The North Carolina Medical Journal (NCMJ) was at risk of becoming a victim of its own success.
The journal has been around since 1849, and is a heavy-hitter in the medical and health care space in North Carolina. It’s read by the state’s movers and shakers — to the extent that it plays a key role in shaping health policy across North Carolina.
But…
A lot has changed since the journal’s founding more than a century-and-a-half ago. It started as publisher of medical research and clinical studies. But, over the years, it evolved to what it is today: a journal that focuses on health care more broadly.
Bottom line: everything about the branding was dated. It needed to be modernized in order to reflect the journal’s current incarnation (sleek, authoritative, digital-only).
And modernize, we did.
First, we shortened the legacy brand name from North Carolina Medical Journal to NCMJ. Then we developed a new blue-based color palette to emphasize trust, authority, and security. (The original color palette was brown-based, which conveyed that this was a heritage brand.)
The brand refresh is future-facing. It aims to make the journal more accessible to the broadest possible audience, in order to welcome broader perspectives into the health care conversation in North Carolina.
The clean, new logo implies conversation — which is exactly what NCMJ delivers: practical, balanced perspectives on pressing health policy issues that affect all North Carolinians.
I worked with the journal’s eight-person editorial team to develop a new tagline, then crafted the meta story that serves as a road map for explaining the thinking behind the brand refresh to readers, stakeholders, and potential donors. I also crafted email sequences, social media copy, and a press release to support the launch. It was a meticulous, collaborative process, and one I’m proud to have played a key role in.