PHILLY WEEKLY
Repositioning a Legacy Media Brand for a New Editorial Era
Redesigning Philadelphia Weekly's identity to power its shift from alternative newsweekly to city culture magazine — without losing the street-level recognition that made it iconic for decades.
I led the visual identity redesign for Philadelphia Weekly's transformation from an alternative newsweekly into a culture and lifestyle magazine — selected through an internal, company-wide logo competition where designers presented concepts directly on a live magazine cover.
The identity ran across 27 consecutive issues, reached 500,000+ monthly readers across nine counties, lived on 600+ street boxes, and earned a Professional Keystone Press Award, Second Place for Front Page Design (2016).
Role: Lead Designer / Brand Development
Scope: Brand Identity • Editorial Systems • Information Architecture • Environmental Concepts • Collateral
Originally hired as production designer overseeing classifieds for Philly Weekly and sister publication South Philly Review, the role expanded to include the rebrand, editorial layout, and mentoring fellow designers.
THE CHALLENGE
Philly Weekly needed to feel more energetic and lifestyle-driven without losing the recognition and street credibility built over decades. The new identity had to survive a demanding weekly production cycle — fast-turn covers, dense ad-heavy layouts, and constant public visibility — while still signaling a modern editorial direction.
THE APPROACH
I designed for evolution, not reinvention. The brand's signature yellow stayed; the Philadelphia skyline got woven directly into the wordmark, turning the masthead itself into a visual cue for "your guide to the city." Bold. Local. Immediate. Unmistakably Philly.
I worked directly with editorial leadership on the relaunch, balancing their push for a bolder direction against the realities of producing under a weekly deadline — while also mentoring fellow designers on the production team through the transition.
I also rebuilt the classifieds section — usually the most overlooked, purely utilitarian part of a publication — as a real information architecture problem: clearer hierarchy, modular templates, and branded navigation that made a revenue-driving section actually look like it belonged to the brand.
WHAT SHIPPED
The new masthead, cover architecture, classifieds redesign, and editorial navigation system shipped across 27 consecutive weekly issues during active production.
WHAT I PROPOSED BEYOND THE PAGE
To show the identity's full range, I extended the system into concepts for street-level publication boxes, transit and bus wraps, environmental ads, merchandise, and a social media framework — proof of how far the brand could scale, even though these lived as concepts rather than running campaigns.
THE OUTCOME
The identity proved it could modernize a legacy brand without losing what made it iconic — and it did so while winning a regional press award during the relaunch. After a company acquisition, new ownership reverted to the legacy identity for unrelated operational reasons. The work stands as a clear example of brand evolution done right: respecting heritage while making the case for where a brand could go next.