MZInc. Uses Custom Publishing to Carry Over a Hundred Celebrities from Cluttered to Classy!

Daunting Design Challenge

MZInc. was challenged by The Forum magazine (Published by Forum non-profit professional networking organization) to create a compelling cover and completely redesign their 52 pg. magazine to better reflect their organizations’ goals. Forum was founded to provide a public forum for the examination of current business issues, government policy, and civic affairs in order to enhance the corporate community's philanthropic and civic consciousness while providing business and social support for its members. The Forum organization insisted that all of the one hundred plus high-profile members’ names be included on the cover, potentially a design nightmare!

Reconstructing the Concept

Redefining the concept of the magazine would prove to be a complex and intense process. It began with the careful consideration of the various objectives of all constituencies that may be influenced by, and play a role in, the magazine over time. In this case, the Forum Foundation, its members, advertisers, and potential patrons. After defining objectives and the development was completed, the concept phase progressed into the creative execution phase. This is where the design elements were crystallized and the publication’s new personality was realized.

Responsive Solution

After conducting thorough market research, MZInc. was able to determine that the busy senior level executives and entrepreneurs with important leadership positions within all categories of business, government, media, entertainment, sports, and the arts needed to have the heart of the important issues covered by Forum communicated quickly and powerfully. This led to a much more streamlined, concise layout that was less cluttered. Thus, it was more aesthetically elegant, while communicating in a way that grabbed their member’s attention and related stories in a graphically and textually impacting manner. They managed to do this and still include the names of all the members on the cover.