about
John C. Tripp is a publisher, graphic designer, and art director with many years of experience with publications, advertising agencies, financial service firms and personal projects.
His work includes editorial, identity, packaging, and creative direction. For a number of years he worked with Aquent, in San Francisco, Boston and Miami. He also worked extensively with Cheryl Roshak and Nicole Detko in New York City, both as a creative and a production artist for ad agencies and publishers.
Publishing is in Tripp’s blood and he has published several small, but influential, magazines. His first ‘zine, “Ipso Facto“ was an early prototype for today’s music and design magazines.
Tripp also published the Miami music magazine, “TIP” and the travel and culture magazine “ROAM”. He was founder and editor of the world music website “MundoVibe” and the city guide “Metro Asheville”.
He is the inventor of CycleTags, a signage system for bicycles and scooters. Purchase at etsy.
work
magazines
ROAM magazine, New York City. A free, groundbreaking travel and culture magazine.
Roam magazine was a seminal travel and culture publication founded by John Tripp in New York City. Celebrated for its immersive storytelling, striking design and photography, and deep cultural insights, Roam redefined travel journalism by blending personal narrative with global perspective. Roam covered travel with a focus on culture and a critical perspective. Under Tripp’s visionary editorial direction, the magazine became a touchstone for adventurous readers and cultural connoisseurs alike, capturing the spirit of exploration with sophistication and authenticity.
A pioneering music and culture magazine that pushed boundaries
Ipso Facto magazine was an electronic and “industrial” music, visual culture and arts magazine published in Gainesville, Florida and San Francisco in the mid to late ’80s. Ipso Facto was founded by John C. Tripp along with Chuck Conner and Stuart Patterson. The first issue of Ipso Facto was a xeroxed and tape bound “zine.
Later issues were offset printed. Ipso Facto’s production coincided with the first Apple Macintosh and the nascent desktop publishing industry. From the start, Ipso Facto’s design and production were on a Mac and its last issues pushed the technology with four color separations.
San Francisco’s Ipso Facto was a seminal ‘zine of electronic music, visual culture, street activism, style and fasion. With such noted designers as Steven R. Gilmore, Rex Ray, Tom Bonauro and Stuart Patterson contributing, Ipso Facto made an indelible impact on the scene of its day.