On the Record
Launched in 2020, Redistribute Magazine is an online music magazine focusing on the electronic music genre. Publishing music reviews, interviews, industry news and playlists, Redistribute set out to build a modern and inclusive home to share music and music culture.
As a newcomer in the world of music journalism, Redistribute relies heavily on word-of-mouth and social sharing to reach new audiences. In a fast-paced world of Instagram and Facebook feeds, consistency and iconic imagery are key to a successful campaign. They needed a flexible and memorable brand that would make posts easily recognisable without overshadowing the content.
At the heart of the branding package I created is the ‘R’, a strong, reversed lettermark that can be rendered in multiple colourways across Redistribute’s identity.
With the ‘R’ in place, I was able to expand on this starting point and create a full brand identity that was both visually and functionally unique. The ‘R’ was expanded to include embellishments to represent Redistribute Plus, the magazine’s membership offering, and Redistribute TV, their video platform.
Content comes
Redistribute’s biggest feature is its content. I designed an article layout which puts it front and center, and added the ability for editors to add media and contextual asides right alongside the article.
Second to the reading experience is discoverability, allowing repeat visitors to easily find and consume the latest content. The homepage and listing pages I designed make it easy for readers to find content, with different article types neatly categorised, and the newest content pushed to the front of the pile.
The site is full of hand-built custom components, used for featuring articles, displaying media and promoting premium content.
As an independent magazine who want to keep advertising to a minimum, premium content is the biggest income stream for Redistribute. I built a custom membership system using Netlify Identity and Stripe Subscriptions, which is all handled on-site. A custom paywall was also built to encourage readers to become members.
Improving social discovery
To allow Redistribute to show off new articles, I created a series of templates for social media posts, to be used across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets. These templates, in square and portrait formats, make heavy use of the ‘R’, and make it easy to create a consistent look and feel for all posts.