Shonen Jump magazine
Shonen Jump magazine from Ben Wright
Shonen Jump magazine

Shonen Jump is a monthly manga (Japanese comic books) anthology, and was frequently the #1-selling comic book publication. It is the American version of Japan's #1-selling publication, Weekly Shonen Jump.

I was the Lead Designer of Shonen Jump magazine for over five years. I created the entire look of the magazine, from art direction to layout design to production. For the first year, I produced each monthly 400-page issue myself. Eventually I had two designers working under me, allowing the magazine's look to evolve.

Working on this magazine was a unique challenge, as it was designed and printed to be read from right to left -- the reverse of standard Western page order. In addition, the licensor's mandate was that the pages be jam-packed full of content and visual elements.

(Note: In this project gallery, all the illustrations, game screens, and photos came from outside sources. Eveything else was done by me.)

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Cover of Shonen Jump volume 2, issue #3.
Covers of Shonen Jump volume 1, issue #1. The first issue had two different cover designs.
Covers of Shonen Jump volume 4, issue #7. This issue had a special "double cover" design.
Cover of Shonen Jump volume 4, issue #4.
Cover of Shonen Jump volume 1, issue #8.
Cover of Shonen Jump volume 5, issue #5.
Cover of Shonen Jump volume 6, issue #5.
Cover of Shonen Jump's poster magazine dedicated to the extremely successful property Naruto.
"Games We Love", a regular monthly feature from Shonen Jump magazine.
Featured article: soldiers of the world's special forces units.
Featured article: interview with Japanese creator.
Featured article: comical spotlight.
Collectible card game information; a regular feature in the magazine.
Featured article: martial arts styles and famous martial artists.
Table of contents page from an issue of Shonen Jump magazine. Visual intricacy had to be balanced with ease of use.
Featured article: video game article and interview with the game's producer creator.
Featured article: video game sneak peek.
Featured article: movie spotlight and interview with the film's staff.
Introductory page for an individual chapter; several of these were included each month.
How to speak, read, and write in the Japanese language; a regular monthly feature in the magazine.
Interstitial article: cute little creatures from various stories in the magazine.
Interstitial article: information graphics excerpted from a related publication.
How to play the Japanese game of "Go"; a regular monthly feature in the magazine.
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Shonen Jump magazine

Shonen Jump is a monthly manga (Japanese comic books) anthology, and was frequently the #1-selling comic book publication. It is the American version of Japan's #1-selling publication, Weekly Shonen Jump.

I was the Lead Designer of Shonen Jump magazine for over five years. I created the entire look of the magazine, from art direction to layout design to production. For the first year, I produced each monthly 400-page issue myself. Eventually I had two designers working under me, allowing the magazine's look to evolve.

Working on this magazine was a unique challenge, as it was designed and printed to be read from right to left -- the reverse of standard Western page order. In addition, the licensor's mandate was that the pages be jam-packed full of content and visual elements.

(Note: In this project gallery, all the illustrations, game screens, and photos came from outside sources. Eveything else was done by me.)

View Website
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Ben Wright
Creative Dynamo San Francisco, CA