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applenews+/ digital conversion

In 2021 Radio Times launched on Apple News+. As creative lead on the project I managed all aspects of translating and migrating the design of the print edition onto the platform. Initial stages involved understanding the capabilities and limitations of the app, implications for circulation certification, constructing a robust workflow with defined deliverables and stakeholders, and resolving font and image licensing. I then worked directly with the team at Apple, overseeing the creation of new templates, style sheets, and mock issues, and brought in other departments with expertise outside of the immediate team – such as video – where necessary. The first issue went live on schedule, and the magazine has since found a new audience and increased its readership.

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Screenshots from the Apple News+ version of Radio Times magazine. I worked with the team at Apple over several months to create and refine templates and style sheets that translate the print magazine into the digital format. The Apple News format is published concurrently with the print magazine, so the templates need to allow for speedy adaptation once the print product has gone to press, on an ongoing weekly basis.

editorial strategy / licensing / external supplier / workflow management / stakeholder presentation / art direction / digital design

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A wall of analogue proofs to iron out stylistic inconsistencies across different sections of the magazine in the Apple News+ format.

editorial strategy / licensing / external supplier / workflow management / stakeholder presentation / art direction / digital design

the radio times podcast / marketing

Taking the creative for Radio Times first venture into podcasting from initial brief through to launch, was an all-encompassing process. I presented several possible routes, setting out not just how the designs answered the requirements for the look and feel, but how they fitted into the strategy for the broader scope a family of RT podcasts. Managing multiple stakeholders sometimes competing feedback and expectations is not straightforward or easy, especially when advocating for an illustrative solution, which has a tendency to be a harder sell in some quarters. But the result was stronger for ensuring everyone's concerns were addressed and that they bought into it. From its inception the podcast has enjoyed a consistent place in iTunes top ten for TV & Film, and has since launched several spins offs, such as View From My Sofa.

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The channel cover artwork and the iTunes hero banner for The Radio Times Podcast.

design brief / original creative / stakeholder presentation / licensing / workflow management / legal consultation / budgeting / team management

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The look and feel of the podcast artwork extends across all of the marketing material – including print ads and both static and video assets for social media. The flexible design can incorporate a range of content options from the hosts, to individual guests and seasonal round-ups.

design brief / original creative / stakeholder presentation / licensing / workflow management / legal consultation / budgeting / team management

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When the opportunity came to build upon the success of the original launch, having an agreed creative strategy and in place from the start that looked ahead to future adaptations made it easier to build out the brand consistently, despite changes to personnel and the team that worked across them.

design brief / original creative / stakeholder presentation / licensing / workflow management / legal consultation / budgeting / team management

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A selection of social media marketing assets that advertised guests appearing on individual episodes.

design brief / original creative / stakeholder presentation / licensing / workflow management / legal consultation / budgeting / team management

moneyweek / e-newsletters

As part of a wide-ranging recalibration of Moneyweek's comms proposition, I was brought in by former Time Inc. editorial development director Andy Cowles to advance their subscriber email newsletters and oversee the improvement of their editorial team's workflow processes. Developing good working relationships with the internal departments allowed me to create a richer, better-defined strategy to their products, ensure that gained compliance approval (as an FDA regulated company), made better use of developers' time, and introduce more efficient and robust processes from start to finish. Post-launch open rates improved by an average of 10%, as did subscriber acquisitions, which led to a significant increase in revenues.

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Moneyweek offers both free and paid subscriptions to regular emails containing investment advice. Their business model centres around converting customers to the fee-paying model, and the design works to achieve this end. The free emails foreground the credentials and investment philosophy of the expert, and include more tags and entry points up front. By contrast, the paid-for templates assume a level of buy-in from the subscriber, and adopt a more spacious, premium feel.

e-commerce / workflow management / brand positioning

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A selection of the email templates prior to the redesign project. Aside from the rather naff Word art-style graphics,  there was no strategic thinking to the presentation of content nor consistency of approach, which meant numerous individual templates and workflows, generating considerable additional work for the team.

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The headers for both the subscriber (above) and free (below) newsletters. Both sets brought a consistency to their style and structure, which improved their presentation and recognition of them as a family of products across the same portfolio. Importantly, though, each newsletter was still able to express its own individual personality and rationale.

e-commerce / workflow management / brand positioning

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