Process

Most Editorial Projects start with an “UX Assessment & Strategy,” or a similar strategy phase. The findings from this initial work, usually in the form os "user stories", will guide the design process. Our “UX Assessment & Strategy” also provides a Creative Direction and Visual Concept to guide the visual design.

Creative Direction

Our design team will research potential style references and coordinate with the client's team to decide on the high-level style we would follow in parallel to the strategy.

Deliverables & Activities

Three mood boards with potential styles to follow; and A virtual meeting with the decision-makers to decide on which style to follow.

Visual Concept

Once the style direction is defined, our team will design a set of sample pages. Due to the tight timeline, it is advisable to start with the most relevant pages, such as repeatad sections on the publication. The exact ones will be identified during the Strategy stage.

Deliverables & Activities

• A 12-page sample PDF with the key pages;
• A virtual meeting with the decision-makers to get sign-off on the Visual Concept.

Editorial Design

Once the strategy is in place, we have a solid idea of what to build and how. The team will work on the multiple technical tasks required to get the content in shape for the design phase, identifying and suggesting potential structural tweaks and opportunities to make the content fit better in the editorial format.

Design & Typesetting

Usually, the first step is a structural one, where the content is laid out and broken into multiple sections. It works as a “wireframe” for the publication. The second step will involve new visual elements such as images and illustrations.

One example of a parallel step would be designing the main graphs, which start at the beginning of the “Design & Typesetting Stage.”

Deliverables & Activities

• Partial deliverables of the intermediate steps could be done if the client team wants to be more closely involved in this process. (This results in a slower process, but it is an option); and
• The final deliverable at this stage will be the Publication PDF, ready for the final review.

Revisions

Once the full Publication PDF is delivered, the client team usually has up to two extra rounds of revision. Due to the structure of our process, the client team is in close contact with the product through the “partial deliverables,” making any significant revisions or design changes unlikely at this final stage.