When Ad Age debuted in 1930, advertising was a $2 billion industry. Now, quickly approaching a century later, advertising is a $200 billion industry and Ad Age is in position to operate as a third party watchdog.

In 2017, Crain Communications hired a new Ad Age Publisher and he immediately set to work transforming the business from a weekly trade publication into a industry-leading, industry-challenging and industry-inspiring brand. Their advantage was that they had been the first in the field, so they had more raw data on than any other outlet. They just needed a little style to help boost credibility in a creative field.

The move from Advertising Age to Ad Age was a no brainer. It was time for the masthead to align with the vernacular. The lettering was crafted by Tobias Frere-Jones. It is based on the original 1930s masthead.

In our brand research, we found a in-book ad from the 1950s. It simply said, Important to Important People. (Hyperbolic, but true.)

Ad Age needed a consistent visual system to support their in-house team of two designers. The bands of color created supported efficiency. When you need a design element, you have all of the stripes. When you need the design to get out of the way, you have fewer stripes. It uses a seventeen color palette.

Print is not dead. Ad Age published a full brand book from strategy through grid systems.