Compton Cowboys
Google Trends editorial design
2020
The Compton Cowboys are "A collective of lifelong friends on a mission to uplift their community through horseback and farming lifestyle, all the while highlighting the rich legacy of African-Americans in equine and western heritage."
Anytown is a Google Trends editorial series exploring trending searches from specific locations across the world. The first Anytown story is about the Compton Cowboys—who are being searched now more than ever before. The Compton Cowboys Anytown story was recently published on About.google and on YouTube. Month ago, I designed an alternative to the simple module-based design then in production in order to provide a vision for what a richer editorial experience could look like and to celebrate and honor an exceptional organization and group of people.
Because the primary source of traffic for this page is users referred from social media (who will have likely already watched a clip of the film and decided to see more), the editorial features the documentary film above the fold at the top of the page for easy access. In an effort to emphasize this story's importance and uniqueness, the entire page uses a dark theme and custom handwritten display type.
Subtle grid lines and guides structure the page throughout, while scratches, textures, and expressive handwritten type provide moments of contrast.
The editorial tells the story of the video, highlighting significant quotes from Keiara Wade and other members of the Compton Cowboys.
Because our user studies have shown that users unexposed to previews are trailers are most likely to watch films after they have already begun reading a story, I presented this alternative placement for the full documentary film halfway down the page.
The documentary film is beautifully shot. In designing this editorial, I focused on opportunities to highlight imagery while telling the story of Keiara, her family, and the rest of the Compton Cowboys.
The editorial ends with a call to action. Here, users have the option to donate directly to the Compton Cowboys to support their horse rescue and rehabilitation and social and community justice work.
