The redesign of Wine Country Lifestyle was a pretty big deal here at Left Coast Marketing. WCL (we call it) is a magazine that we produce, customized per client. Because each magazine is customized, redesigning the magazine also meant that we would be redesigning our Clients’ magazine – so we were cautious not to let our ego get ahead of us. Market research is what we began with. Who is our customer? Who, ultimately, will be the one flipping through the pages, reading the articles, and admiring the photography? In our line of business, our customer goes beyond our Client. The true customer is our Client’s customer. In this case, it is the wine club member who just opened up their club shipment and decided to flip through the pages of the enclosed magazine (meanwhile sipping on their new wine and reminiscing about the wine country). Once we nailed down the WHO, we got to begin on the WHAT. We put together a few mocks for a new cover design and table of contents, and sure enough we had a winner.

The new logo for Wine Country Lifestyle now emphasizes “Lifestyle” versus “Wine Country,” a small but important detail to us as a company. We are looking to expand beyond the box of the wine country, meanwhile maintaining roots in where we are. After all, it is clear to any passer-by that we are rooted in the wine country, and we sure do not produce wine, so let’s focus more on the lifestyle that us local wine-lovers live.

St. Francis Winery got to be the first Client experiencing the new design. They have been a fabulous Client to work with, as it is not their first time in the rodeo, and they are open to the magazine evolving as we evolve. We are excited to present this Fall’s Wine Country Lifestyle, and invite you to flip through the pages of our digital version.

~ by Designer, Chelsea Bond