As part of a course at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, we had the opportunity to collaborate with Otavamedia to design the June 2022 issue of Koululainen, a magazine targeted at children and teens. I wanted to create the kind of content I used to love as a kid reading this very magazine. This project was a personal favorite during my studies, and I fully embraced the creative challenge. I designed three editorial spreads for the issue, focusing on playful layouts and visual storytelling.
As a child, I was fascinated by magical creatures—especially dragons. To honor that inspiration, I created an interactive personality quiz titled "What Kind of Dragon Are You?" Readers choose from multiple-choice prompts (A, B, C, D), and the letter they select most reveals their dragon type. I illustrated each dragon using Adobe Illustrator, crafting distinct personalities and styles for each outcome. The layout was designed in Adobe InDesign, following Koululainen’s brand guidelines to ensure a cohesive look and feel within the magazine.
My dragons on the front of the magazine!
My little sister and I used to spend hours making Hama bead lizards and frogs together, so I designed a step-by-step craft tutorial based on those fond memories—this time featuring beaded frogs, a fun twist on the more common lizard patterns. I photographed the crafting process in our school’s photography studio, created supporting illustrations in Adobe Illustrator, and designed the layout in Adobe InDesign, keeping the Koululainen visual style and young audience in mind.
As a kid, I always flipped to the end of Koululainen magazine to read the funny "Pahimmat mokat" (Most Embarrassing Moments) section first—so getting to illustrate and design this page felt especially meaningful. This page features real, reader-submitted embarrassing moments, and one of them is always illustrated. I chose one, which I created the illustration using acrylic paint, then scanned and digitized it for use in the layout, which I designed in Adobe InDesign. The goal was to match the magazine’s playful tone while adding a personal, hand-crafted touch to a beloved recurring feature.
A Pine Cone Underwater
Once, when I was little and at our summer cottage, I had this habit of always needing to go to the bathroom when I was in the water. I was swimming with my cousins and once again had to go—number two this time. My uncle was collecting pine cones from the water while I did my business in the lake and then ran at full speed to the sauna to wash my butt. Naturally, my uncle found a "lump" in the water that wasn’t a pine cone, picked it up, and asked my mom what it was. My mom immediately guessed it was me. I was so embarrassed but still tried to lie—unsuccessfully!
Once, when I was little and at our summer cottage, I had this habit of always needing to go to the bathroom when I was in the water. I was swimming with my cousins and once again had to go—number two this time. My uncle was collecting pine cones from the water while I did my business in the lake and then ran at full speed to the sauna to wash my butt. Naturally, my uncle found a "lump" in the water that wasn’t a pine cone, picked it up, and asked my mom what it was. My mom immediately guessed it was me. I was so embarrassed but still tried to lie—unsuccessfully!
