On May 15, we relaunched The Atlantic Cities as CityLab, with a new address, a mobile-, tablet-friendly design, a cleaner aesthetic, and a brand-new identity.
The Atlantic Cities launched in September 2011 as a place to “explore the most innovative ideas and pressing issues facing today’s global cities and neighborhoods.” The original Pentagram-designed logo was created to fit in with the Atlantic family.
As the site approached its two-year anniversary, it was clear that the great content was being limited by an aging website design that was quickly becoming harder to use and navigate.
It was also clear that Cities maintained a loyal audience, independent from the other Atlantic sites.
So as the site redesign kicked off in early 2014, we had a couple goals for a new visual identity:
- Because so many of our readers access the site on mobile devices, the logo had to work on small and big screens alike.
- We wanted the brand to convey the vibrancy of a city, while maintaining a sense of authority.
I worked with The Atlantic magazine’s creative director, Darhil Crooks, to explore a few approaches. (Watch this awesome explainer on how Darhil revamped the magazine design.)
Here’s a quick look at what inspired my logo drafts.