If someone were to say that they lived in a van, chances are most people would imagine something to the tune of the Saturday Night Live skit where Chris Farley lives in a van down by the river. In modern society, living in a vehicle is often considered something that people would only do out of sheer desperation. While this may be the case for some, there are plenty of people who make van living a deliberate choice.

Aimed at those who make mobile living an intentional lifestyle, Gridless Magazine is an interior design and lifestyle publication focused around life on the road. Through interviews, travel stories, and how-to articles; Gridless accomplishes a complete narrative on all aspects of van living.

Certain design elements have been specifically chosen to give the publication ties to van living. It’s small size (8”x5”) was purposefully chosen in order to accommodate the tight living spaces of those who live in vehicles, making it a magazine that you can easily take on the road. Using inspiration from other architecture and interior design publications, Gridless gives its content a similar visual treatment through its use of typography and image structure. Having this particular look & feel helps to remove the social stigma surrounding van living, allowing for the reader to make a clear association between “Van” and “Home”.

The Fonts, Interstate for headlines and Sectra for body text, were carefully selected to compliment the overall concept of Gridless. Interstate was chosen for headlines due to its thematic tie to the open road and travel by vehicle, along with its clean & simple sans-serif design. Sectra was chosen due to its blocky serifs and overall geometric design, which feels reminiscent of typical architecture and interior design publications.