Our Magazine Redesign: Shiny and New
By now you’ve probably noticed that this magazine looks completely different from last month’s issue. There’s a new logo, fresh style, and reimagined editorial content.
Over the years I’ve spent in journalism, I’ve worked on a number of redesigns, but this one is more timely and exciting than similar projects I’ve been involved with in the past.
For starters, the entire theory behind our new design is reflective of a current sensibility regarding media. The content produced by Professional Remodeler is seen in print, online, in social media, e-newsletters, videos, and in person during our events. To that end, one of the main objectives for this redesign was to become more “platform agnostic.” This means that everything in the print edition is now created and placed on the page with the goal of forming a seamless transition to a digital format. For example, we’ve gotten rid of the old-fashioned, claustrophobic notion that an editorial column fills one page regardless of whether the message is best suited for that space. Instead, our contributors’ section allows columns to flow freely together, using the real estate of the page in a smarter way that puts quality before some imaginary need to adhere to a particular word count.
We’re also introducing more points of view from a variety of contributors including readers, consultants, industry icons, and other business experts.
Our revamped features section now showcases large images, multiple entry points for readers, and a cool use of margin notes (the image above from the saw safety story is a great example). The voice will generally be conversational with more first-person accounts quoting working contractors.
This month's issue is filled with interesting, ambitious stories, especially our look at whether energy retrofits pay and an in-depth examination of saw safety technology. And we've moved the ever-popular column written by our director of content, Sal Alfano, to the back page, for a satisfying end point to each issue.
So take a look, raise a glass, and tell us what you think.
