As Creative Director for Real Simple I oversaw the award-winning brand across digital, print, retail and social platforms, defining the visual identity for an audience of 30M+. Leading a core team of five direct reports and partnering with 20+ cross-functional contributors in editorial, marketing, video and digital production, we modernized the digital presence, elevating audience engagement and commerce conversions through cohesive brand storytelling, refined visual identity, and integrated content strategy.
Leading the rebrand of Rachael Ray EveryDay to Rachael Ray In Season involved reimagining it’s identity to a premium, design-forward multi-platform publication aligned with evolving audience tastes. Redesigned to reduce costs by 67%, while maintaining audience loyalty, the new look featured Rachael Ray on the covers and a high-quality paper stock for a bespoke luxury feel. We embraced bold type usage and incorporated seasonal imagery and color palette. Story sections were determined by Rachael’s lifestyle and highlighted her friends, recipes and personal tastes. Custom animated gifs and video peppered the brand’s social feed and digital platform, including a video series of how-to food prep tips. A unified color palette, branded fonts and patterns and custom illustration were kept consistent across platform.
Promoted to Creative Director of Rachael Ray EveryDay I oversaw the transformation of this beloved brand, with a reach of 3MM+, to a modern, easy-to-navigate format with the opportunity for readers to engage with Rachael on a more personal level. The redesign incorporated a vibrant and elevated approach to photography and visuals, including signature black line illustrations, called “foodles,” that decorated the pages. A revamped editorial lineup showcased stories with more of Rachael’s personal voice that included her “faves”: easy to follow recipes, cool new products, pets, and even a page dedicated to burgers.
