Visit Detroit Magazine

Custom pubs can still feed the beast

We wondered if rethinking the design of a visitors guide like Visit Detroit magazine to create a more integrated connection with what’s online could improve perceptions and build a seamless brand experience.

Content Strategy Publication Design Original Photography Illustration Art Direction Video Production Copywriting Editorial Direction

Challenge: Build a seamless brand experience


Visit Detroit magazine is an award-winning travel guide. It’s even backed by some crazy good survey stats — like 80 percent of people surveyed said they would visit Detroit after reading the publication. How do we harness this power and make the printed word impact, interact and better reflect what’s on the website.

Strategy: Surveys and synergy


After launching a new Visit Detroit website and conducting the reader survey, we knew the magazine needed to reflect what people were seeing on visitdetroit.com. To create better synergy, we used the same naming conventions as the website. We improved the social media channel coverage and designed the publication to be a quick-look insider city handbook — with simple maps, vibrant images and shorter feature stories that delivered Detroit through multiple entry points and layers.

Result: Get readers to the website. Inspire action. Measure.


To bridge the gap between print and web, we have implemented AR technology. A user can scan icons and QR codes in the magazine to watch videos, enter contests and read more online right from their mobile device. Sections and stories also include custom URLs that can be traced directly to the publication.

Measurable interaction directly from the magazine to the website and social media channels.

Awards

2012 Gold Magellan Award from Travel Weekly in Overall Destination’s In-Destination Visitor Program Category
2012 Silver Magellan Award in City Promotion Category



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If you’re in need of editorial direction, content creation or custom publishing, we’ll help you hit the ground running. Contact us today.