Boss Magazine
Digital design
Boss Magazine is a business leadership publication with a global readership of senior professionals and executives. As the publication expanded its reach to feature more international companies, the existing design system wasn't keeping pace — layouts felt static, the social presence was inconsistent, and the monthly newsletter had stalled in growth. I was brought on as a graphic designer to help evolve the visual language across print, digital, and social, working under an art director and senior designer as part of a small, fast-moving editorial team.
Project overview
Tools
Role
Graphic Designer
Duration
Monthly
Team
Editor
Damien Martin
Senior designer
Kristen Marzelli
Art director
Sherelle Ledue
Production manager
Nicola Batchelor
The problem
The core challenge wasn't just aesthetics — it was scale.
Boss Magazine was simultaneously trying to serve a more sophisticated global audience, provide co-branded marketing value to featured companies, and grow its own readership through email and social. The design had to work harder across more surfaces without losing the authoritative, premium tone the publication's audience expected. Every layout decision had to balance editorial clarity with a visual identity compelling enough to make featured brands proud to be in it.
My role
I was responsible for the complete design, overseeing every phase from conceptualization to final delivery across digital and print platforms including social media.
Working within a four-person creative team — editor, senior designer, art director, and production manager — I owned design execution from concept through delivery across all formats: print editorial spreads, digital editions, social media assets, and the monthly email newsletter. I collaborated closely with the editorial team to ensure designs were in service of the content, not competing with it, and iterated based on feedback from both the creative leadership and the featured companies themselves.
Process
My design process involved research, understanding the article content, getting inspiration, ensuring the design was user-centric and aligned with brand values.
I started by auditing the existing layouts and social assets to identify where the visual system was breaking down. From there I established a tighter grid structure and typographic hierarchy that could flex across feature stories, profiles, and data-heavy articles without needing to be rebuilt from scratch each issue. For social, I developed templated formats that maintained brand consistency while leaving room for the variety of content types the publication covers monthly. Every design went through multiple rounds of review with the senior designer and art director before final delivery.
The solution
Refreshed social templates reduced production time per post. Featured companies reached out directly to praise how their stories were presented."
The redesigned layouts gave Boss Magazine a more authoritative and visually dynamic presence across every platform — one that could credibly represent global brands while maintaining the publication's editorial voice. The refreshed social templates improved output consistency and reduced production time per post. Featured companies responded positively, with several reaching out directly to express approval of how their stories were presented.
What I learned
Designing for a publication means designing for trust — the audience has expectations, and the featured companies have stakes in how they're presented.
The most useful skill I built on this project was learning to hold both of those audiences in mind simultaneously. Early on, I over-indexed on visual impact at the expense of readability, and feedback from the senior designer pushed me to find layouts where the two weren't in tension. That shift — understanding that restraint is a design decision, not a compromise — changed how I approach editorial work. The testimonials from featured companies confirmed that getting that balance right has real business impact for clients.
Testimonials
“The article looks amazing! We are very excited to know it’s now published!”
La Vie En Rose
“This looks great. Thanks so much for your patience and the effort it took creating everything.”
VCU School of Dentistry
“I absolutely love this feature & design that you have put together.”
Morningstar