As launch editor for Computer Arts Collection, I developed a content strategy to appeal to senior design professionals, shifting industry perceptions and moving the CA brand into the competitive set of Creative Review.
This paved the way for the major redesign of Computer Arts in 2013, and ultimately the successful launch of the Brand Impact Awards in 2014.
Packed with insight and inspiration from the global design industry, CA Collection was pitched as the definitive guide to six core topics: graphic design, typography, illustration, branding, photography and advertising.
Each issue included an in-depth report on the latest macro and micro trends affecting each creative discipline, produced exclusively for CA Collection by top creative consultancy FranklinTill.
The lynchpin of the strategy was to treat ‘practical’ content in a totally new way, giving creative professionals unprecedented access to how peers at different agencies solve familiar creative challenges.
In place of step-by-step ‘tutorials’ was an innovative special project section, guest-edited by a different agency every issue. Over 48 pages, the guest-editing agency detailed their creative process from initial idea, through development and into production – including exclusive behind-the-scenes video diaries documenting their progress.
To celebrate the tactile beauty of print, the series showcased a wide range of innovative production techniques – including internal fluoro spot-colours, gatefolds, detachable bound-in prints and fold-out posters.
Launched in 2011, CA Collection comprised two collectable six-part volumes, after which many of the principles behind its content strategy were ultimately incorporated into the 2013 redesign of the parent brand.
Nick Carson 