Detroit, Michigan – This Wednesday, October 17 marked the official launch of the
redesigned Metro Times. Led by the creative team at Skidmore Studio, the redesign is the product of
a months-long creative process involving designers from both Skidmore Studio and Metro Times. The
publication, which is known as the source for news affecting the creative community, is celebrating the
launch of the redesign with a Drinks x Design Party on Friday, Oct. 19.
“We see ourselves as the paper for the creative class,” said Metro Times publisher Chris Sexson. “This redesign changes the direct face of our brand in a very visual way.”
With the direction to push the design of the publication outside of the traditional newspaper format into more
of a magazine-style layout, Skidmore took an analytical look at the functionality and user experience of the
publication.
This included redesigning everything from the cover, masthead and Table of Contents to section headers,
event listings, article layouts, ad specs and the calendar section. As part of this process, Skidmore’s
designers looked at ways to make navigation throughout the magazine more intuitive to the reader.
“What really affected the final design was the way Skidmore’s team looked at the magazine from the outside
in, the way a user would,” noted Sexson. “By doing that, they opened us up to a different perspective and
showed us things that we were insulated from.”
To improve the navigability and readability, Skidmore introduced contemporary fonts and a reformatted
column grid that incorporates increased margins and white space. In addition, the studio developed a set of
icons and color codes so that readers could easily find their favorite section. For most, this is the calendar spread in which Metro Times editors recommend the “can’t miss” events of the week. This is where
readers will find the most dramatic changes. Designed to evoke a traditional calendar, the newly named
Week/end spread allows users to quickly scan for dates and detailed information in addition to providing a
peek into next week’s events.
Skidmore President & CEO Tim Smith says his studio was suited to the project in part because the project
was so meaningful to the studio. Noted Smith, “Every designer had an emotional connection to Metro
Times and as a result, treated it less like an assignment and more like a personal project.”
“The end result speaks for itself and has exceeded my expectations,” said Sexson. “For 32 years Metro
Times has told Detroit’s story, created a road map to the best in arts & culture, and published truth to power journalism every week. This new design celebrates the best of what we do and enables us bring a bigger stick to our brand of journalism. Bring on the next 32!”
The redesigned Metro Times is available at more than 1,600 locations across the Detroit metro area.
Readers can pick up a copy at news boxes on Wednesday, October 17th or at Drinks x Design on Friday,
October 19 at the Madison Building. Skidmore Studio and Metro Times will be on hand to celebrate the
launch of the redesign at the season-ending open studio event.
About Skidmore Studio
Skidmore is a kick ass design studio based in Detroit’s historic Madison Theatre Building. A fun, fearless
and fanatical group, Skidmore is dedicated to generating inspired ideas that translate to extraordinary
results. Our team of designers, illustrators and strategists work best with those who appreciate design
thinking and have a willingness to build their brand with bold strategy and design. To view samples of
Skidmore’s award-winning creative work, visit skidmorestudio.com.
About Metro Times
For more than a quarter century, Metro Times has been Detroit’s weekly alternative for news, arts, culture,
music, film, food, fashion and more. Over 657,000 loyal readers pick up the magazine every month to
find out what is happening in the area. With hard-hitting journalism, in-depth profiles and the area’s most
comprehensive events listings, Metro Times is the most sought after news and entertainment resource for
metro Detroiters.
