Shady Side Academy, a prestigious K-12 private school in Pittsburgh is a school on the move. Always innovating, they had recently refreshed their brand and announced a bold campus redesign — but the redesign didn’t stop there. After the campus plan website was launched, SSA’s new marketing director was ready to give the school's magazine (one of their biggest marketing efforts) a makeover.

The existing magazine was a completely-functional, saddle-stitched, 32(ish)-page communication, but it was time to reimagine the impact this piece could make. With a new brand, and a new vision waiting to be unveiled, we got to work redesigning the entire publication.

We mapped out a plan for the next two issues, with the long-term goal of transitioning this biannual magazine into a sophisticated, year-in-review publication. Perfect binding, soft touch cover and thoughtfully chosen paper stock immediately gave it a polished look. Inside, there was no shortage of engaging material to share, so we reorganized the sections to highlight campus life, profiles on prominent SSA community members and captivating feature stories.

The redesign focused on color, typography and graphic elements — all important pieces unifying the new brand. The combination of compelling content and creative execution resulted in a magazine you didn't want to just flip though — but actually read. Two issues of the new magazine have already been distributed to alumni, parents, and community members, and it's been universally well-received.