TractorBeam is a quarterly speculative science fiction magazine that imagines hopeful futures on our planet. We were commissioned by Tractor, a beverage company dedicated to fostering regenerative agriculture, to develop a visual identity and online platform for the publication.

Looking into the Earth itself for inspiration, we developed a motif of geological strata to evoke the magazine’s “soilpunk” ethos and role soil plays in the future of our planet.

These strata establish a singular visual language across the Tractor Beam website and larger brand, while reinforcing its connection to the mission of its parent company.

As users move through the site, layers of strata appear and, at times, expand to reveal new pages, turning the metaphor of digging into a tangible experience.

Each issue of the site features a discrete landing page, with graphic cover art layered over the Tractor Beam masthead and a unique background color. A new display typeface is selected for every issue, helping to underscore its theme and add more nuance to the site design.

Each issue’s display typeface carries over to story headlines and dropcaps, creating a distinct typographic voice. Across the site, nearly all copy is set in a deep brown color, another subtle reference to rich, healthy earth that keeps Tractor Beam’s visual language rooted in its soilpunk premise.

In addition to standard prose, the site supports graphic novellas, expanding the publication’s visual storytelling beyond the conventional article format.

The publication extends beyond the stories themselves through a system of expert commentary. Contributors can annotate individual passages with context drawn from their areas of expertise, giving readers the option to toggle between a more focused reading experience and one enriched by additional layers of information.

The annotation layer’s visual expression draws on light and refraction, visualizing how expert commentary can illuminate a story while offering a subtle play on the publication’s name, Tractor Beam. Designed initially for the site, the system was also adapted into a suite of social templates.

We art directed Tractor Beam’s first issue with the goal of establishing an eclectic visual voice that would balance speculative themes with a sense of the human hand, yet leave room for future experimentation. Subsequent issues have been beautifully art directed by ElizabethGoodspeed.

The site is designed to encourage discovery. In addition to browsing by issue, readers can explore the archive through contributors, keywords, and themes, revealing unexpected connections across the publication.

Since its launch, Tractor Beam has worked with writers and artists including Jeff VanderMeer, Fatimah Asghar, Mimi Mondal, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Ben Passmore, Aidan Koch, and Yemi Amu, alongside a growing roster of emerging voices from around the world. It has been praised as “an interactive art object as well as a riveting reading experience” by It’sNiceThat, and recognized by Fast Company as a 2026WorldChangingIdeashonoree.

Designed with Mark Pernice & Drew Litowitz
Founders and editors: Lana Z Porter & Claire Gustavson
Project manager: Cody Moy
Creative development: Maria Adelaide
Issue 2-5 art direction: Elizabeth Goodspeed
Tractor Beam in house designer: Adriana Gallo