It is the Thanksgiving Holiday in the United States so this is our “weekend” blog post and will be updated as needed. The next blog post is Monday, Dec. 2
TAKEAWAY: Already 20 of those 40 weekly business journals published by American City Business Journals have launched with a new look and rethinking. Take a look at this project where visual unity and a digital first approach are the key to success.
Front pages of 20 of the 40 Business Journals that have already introduced a new look as part of Project Pinstripe.
One thought comes to mind as I look at this graphic with 20 of those front pages for the ACBJ business weeklies. It is the first day that I entered a conference room in Charlotte, headquarters of ACBJ, and first faced 40 titles lying on a table, each with its “unique” nameplate and layout. Without a doubt, I wanted out of the room and out of the project before it was too late.
Common sense prevailed, plus, Emory Thomas, chief content officer, convinced me that he and his colleagues at ACBJ meant it when they said they wanted to effect big change, starting with the look and feel of those weeklies.
How right he was. Change has been the agent that has propelled this so called Project Pinstripe. It is change that was welcome, along with a design that takes into consideration the DNA of these business weeklies, the content they produce, and that respects the individuality of each of the titles, while unifying them.
It has been the job of Jon Wile, as creative director, to oversee the preparations for each launch,and to interact closely with the editors and the art director for each title. Jon travels from city to city, training those involved with the paper, making corrections, reviewing the style guide and overall inspiring editors and art directors to do their best.
“I cannot believe we have 20 papers converted to the new design; but I also cannot believe we still have 20 left to do at the start of 2014,“ says Jon. “It’s been a year of transformational change and growth at ACBJ, much more than just a print redesign. I’m very excited about what 2014 holds for us and hope we can build upon the momentum.“
The numbers tell the story
Jon Wile has compiled a list of numbers that tell the story of how 20 of the ACBJ weeklies have already undergone the transformation as part of Project Pinstripe:
20
Papers that were converted to the Pinstripe design this year
10-9-1
Breakdown of primary branding colors (Ruby-Sapphire-Emerald) as selected by each individual paper
49
Press tests run (each market prints at a different press, thus the need for so many tests)
3
Font families used in the redesign. Acta is the serif; Graphik is the sans serif; Guardian Agate Sans is the agate
63
Weights available in those two font families
14
Visual journalists hired this year at ACBJ: 10 editorial designers, four photographers
103
InDesign style sheets (paragraph and character) used in each market
300
InDesign library items built specifically for each market’s paper size and editorial desires
Jon’’s travel schedule this year has included:
5
Time zones visited
26
Newsrooms visited
97
Work days on the road
101
Flights on U.S. Airways
93,681
Miles flown on U.S. Airways
Previously about American City Business Journal:
ACBJ: recruitment tool is also media quartet sampler
http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/pacbj_recruitment_tool_is_also_media_quartet_sampler_p
Charlotte Business Journal: it’s new look, new digital focus as part of Project Pinstripe
Portland Business Journal: It’s a new look, new digital focus as part of Project Pinstripe
http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/pportland_business_journal_its_new_look_new_digital_focus_as_part_of_pinstr
Kansas City Business Journal launches new product, meets challenges of change
http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/pkansas_city_business_journal_launches_new_product_meets_challenges_of_chan
A total rethink for Cincinnati Business Courier
http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/pits_a_total_rethink_for_cincinnati_business_courier_p
Philadelphia Business Journal: A total reinvention
http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/pphiladelphia_business_journal_a_total_reinvention_p
It’s a new Washington Business Journal
http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/pits_a_new_washington_business_journal_p
The design of the Silicon Valley Business Journal, from prototype to reality
http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/the_design_of_the_silicon_valley_business_journal_from_prototype_to_reality
Silicon Valley Business Journal: Creating the ultimate multi-platform operation
http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/silicon_valley_business_journal—creating_the_ultimate_multi_platform_opera
Lessons learned from Silicon Valley, and a look at some details of SVBJ
http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/lessons_learned_from_silicon_valley_and_a_look_at_some_details_of_svbj
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
