The Recorder
I recreated bespoke editorial articles on typography and graphic design translated for the web from the redesigned and reimagined magazine.
Overview
The company behind type
Monotype is a type foundry and home to one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of typefaces. It owns historically significant typefaces such as Helvetica and Gill Sans and new contemporary font releases like Masqualero and Posterama. It also provides design products, technology and expertise that help brands create beautiful, authentic experiences.
I joined the company after the design studio I worked for was acquired to form the company’s in-house digital design team in 2014.
The challenge
Bring experimental typographic layouts to screen
The Recorder was a trade magazine published by the Monotype for about 70 years from 1902. American typographic expert Beatrice Warde was a long-standing editor. In 2014 the magazine was redesigned and relaunched with a new approach that moved away from being trade-focused to being a more accessible look at type’s place in the world. Designed by Luke Tonge, the magazine features a range of bold typographic layouts. Monotype’s Creative Director and marketing team were keen to publicise a new issue by releasing a handful of articles on the company website.
The audience
Type experts and enthusiasts
With the relaunch designed to examine typography and lettering as a medium of culture, the new version of The Recorder was far more accessible than the old trade magazine. It also covered both graphic and type design so was aimed at anyone connected with the graphic design world. Readers of the articles would likely be graphic designers who wanted to get a preview of the magazine and help inform their decision to purchase. It also provided an opportunity to engage people with the company who might not normally find themselves on the website.
My role
I worked as lead designer to create and build the online interpretation of the articles.
How we got there
An extra layer of design
I worked with a contractor to develop a system in the Umbraco CMS that allowed me to create a page that sat within the main site but could have its own images, CSS and Javascript files. This meant I could take the core typography and styling of the site and then ‘bend the rules’ we had established to art direct each page. Although we decided to keep the corporate font of the website, both for brand consistency and page load times, I was able to experiment with layout, video, animations and create an online article that echoed what the user would see if they purchased the printed magazine.
Outcomes and lessons
Reimagined and recreated
Before each launch of an issue of The Recorder three to four articles would be selected, Luke would share the print spreads with me and I’d set to work creating the digital version of the article. We then shared these on social media to promote the sale of the magazine. They were always well received and people were excited to read them, they produced consistent click-throughs to the online shop where the magazine could be ordered. This was one of the most fun projects I had as a designer as it allowed me an outlet to experiment with new ideas and technologies outside of the company design language.
