Ad Age Rebrands With A Sharp Point Of View, A Bold Redesign And An Official Name Change

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Advertising Age officially becomes Ad Age today as the 87-year old icon of the marketing and media industries unveils a bold new look both inside and out. The Ad Age audience, experiencing the brand via social, site, print or events, will see a highly stylized design environment supporting content that focuses on the intersection between culture and marketing. The new design system and content strategy marks a significant shift for the global media brand.

"We believe more than ever that advertising, marketing and technology play a critical role in shaping culture," said Joshua J. Golden, Publisher, Ad Age. "In this time of ever-present change in our industry, we are embracing our position to lead, fuel and support the people and companies who are responsible for forcing that evolution. The work that we have done aligns our brand with the current state of the industry and lights the path forward.

"Our writers and designers are unparalleled when it comes to access and expertise in media and marketing," states Brian Braiker, Editor, Ad Age. "Now we're doubling down on our voice as we become more critical about creativity, more creative about innovation, thoughtful about talent and incisive about data. The redesign allows us to be more direct and accessible and deliver the award-winning journalism that sets us apart."

"Ad Age has long been an important voice in the marketing industry," adds KC Crain, President and Chief Operating Officer, Crain Communications, Inc. The new design represents the high standard we hold ourselves to as a brand charged with shaping business and culture."

Ad Age has now sharpened its strategic focus to curated creativity, data and analysis, people and culture plus innovation and forecasting. The theme of the content launching the week of September 25 is reinvention, with a focus on individuals and brands – much like Ad Age – who have pivoted, adapted, innovated or evolved their core practices to drive change. The stories are designed to shine a light on topics that are important to people who work in marketing and those who love it, including:

• The Rock breaking the news that he is starting an ad agency with his business partner Dany Garcia
• Sheryl Sandberg and her team at Facebook – a sort of social media "Justice League" – provide an inside look at how the social media giant is tackling video
• Megyn Kelly reveals she isn't passionate about politics and other surprises that viewers will come to understand once her daytime show premieres
• Former Weiden & Kennedy executive Mark Fitzloff gives Ad Age the first look at his new creative shop
• A powerful exploration of how Trump's Presidency shifted the strategy of the marketing of guns to include scare tactics targeting women
• New survey results showing the ramifications of how African American women are portrayed in the media from The Real Housewives of Atlanta to Beyonce.

Supporting the new content is a completely new logo, tagline and cohesive branding that extends across multiple platforms, including digital, events and honorifics, and print. Beyond the new look and feel of Ad Age, its audience will also experience a more seamless integration of Creativity and Datacenter, two key Ad Age products that enable an expanded focus on the people, work and companies that are leading the industry in new directions. Other notable design changes include:

• Creativity and Datacenter will be completely folded into the Ad Age umbrella.
• Creativity will now be included as a vertical section in the Ad Age print edition, with an expanded purview of innovation, culture and technology for an influential audience seeking best-in-class work beyond traditional advertising.
• Events and honorifics are given a universal design treatment, including Ad Age Next, Ad Age A-list & Creativity Awards, Ad Age Small Agency Awards, Ad Age Women to Watch and Ad Age 40 under 40.

The Ad Age design system was developed and executed by Original Champions of Design, founded by Jennifer Kinon and Bobby C. Martin, Jr. Led by Kinon, the OCD team began their process with an audit of the Ad Age archives, located at Crain Communications in Detroit, MI. As part of the development work, OCD brought in renowned type designer Tobias Frere-Jones to refine and rebalance the word mark, inspired by the Ad Age logo from 1930. Frere-Jones and team homed in on the descending "g," which has become instantly recognizable to those familiar with the brand and its history. When paired with the return to the original 1930 tagline, "Important to important people," the "g" does not function as merely a letter, but as a purposeful visual clip and an unspoken arbiter of what Ad Age believes is paramount to the audience.

The new branding can be seen throughout AdAge.com, in the new September 25^th print and digital issue, and on Ad Age social channels. Social handles: Ad Age (Facebook and LinkedIn), @adage (Twitter and Instagram).

Click here for images of the three covers and images and video of the new Ad Age logo.

About Ad Age

Ad Age is a daily must-read for an influential audience of decision makers and disruptors across the marketing and media landscape. Created in 1930 to cover a burgeoning industry with objectivity, accuracy, and fairness, Ad Age continues to be powered by award-winning journalism. Today, Ad Age is a global media brand focusing on curated creativity, data and analysis, people and culture, and innovation and forecasting. From vital print editions to must-attend events and innovative platform offerings, its industry-leading offerings include the coveted A-List & Creativity Awards, the Ad Age Next Conference, and proprietary data such as the Leading National Advertisers Report from the Ad Age Datacenter. 

SOURCE Ad Age