Entry Details

About the Entry

Category: 
Design > Publication Redesign > Upper Midwest

Title of entry: 
RER Redesign

Issue or Publication date:
January/February 2024

Publication name: 
Rental Equipment Register

View Website home page:
https://www.rermag.com/

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Entry Essay: 
Cover:
This redesign began with an in-depth look at the magazine name: Rental Equipment Register. Research revealed most readers identified this brand as its initials, RER. Armed with this information, the logo was tweaked to put the emphasis on “RER.” This logo change allowed for the use of dramatic, full-bleed images on the cover. Secondary headline were moved from the top to the right of the logo, creating a more appropriate hierarchy of information. The corner detail used next to the issue date makes appearances throughout the magazine. Large headlines overlapped by equipment add depth and impact.

TOC:
The first page of the contents page highlights the feature articles with large images. The corner detail makes its first interior appearance here. The second page puts more importance on the departments by including images and more detailed text. More prominence was giving to the social media connections to engage readers.

Editorial:
This section introduces the new body copy and headline fonts. The simple, classic serif body font (Marbach) allows the unique headline font (Byker) to shine. The corner detail is used here to accent the callout and the start of the article. A “call to action” was added on the bottom left margin, promoting reader engagement.

News:
The news section was revamped to make each article feel more important and look more polished. The headline size was increased and the each story was highlighted with a different color from the magazine’s color palette. Captions with the corner detail placed in the margin and colorful callouts create inviting points of interest.

Features:
Large lead images and bold, dominant headlines draw readers into the articles. The justified body copy creates a reader-friendly grid that is balanced with colorful subheads, large callouts and ample white space around the drop cap, captions and images. The corner detail appears again on the header and lead paragraph.

Products:
To make this section more inviting, the heavy blue bar was removed from the top of the page. The product category was moved to immediately above the products and were color coded for quick recognition. A clean grid was used and the more compact, sans serif body copy allows the use of larger images without sacrificing information. The headlines were changed from listing the product name, to highlighting a key feature of the product. Websites were added to help the reader connect with the companies.

Last Page:
This popular section features financial information relevant to the industry. The headline was pulled out of the intro text box for impact. The color box behind the intro text was lightened, allowing the charts to stand out. The corner detail was used on the standing header - but larger - showing readers this page is special.