Taste Magazine Redesign
taste magazine is a source of inspiration and expert knowledge for BCLIQUOR products and curated recipes. In 2023 I was entrusted with maintaining brand standards and established styles. Now in 2024, with BCLIQUOR’s rebrand well under way, I am excited to help realize the next phase for this publication – launching the magazine into new directions with the ultimate goal of engaging new audiences, keeping interest with current readers and motivate sales. The Spring 2024 issue is just the beginning.
Covers: Fall 2023, Winter 2023 & Spring 2024
Spring 2024: Introduction of the branded arch and exciting new double features that pair food and playful education or 'experience' pieces.
Spring 2024 – Sample ”Cinco de Mayo Experience”: A fun and informational 'How To' feature.
Spring 2024 – Sample “Easter Delights”: New title page layouts allow for larger images, more product placement and high contrast spreads that engage readers over multiple spreads.
Spring 2024 – Sample “Easter Delights”: Subsequent pages.
Spring 2024: Bold 3/4 layouts punctuate the flow of the magazine to perk reader interest.
Spring 2024 – Sample Typical Food Article
Spring 2024 – Sample Typical Food Article: Subsequent pages.
Spring 2024: Bold type and visuals demand readers’ attention and capture the imagination.
Spring 2024 – Sample “The Cocktail Menu”: This refreshing new layout lets cocktail aficionados easily navigate through recipes.
Spring 2024 – Sample “The Cocktail Menu”: Subsequent pages.
Spring 2024: Layered imagery and graphics creates interest and curiosity for readers.
Spring 2024: Breaking down lengthy articles allows readers to dip in and out as they please.
Spring 2024: Airiness and minimal graphics provide clarity to focus on this educational piece.
Spring 2024: Simple and informational.
Spring 2024
Winter 2023: Developed closely with the TASTE Content & Production Manager, this layout embraces the magazine's new direction for more impactful crossover spreads.
Winter 2023
Winter 2023
Fall 2023: Interior pages introduce the branded graphic of the arch and new primary typeface Larken.
Fall 2023: Titles set in the rebrand primary font Larken help bridge old and new styles, like in the newly established “Raise the Bar Q&A” serial article.
Summer 2023: Bold typography in the brand's secondary font Brown bridged changing styles.
Winter 2023 – Sample “The Last Word”: This layout takes advantage of the new branding by using illustrations to create a story.
Process
In advance of the taste Spring 2024 issue, I developed a strategic design brief that prioritized the incorporation BCLIQUOR’s new graphic styles and responded to feedback received during an internal session with the taste Content & Production Manager and departmental peers and leaders. Implementing changes under limited timelines and staff resources required careful prioritizing of goals and realistic phased deadlines.
The objectives of the revised designs aimed to:
Align to BCLIQUOR’s brand strategy
Appeal to diverse audiences
Differentiate article types so readers could more easily identify departments
Expand the magazine’s pacing options with more varied layouts
Minimize reader fatigue and allow readers to dip in and out of content more easily
The Spring 2024 layouts presented above demonstrate how content and design were developed together for layered pieces that provide readers information and enjoyment at every level of interaction.
BRIDGING OLD & NEW
Prior to the official launch of the BCLIQUOR rebrand, I began to introduce a new visual language to the magazine over a few issues in 2023, to bridge the old look and embracing the new. Due to compressed timelines, rebranding the entire magazine simultaneously with the launch of the new cover design in the fall of 2023 was not possible. I determined the most impactful and efficient way to maintain a high level of quality and the cohesiveness of the overall magazine design was to redefine type styles and hierarchies within (sample ‘bridge layouts’ are shown above).
Role: Lead Designer
Project/Scope: Printed Magazine
Client: BCLIQUOR, BC Liquor Distribution Branch
Specs: 9x10.675
Credit(s): With BCLIQUOR (taste Content & Production Manager, Senior Manager of Brand & Customer Experience, Senior Graphic Designer); Cover Layout Design by Denstu; Photos by Joe Borrelli, PICNIC Creative and Getty Images