Outdoor Voices is known for being a direct to consumer activewear brand focused on connectivity. Their campaigns and designs often reflect a feeling of community with a strong mission to get the world moving. Their new online platform and zine, The Recreationalist, does just that with a similar motivational mission to just get outside and do something — mixing notions of what editorial design has been traditionally.

While the company is five years old, their branding and advertisement has often been lauded for their fresh take on activewear that can easily transition into everyday casual wear. The blurred lines of design between active time and leisure — the brand’s slogan is “doing things” — fits well with this new platform. The new site, and limited run zine separate from the Outdoor Voices site, is interactive but with a personal feeling. The content features city guides, interviews with influencers and community members who outline their day-to-day along with their active routines. The hub itself feels beta in a way, not unlike a sketchbook—even encouraging logging off for once! 

“We have a very clear mission to Get The World Moving”, says Chris Ralston, Brand Director of Outdoor Voices “and that starts with our community of recreational enthusiasts. Through The Recreationalist, we are providing a platform to inspire, educate, and connect with our community at a deeper level and ultimately celebrate the things that get us moving daily.”

The site features editorial sections like “Take Ten,” a set of 10 quick fire questions that prompt life inspiration for readers. The site also includes in depth content like “Doing Things With” featuring artist and activist iO Tillett Wright, who is accompanied by many other movers and shakers. They’ll also be featuring product recommendations, music mixes, and how to's. 

One of the more interesting facets of this platform is the forum and comment section, that in turn will have an impact on the kind of content that OV produces, creating a two-way conversation. “We activate locally and amplify digitally,” Chris Ralston says, "On The Recreationalist, you have insight into upcoming OV events right on the homepage making it just as easy to participate as it is to read one of our stories. The vision would be for someone to read about Pole Dancing, for example, and have a place where they could easily find an OV event nearby where they could try it for the first time.”

The physical cover of The Recreationalist's first issue

Between the physical zine itself and the online community that connects people digitally both in their immediate communities and far off, the editorial space of The Recreationalist feels new in that it isn’t hinged to the online world. The lines between active and other parts of life blend together, community expands, and the design of an editorial space does more than it was intended for by facilitating IRL engagement.