Martha Stewart Living

Area of Practice partnered with the Editor-in-Chief and editorial staff to restructure the content and look-and-feel of the twenty three-year-old flagship publication. We worked closely with Martha and her team to develop the strategy, editorial structure, and story concepts. We staffed the art department and designed the relaunch issue. We modernized story concepts, making sure they functioned across media and consulted on the extension of the new look to the website. AdAge called the redesign “masterful—a renaissance of magazine-making with stunning photography and rich, descriptive articles.”

Research

We did a historical audit of the brand, looked a direct and indirect competition, including blogs, social media, retail brands, and women’s magazines. We interviewed over twenty people in the company, including Martha herself.  

Strategy

Based on our research and interviews, we developed a strategy: Teach & Inspire. 
Teach: Leverage Martha Stewart Living’s reputation as the ultimate authority to engage consumers with unique, innovative content, and original how-to information. 
Inspire:  Reinvigorate Martha Stewart Living and convey a modern point-of-view through honest design, innovative photography and contemporary illustration. 

Content

We found that the content of the magazine changed wildly from month-to-month. So worked with the editors to create a clear outline of each section and story type. We then created design templates for each story so that editors and designers knew what to work towards. 

The resulting design and art direction are clean and modern, free of unnecessary elements. 

Behind the Scenes

We took over a conference room where all presentations were made. This allowed everyone to see what was happening and feel included. We developed mood boards for all content areas in order to rethink the photography style. Martha on the final design: “I like it.”

Credits

Client: Martha Stewart Living, Omnimedia
Editor-in-Chief: Pilar Guzman
Project Leads: Cybele Grandjean & Kevin Brainard, Area of Practice
Redesign Team: Jaspal Riyait, Jenn McManus, Robin Rosenthal
Designers: Cindy Lee, Katie Field