East Coast Living shows off the redesign it won in a national competition
Regular readers will recall that East Coast Living magazine won the competition to receive a free makeover from K9 Designs in Toronto. The results of that at least the cover makeover are in. Above is the cover before and after (its forthcoming winter issue).
ECL also won some strategic direction and redesign on interior layouts from K9 Design (to be unveiled in November), circulation consultation from Coverssell.com, digital publishing from Dawson Communications NXT Book Media, printing services from Ironstone Media, core promotional printed product from Annex Printing, and stock photography from iStockphoto.
“The old cover had become dated,” said Norm Lourenco, Creative Director at K9 Design. “The new cover is a complete metamorphosis and put the “living” back into East Coast Living.”
The magazine got a new logo, moved to the left to maximize newsstand visibility and a new photo treatment that incorporates "signs of life, the release said.
The new ECL cover lines were revamped from font to placement. Cover lines were reduced and the font size was bumped up and moved to a prime position to radically commit to the main selling feature. We added supporting bullet points to underscore reader benefits and value proposition. The copy is more direct and less cutesy while interesting interrupter devices (both starburst and ribbon) call out important buying messages to consumers. The result is a clean and easy-to-follow esthetic with a defined hierarchy of information.Shiela Blair-Reid, the publisher of East Coast Living, said:
“We have teamed up with some of Canada's best to create a wonderful new, slick urban cover. The redesign process has given us an opportunity to reorganize the entire magazine to better serve our readers. It has been an exciting experience and we are still feeling very proud to have been selected as the winner of the makeover. We can’t wait for the launch of the entire issue."
Labels: art direction, covers, design
posted by D. B. Scott at
2:37 pm
5 Comments:
Ok, I'll begin;
Using the same typeface for your masthead and your coverlines, even though it's a wee bit bolder = lame.
Next?
Okay I'll go next. Hate giver you need a hug. Love seeing some actual hierarchy on the cover and the colors really pop.
Really? The brown really pops? The patchy grass and slate gray sky rock your world? "Holiday Gift Guide" and Lights We Love" sing? Are you by any chance the editor?
I'm going to assume you're one of many out of work mag folks. Being angry on a blog probably isn't going to help, why don't you go work on your portfolio? Yes the cover does pop, its unusual to see a dark cover in the home decor sector but the white, yellow and orange pop well on it. Now come get your hug.
Dear Editor, I'm gainfully employed-- I probably make more than you do. I'm also trying to tell you that this magazine's design does not stack up against its peers in this category. Canadian magazines don't need to be second-rate, thy could comepte with the best around the world, and some do, but our standards are too low and we too easily praise the mediocre. It should change.
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