Publication Designer - Editorial Series Launch (Brand Guidelines Provided)

We're launching Havenford - a Philadelphia-based editorial publication focused on client durability standards for professional services firms. We have comprehensive brand guidelines and cover designs completed. We need an experienced publication designer to establish the interior layout system and editorial architecture.

Think: Economist meets Harvard Business Review meets S&P's industry reports - authoritative, clean, sophisticated.

What's Already Done:

✅ Complete brand guidelines (32 pages)
✅ Cover designs for multiple publications
✅ Brand strategy, tone, visual identity established
✅ Content (articles, data, research) ready to be designed

What We Need You To Build:

1. Publication Architecture

• Interior page layouts for long-form articles (2,000-5,000 words)
• Data visualization templates (charts, indexes, benchmarks)
• Pull quotes, callouts, sidebars, and feature elements
• Photo/image treatment and integration
• Footnote and citation systems

2. Cover Typography Systems

• "In this issue" preview text treatments
• Headline hierarchy for cover stories
• Byline and date treatments
• How text overlays interact with cover imagery (you'll reference existing cover designs)

3. Design System Documentation

• InDesign master pages and styles
• Repeatable templates for future issues
• Clear guidelines for applying the system to new content

Your Background Should Include:

Must Haves:

• 5+ years publication/editorial design experience
• Magazine, journal, or trade publication portfolio samples
• Deep InDesign expertise (master pages, paragraph styles, character styles, table styles)
• Typography sophistication - you know when to restrain and when to emphasize
• Experience designing multi-page narrative documents (not marketing collateral)

Ideal Background:

• Business/trade publication experience (B2B, industry reports, white papers)
• Experience with data-heavy publications (charts, tables, indexes)
• Understanding of "prestige editorial" aesthetic (WSJ, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Monocle, etc.)
• Have designed publications that feel authoritative but not stuffy

Not a Fit:

• Primarily brand identity/logo designers
• Web designers without substantial print/editorial experience
• Designers who focus on "creative" rather than editorial work
• Template resellers or marketplace designers

Project Scope & Compensation:

Phase 1: Design System Development ($2,500-3,500)

• Deliverable: 3-5 article layouts demonstrating the publication system
• Deliverable: Master page templates with full style documentation
• Deliverable: Cover typography system (building on existing cover designs)
• Timeline: 2-3 weeks
• You'll design WITH content (we'll provide actual articles to layout)

Phase 2: Production Support (Ongoing, project basis)

• After system is established, potential for ongoing work as publications are produced
• Rates TBD based on scope

Our Brand in Brief:

• Tone: Authoritative, Modern Editorial Clarity, Credible & Balanced
• Fonts: Playfair Display (headlines), Open Sans (body), Source Sans (accents)
• Color Palette: Warm neutrals (Credibility), charcoal (Core), teal (Clarity), terracotta (Energy)
• Not: Trendy, overly decorated, generic corporate, or "creative agency" aesthetic
• Yes: Timeless, editorial sophistication, publication-quality, investment-grade

Havenford is a Philadelphia-based editorial publication and standards organization introducing a new framework for measuring client durability in professional services. We establish benchmarks, publish research, and provide thought leadership on post-sale client experience—filling the gap between acquisition metrics and retention reality. Our publications include the Havenford Durability Index, industry reports, and analytical content for business leaders navigating client relationship challenges. We're building a trusted editorial brand that combines data rigor with sophisticated publication design—think S&P meets Harvard Business Review for client experience standards.