Overview

LeTourneau’s flagship magazine carried decades of history but a format that no longer matched the institution’s ambitions. This is the story of redesigning NOW from the ground up, and creative-directing the issues since into a consistent, premium publication that has become some of the university’s most recognized brand work.

The Challenge

NOW is LeTourneau University’s flagship publication, reaching alumni, donors, faculty, and friends of the university, an audience numbering in the tens of thousands. It began as a modest, folded black-and-white newsletter and, over nearly 75 years, grew into the institution’s primary recurring magazine. But its format hadn’t kept pace with the university’s ambitions. The recurring sections had become a patchwork of legacy templates, and the design no longer reflected the quality of the stories it carried. The publication needed more than a refresh. It needed a system it could grow into, issue after issue.

The Strategy

Rather than redesign a single issue, I built a redesign meant to carry forward. Working with our marketing and communications team, I set the creative direction and made the foundational decisions: a larger trim size for a more premium presence, upgraded paper stock, a rebuilt masthead, and a modernized, modular design system for every recurring section, so each new issue would read as part of one cohesive, contemporary publication rather than starting from scratch. Every issue since has applied and evolved that system. Milestone editions, like the one marking the university’s 75th anniversary alongside a presidential inauguration and a new strategic plan, show how far it can stretch while still feeling unmistakably NOW.

The Design

From custom covers through interior features, I art-direct the photography, typography, and layout of each issue to hold a clear visual hierarchy and a consistent editorial voice. The system is built to flex: a single issue might call for an architectural rendering, a conceptual illustration, or dramatic studio portraiture, yet every cover stays unmistakably NOW. Seen side by side, the issues read as one evolving brand rather than a series of one-offs.

The Outcome

Since the redesign, every issue has extended a publication that has become a signature expression of the LeTourneau brand, consistently well received across the campus community and university constituents. The body of NOW work I’ve creative-directed has earned national recognition, including Platinum Hermes and MarComm honors.