Re-imagining an established publication

Desider is the monthly corporate magazine for Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), aimed at readers across the wider Ministry of Defence, armed forces and industry.

The publication covers stories and features about support to operations and equipment acquisition. It also covers the work of people in DE&S and its partners in industry, and other corporate news and information.

I was tasked to lead the re-design of the magazine, to guide it to an entirely new direction with new masthead, tagline and visual style.

You can view the latest editions as they are released here

Client
Ministry of Defence: Defence Equipment & Support

Sector
Public Services

Disciplines
Design Identity
Editorial Design

All images: UK Ministry of Defence © Crown Copyright (2021)

Comparison of two magazines titled 'DESIDER' with the left displaying a fighter jet on a wet tarmac in rainy weather, and the right showing a pilot in a fighter jet cockpit at night

As part of the new visual system for Desider, a key element was to create a new masthead for the magazine. As part of this, I focused on establishing a new tagline ‘an inside look into life at Defence Equipment & Support’. This tagline captures the essence of the magazine and its contents, a people first publication. This provided a platform for a new masthead that utilises a framing device to create an intimate space for the name to sit within.

A new masthead

Title screen with the word 'DESIDER' in large white letters on a dark background, with yellow brackets and a subtitle that reads, 'An inside look into life at defence equipment & support.'
Comparison of text 'desider' before and after redesign, showing a more modern look on the right with the label 'after' and the phrase 'an inside look into life at defence equipment & support'.

Enticing viewers with a bold front cover

The new version of Desider now aims towards an external audience, as well as its internal readership. With this knowledge, a front cover was designed to have impact from across the room. I split the cover into three sections - the cover; the image; what’s inside - so that there is a clear template for future issues to adhere to, and to break from where required.

The inside spreads uses bold colours, the framing device, and a new typographic system to modernise the magazine design.

Cover of a magazine titled 'DESIDER' featuring a close-up of a military pilot helmet with gear against a dark background.
An open magazine featuring an article titled "Modernising the Chinook fleet" with a silhouette of a military helicopter against a sunset sky, wind turbines, and a person standing on the tarmac.
Open magazine featuring a photograph of a futuristic drone with a large vertical tail fin, on a runway during sunset. The left page has large text stating "FIRST FLIGHT" with a subtitle "SUCCESS FOR PROTECTOR PROTOTYPE." The right page contains an article about the drone's milestone and achievements.
Open magazine spread with an article titled 'The evolution of cyber security'. The left page features a large photograph of a jet engine with a caption about recent trends in cybersecurity. The right page contains text discussing cyber threats and future cybersecurity challenges.

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