Re-Design: Just Out

Just Out, the statewide monthly newsmagazine for Oregon's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, was approaching 22 years in operation and its identity was showing some age. The heavy, bulky type treatment of the name (below left) was definitely hinting at the 1980's and 1990's.

Publisher and Managing Editor Marty Davis wasn't seeking an entirely new "look" with a redesigned logo, but rather a refined - possibly redefined - treatment of the existing identity. The hope was to maintain the readers' immediate recognition developed at newsstands over the years, while making the paper's flag fresh and a bit more flexible in cover design applications.

The use of the font Gill Sans gave the identity a fresh, contemporary and slimmed-down look (above right) that has worked very well for the publication.

The award-winning Just Out logo appears in the books American Corporate Identity 2008 and The Big Book of Logos 5.

(Note: My new book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, contains case studies from 35 designers and firms located around the world. Learn more about the book on the Identity Crisis! blog.)

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

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