Magazine Redesign
Challenge
Revitalize the visual design of EVMS magazine to be on par with the community impact the institution had and the research-based editorial content covered in it’s pages with a strong focus on storytelling through beautiful and arresting visuals.
Process
As the lead Designer for the redesign of the magazine, I focused on creating a fresh, modern design system choosing the typography, establishing page grid layouts, creating supporting graphic elements, and utilizing a distinct brand palette to differentiate the magazine from other EVMS publications.
Extensive research on magazines produced by other higher education institutions and devices employed throughout editorial design served to fuel the discussion around what the team found effective and striking and would best showcase the content reported. I chose to use full-bleed photo spreads to create a dramatic and expansive feel with large headlines set in a retro and expressive typeface to soften the academic content and foster an emotional appeal found in many of the feature stories.
I worked with commercial printers to select paper stock, coatings and finishes, bindings and publication size to develop accurate specifications for the Editor to include in the RFP for a multi-year contract to print, mail and distribute the magazine.
Outcome
The result was a magazine that felt more grown up and sophisticated — a reflection of EVMS’ transformation from a small medical school to a vital academic health center.
The unique challenge of the digital version of the magazine was striking a compromise between a custom-coded experience and an off-the-shelf web editor that would significantly cut down on Development cost and time. While the team decided against a subscription-based service, I helped to standardize many of the sections for the digital magazine to create a range of page templates with standard image sizes to adopt for non-feature content. All feature stories incorporated large hero images, subtle animations and a clean UI that gracefully responded from desktop to mobile screens.
