Three Northern Illinois University alumni have taken their passion for journalism, design and the Windy City to create an appropriately-titled magazine, “Love, Chicago.”

The quarterly magazine is a love letter to Chicago readers, featuring the city’s unique businesses and artists, as well as comics and reviews.

“I wanted to focus on what made the city great, especially its independents,” said editorial director Erica Burke. “I felt they needed a voice.”

Erica enjoyed writing for magazines during her college years, but thought magazines could be taken to another level. Brainstorming for the magazine began in Aug. 2004 and the first publication was in Jan. 2005.

Creative director Jason Burke credits the whole idea for the magazine to Erica.

“I was unwilling at first,” Jason said. “I had a lot going on, but eventually it just grew and grew.”

Erica and Jason, both 2000 graduates of NIU, met while working at the Northern Star. Erica was a reporter for the entertainment section, Weekender, and Jason drew comics. They caught each other’s eye and that was how it all started, Jason said.

“Me and my big pork chop side burns and her and her bright orange hair,” Jason said. “It was a match made in heaven. The rest is history.”

Jason and Erica will celebrate their second wedding anniversary this summer. Working as a team professionally has come easily to the pair, Erica said.

They moved to Chicago a year after graduation. The move was a natural choice, Erica said, who is originally from Joliet, since they were visiting the city so often.

By living in Chicago, Erica said she found the city to be more than what the bigger magazines portrayed. She said “Love, Chicago” was in a way self-serving. There are many people in her age group and income bracket who have the same interests, Erica said. She wanted to reach that audience.

Creative director Mike Segawa moved to New York for six years shortly after he graduated from NIU in 1999. He moved back partly because he missed Chicago, where he grew up.

“Chicago is a big, underrated city that offers a lot that L.A. and New York doesn’t,” Segawa said.

His time spent working in New York served to be beneficial to his work in “Love, Chicago” as well as other projects, he said.

Segawa and Jason were roommates at NIU. Their relationship as business partners is the same as when they were roommates — balanced and equal, Segawa said.

“When you’re working and you go into the office, you have to deal with those office personalities you don’t want to deal with,” Segawa said. “I don’t get that when I go into ‘Love, Chicago.'”

After three issues, the staff decided to redesign the look of the magazine.

“We wanted to take it to a higher level,” Erica said. “It looks like a different magazine, right down to the logo.”

The staff was aiming for a punk rock or indie vibe, while also being classy.

“We were walking the line between a fancy wedding invite and a punk show flyer,” Jason said.

Erica, Jason and Segawa locked themselves in a room for a four-day weekend and emerged with a clear vision of what the redesign would entail, Jason said.

“Four solid days of not eating and not sleeping,” Jason said. “Just coffee. Lots of coffee.”

Prior to the redesign, the magazine was modular and largely consisted of photos and text.

For their full time jobs, Segawa works as a freelance illustrator, Jason is a middle school art teacher and Erica has an editing job.