Strike: HBIC's
Image Courtesy: Strike Tallahassee
Meet staff members Sophie Li (Director of Design), Haleigh Feix (Director of Production) and Nicole Tripodis (editor-in-chief)!
Strike (S): Tell us a little bit about yourself! How did you get involved with Strike/what inspired you to?
Sophie Li (SL): I’m Sophie Li, a senior (ugh) at FSU majoring in Advertising! I’ve found myself lost in the digital world of art and design for as long as I can remember. I always grew up watching Bob Ross painting tutorials and learning from Yoko Ono’s poetic words of wisdom. A part of me has always also been fascinated by fashion and culture and how it all relates back to art + design. Naturally, looking for a cultural fit for my passions, Strike Magazine stood out to me. I love the energy the staff has and the overall vision of the brand. Strike is an authentic organization made up of incredible individuals that makes Strike’s voice and look unique.
Haleigh Feix (HF): I am a current senior at Florida State and my major is German with a concentration in business. I am focusing on marketing and I have a second degree in studio art with my focus in design. I was in a sorority up until last year and a lot of the girls were involved in other publications on campus, so I saw all the amazing work they were doing and the close-knit community it formed. It was also at that time I was really getting into makeup. I was a beauty assistant at a different campus magazine, moved up to the beauty director and then Strike was started. I continued as beauty director and I just loved the entire vibe of the magazine. The people that I was surrounded with were just so amazing and so inspiring that I really looked up to them. They just showed me the ways of the magazine publishing world and I never thought that was something that was going to be intriguing to me.
Nicole Tripodis (NT): I’m a senior here at FSU, studying Editing/Writing/Media and Art History. I’ve always been a creative and knew that I wanted to work for a magazine since I was little. Since my freshman year, I’ve spent every summer in NYC or London, interning for fashion magazines and stylists. I’ve been on the staff of Strike since its conception my sophomore year, and before that, I worked with the same staff on a different publication where my first position was men’s stylist. But I’ve always reveled in it--Strike has always felt so true to my ethos.
S: What does each of your individual roles entail?
SL: I started off on Strike as an Assistant Art Director for two issues and now I am the head Art Director! My job is to create any art/ design necessary for graphics, social media promos, and of course the magazine itself.
HF: I am the Director of Productions and the Associate Editor. As Director of Productions, I’m in charge of organizing all the photoshoots, and working with the directors. As Associate Editor, I am just working really closely with the Editor-in-Chief in terms of content; what goes in and what goes out, what we are looking for, editing and photo editing. I also help overall, making sure everyone is on track.
NT: As Editor-in-Chief, I conceptualize our editorial outline, determine which photographs and stories get published, approve our layouts and graphics… In short, I make the decisions for everything that goes into our print issue.
S: What is the hardest thing about each of your unique jobs and what is your favorite part?
SL: My favorite part of my position is being able to utilize my skill set and create bold work for Strike. I love to see it come to life! The hardest part is definitely making sure that I’m constantly keeping in mind the branding and look of Strike. I don’t want to make something that doesn’t align with who we are.
HF:I like having a lot on my plate, so it is definitely perfect being in this fast paced environment. I also love to be inspired by other people and when you have such a big team (we have a staff of 50) there are just so many people doing amazing things. There are a lot of hard things though, the hardest, I think is just keeping people motivated. During those beginning months, getting our staff really excited about it and making sure that they are doing their job without having physical evidence of it yet is a challenge, but it’s what we do.
NT: We have a pretty extensive staff, so I’d say the hardest part is making sure that each department is on the ball, working to their highest potential, all the time. My favorite part is definitely coming up with the creative direction of each issue; that’s when I have the most fun doing research and gathering inspiration.
S: What should we be looking forward to be seeing in the next issue and what inspired it/you?
SL: All of the art and design that you’ll see throughout the magazine is inspired by and in collaboration with the photoshoots and articles. The combination of the art, photos, and articles flows incredibly well and complement each other. And of course, this issues theme is so apparent through it all!
HF: It is going to be so good, I am so excited for you guys to see it! We have taken the magazine to a whole new level in terms of the altogether feel of it. We wanted it to be an entire experience, from front cover to back. You’re not just getting snippets of articles and photoshoots; they all relate to a larger picture. It is also really relevant to what our generation is going through at this time that we are living in. So, yeah! Get ready to be inspired and challenged.
NT: Young people living in tandem with digital technology in contrast to the freedom of the past is the inspiration behind this issue. It’s going to be a lot different from what we’ve done in the past. We’ve shifted the focus to something a bit more visually avant-garde. That’s all I want to say!
S: This last question is just for Nicole. As Editor in Chief, where do you see Strike in the future?
NT: I’m proud that Strike is so inclusive and multi-faceted. I’d like to see it stay that way in the future and continue to push boundaries to the edge.
Strike Volume IV will come out this Wednesday on December fifth and there will be a release party at Happy Motoring that day at 7 pm. Come on out and see what we have created!
Strike Out,
Writer: Savannah Tindall
Editor: Hali Azpeitia
Graphic Designer: Sophie Li
Tallahassee