Omaha Magazine
City + Regional Publisher
Creative Direction, Graphic Design +
Production Management by
John Gawley
CREATIVE DIRECTOR + DELIVERABLES
As Creative Director, John managed the editorial and creative production while collaborating with the publisher, editors, graphic designers, photographers, and freelancers, bringing creative concepts to life. Deliverables included:
11 reoccurring publications, 96 issues annually
Editorial brand consistency
Launch new website
Implement strategic social initiatives
Serve as a design agency for advertisers
Publisher ad campaigns to drive subscriptions and Best of Omaha voting
Develop marketing/sales collateral
Develop style guide
Manage production timelines, printing, and distribution
CREATIVE DIRECTION
Editorial
John has always faced challenges head-on. While a background in graphic design equipped him with the fundamentals of design — color theory, pattern, hierarchy, typography, etc. — creating multiple-page layouts is a different beast. John dove head first into learning the skills needed to successfully apply the technical know-how of magazine design intersecting with the fundamentals of design. John also served alongside other publication employees on the editorial board, guiding the strategic development of editorial content across 11 reoccurring publications with 96 issues annually and various specialty one-off publications and projects.
Concept Covers
An image is worth a thousand words. Evolving from static portraits to complex concepts gave the covers of Omaha Magazine a story of their own before the editorial feature pages. John did the graphic design layout of these covers and worked as creative director, collaborating with the Director of Photography, Bill Sitzmann, to develop the concepts, style the photoshoots, and even build props — yes, those are 30 working lightbulbs.
Page Layout
Designing a 200+ page magazine isn't a drop-and-drag process. John also created custom graphics for feature stories (War & Peace, Chuck Hagel) and occasionally photographed subjects himself (Life's a Beach, Lauren Sieckmann - professional beach volleyball player). He also secured props and styled many photoshoots for the pages of Omaha Magazine (Hoplicious, Uncrating the Best in Local Brews).
WEBSITE BLOG
OmahaMagazine.com
In 2016, the city & regional publishers had a very minimal online presence. John spearheaded the launch of OmahaMagazine.com and the expansion of the digital footprint on Facebook. Within the first month, the website saw 40,000+ unique users monthly. With fresh content published quarterly/bi-monthly/monthly in print, digital content is continuously expanding the viewership with additional exclusive content not found in mailboxes. The 40k spike at launch was not a fluke, and the publisher continues to boast steady monthly traffic.
Local developer, Eleven19, created the back-end WordPress CMS with the design direction of John Gawley.
Omaha Publications Gallery
Omaha Visitor’s Guide Gallery
The International Omaha Gallery
Old Market Directory Gallery
Let’s get designing.
Ready to get to work? John looks forward to partnering with you and your business, providing solutions for your needs executed through brand strategy, design thinking, graphic design, photography, and videography.