2018 Azbee Awards of Excellence

Category

Design > Feature Article Design > More Than $3 Million Revenue > Pacific

Awarded to

Dennis Wunsch, Creative Director; Karen Steichen, Senior Designer

Entry details

Hotel and Resort Lending Is No Vacation

Issue date (if applicable): 10/1/2017
Publication name: Scotsman Guide Commercial Edition
Publishing company: Scotsman Guide Media
Website home page: www.scotsmanguide.com

Please describe the publication's mission and readership:

Scotsman Guide Media’s mission is to be the leading media provider of resources and tools for the mortgage-origination industry. In addition to serving as an outlet for uniquely organized mortgage-product search tools, our monthly Scotsman Guide residential and commercial editions provide free educational materials to enhance the productivity and success of mortgage professionals nationwide, in print and online. In addition to news-based, staff-generated content, we also publish original, educational articles that industry practitioners submit each month. All pieces are approved by our editorial committee, fact-checked and edited independent of outside influence.

With our focus on the financial side of real estate, it would be easy to use the same stock images of businesspeople, handshakes and dollar signs that permeate the financial press. Scotsman Guide strives to go beyond this overused imagery. With each original commissioned illustration, we aim to show readers something new that entices the eye while accurately representing its companion article.

Please describe the enterprising work that went into this entry and its significance or impact on readers:

This layout of this feature article spread is bold and bright, and was designed to grab the attention of the readers. Although this design incorporates stock photography for budget reasons, we always try to use multiple images and perform a lot of high-quality photo retouching to create a unique visual that works well with the headline and accompanying text. Complementary colors make the page pop, and allow for the text to be easily read on the large-format page. Use of typography blends well with the visual, and pulls several colors from the whimsical beach scene that make the content fun and easy to read. The piggy bank (with sunglasses) is shown looking up at the headline to help connect the two as a design element.

Scotsman Guide publications are tabloid size. That gives plenty of room to add many details that otherwise might seem too much. Although there is a dividing background to separate the text from the primary visual, it blends nicely and doesn’t stand out as a separate page. Visual ties are continued throughout the rest of the article jump pages.

We take the time to create unique designs for all of our feature articles — trying to help make the content attractive. Although the visual elements included in this design are simple -- they are easily identified and tie into the article, and are meant to lighten the day and make one want to be on the beach with the piggy bank.

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Entry URL(s), if applicable:

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