The key challenges were to create a beautiful – but highly flexible – design system that appealed to a wide range of men. From urban hipsters to more suburban bros. The system had to be completely template so that the tiny editorial team could lay out the entire magazine every quarter independently and still have it be stunningly beautiful.

The key objectives: 1) grow the circle of enthusiasts by driving demand for this magazine, 2) Deliver equity to The Glenlivet via the publication, rather than draw from it, and 3) build the brand’s super-premium aesthetic through the design of the magazine.

We executed a bedrock design concept: modern heritage. The rich historical visual identity of The Glenlivet itself was extrapolated into a completely modern interpretation relevant to men with great taste. Extending this heritage into a magnetic design system that performs visually better than commercial comparables (Esquire), would help us attract the ilk of man we wanted.

This was manifest in the strong, clean typography, by innovatively maximizing imagery size handled via interface layers, and a clean and premium grid layout. The interface serves discovery and targeted reading equally well and intuitively, creating a bold and masculine, yet refined, distinctive experience.

The resulting experience is helping transform The Glenlivet into a luxury brand. Initial user reviews are outstanding and this platform has become a significant premium offered to drive CRM program membership. The editorial team is able to publish 100% autonomously while achieving excellent design and experiences in each edition.

Additionally, launched with the December 2013 Holiday Issue and followed up recently with a spring style issue, The Cask by The Glenlivet has shown early success with its first month of consumer CRM registrations exceeding those earned in the entire preceding year, putting the brand spirit in more men’s hands.