Knowledge Commons Platform
Parallel
Bengali-language knowledge commons — a magazine, publishing press, and archive built as one growing platform.
The Challenge
Parallel is really three things in one — সমান্তর (magazine), Parallel Press (books), and অন্যপাতা (blogzine) — and all three needed to feel connected without turning into three separate websites to maintain. Built solo, which also meant turning feedback from non-technical editorial contributors into real design decisions, with no product team to sort through it first.
The Approach
Built সমান্তর, Parallel Press, and অন্যপাতা as three sections of one site instead of three separate sites — each with its own color and navigation, but sharing the same underlying build — so one person can keep maintaining all three as content keeps growing.
What Shipped
- Three branded sections — সমান্তর (magazine), Parallel Press (books), অন্যপাতা (blogzine) — each with its own color and navigation, built as one connected site.
- পুরাতনী (Archive) — a searchable, filterable collection preserving the publication's older writing by type and era.
- Built solo while also being an active member of Parallel itself, not an outside vendor — architecture and content decisions happen from inside the editorial team.
- Still actively in development — sections, content, and the archive continue to grow as the platform matures.
Stack
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