024 election titled “America Votes.” The feature and wraparound cover are expertly illustrated by Pentagram Austin’s frequent collaborator Brian Stauffer. Smack in the middle of the feature core is a full-spread department called “Recess” which highlights ten things Texas lawyers are enjoying out of office.
Following the features is a seven-page, back of book section called “Closing Arguments” which includes a full-spread Q&A called “Questioning,” a single-page tribute called “Precedents” and a traditions department called “Peregrinus.” The Peregrinus is a mythical beast created by students that has become an unofficial mascot of the Texas School of Law.
Two unique, narrative silos make their debut in this back of book section including a single-page, reoccurring department called “Framed” which tells the stories behind the portraits of accomplished Texas Law graduates framed and hanging in the hallways of the school. First up is a black-and-white photograph of a handsome 1938 School of Law graduate named Gus Garcia who litigated the 1954 landmark decision in Hernandez V. Texas and then, sadly, passed away at a relatively young age.
The second narrative silo is called “Hearsay” which tells a historical tale pulled from the annals of the Texas School of Law through the whimsical but sure-handed graphic novel style of illustrator R. Fresson. Her debut panel features the story of Anna Sanbo, class of 1916, who was hired by Texas Law student Tom C. Clark in 1922 to help him prepare for the Bar. Clark passed the exam with Anna’s abled assistance and went on to become the first Texas Law graduate to serve on the Supreme Court.
The 56-page launch edition of Texas Law Magazine ends with a full-spread photograph called “Proof”–same as the opening spread of the magazine. But, unlike the opener image, which features stories and events outside of Texas, this full-spread photograph (capping-off the last section of the magazine called “Adjourn”) conveys a short story of something closer to home–like the Texas Law Sunflower Graduation Ceremony depicted here.
