Background – Ambition with a broad audience reach

A-Line Magazine was founded in 2010 by CityBeat's editor and co-publisher John Fox, Maija Zummo as co-founder and editor-in-chief, and Rebecca Sylvester as creative director. They set out to speak to higher-educated professional women in the Greater Cincinnati area, ages 25–54.

Process – Flirting with new and choosing familiar

A-Line had already spent time researching and defining the magazine and its audience. We then examined the competitive landscape and emerging interaction patterns to create a fresh publishing experience while maintaining familiarity.

We explored interaction ideas inspired by the first iPad-era web experiences, but ultimately moved forward with a more familiar approach for long-term readability and usability.

Solution – Prioritize the choices a user makes

With clear content categories, we focused on information architecture and user experience. Since article pages were becoming key entry points from search and social media, we designed a robust taxonomy and metadata structure that kept related content relevant to what users were currently viewing.

SouthComm later purchased CityBeat and A-Line. While A-Line was closed in favor of another publication, SouthComm adopted the site's structure and design model, and Studio Elsa helped with the transition.