habitat:
rural south dakota
Down Country Roads doesn't start with a template. I start by reading the story.
I look at the photographs. I pay attention to the voice. I look for the thing that makes me stop and think, there it is.
Sometimes it's in the photograph. Sometimes it's something the person said. Sometimes it's the mood of the story itself.
That's where the design starts.
Down Country Roads
Letting each story lead
Editorial & Publication Design
Scope:
Bi-monthly cover + editorial
Client
Custer County Chronicle
I usually begin inside the magazine.
Once I understand what the story needs, I design the feature first and carry that same feeling to the cover.
For the Fall River Flight Fest issue, it was the glow of the balloons against the night sky. That warmth and light became the thread running from the cover into Soak in Summer.
The cover wasn't designed separately from the story.
It grew out of it.
From the story to the cover
Speciman No. 01
Same process. Different stories.
May/June 2026
Sharon Weaver had already given me what I needed. Her story was told in her own voice — self-taught, a little sly and never taking herself too seriously. So I didn't try to invent something clever to put on top of it. The intimate photographs, the warm sun-worn color and Sharon's own words were enough.
May/June 2025
This one needed quiet. The buffalo already carried the weight of the story — wild, imposing and almost still. The design didn't need to compete with them. Sepia tones, restrained typography and plenty of room let the photographs lead, while Chad Kremer's own plainspoken words brought his voice into the pages.
September/October 2024
Same magazine. Entirely different story.
Marcus Heerdt's feature wasn't asking for Western nostalgia or quiet. It was an invitation to get outside. The design took its cues from his FalconGuides book — bold yellow, condensed type, strong framing and a photo-first approach that felt more expedition than Old West.