Success stories from the files of designWELL.

All in the
Family

All in the Family: From prototype to publication.

Many would-be publishers can talk the talk, but Tatania Christy was ready to run. She wanted a 16-page prototype of Bay Family Digest ready within a few weeks as a sales tool for a spring launch. Unlike some startups, Bay Family had a solid business plan, and a stated commitment to good design. It would be a glossy, editorial-rich magazine in a handy size that would travel well.

Even with such an aggressive schedule, we had to say "Yes!" Working from a one-page table of contents and a list of prospective advertisers, we created a 16-page mockup in ten business days. Every ad and article was a clever simulation of what was to come (the text was "greek") and the prototype was printed and bound to look like the real thing.

On the basis of this rapid prototype, Ms. Christy was able to launch Bay Family Digest and published it for two years. That prototype was the basis for all the subsequent issues (and designWELL completely produced the first four issues.)

“You put my intentions on the page
even before I could articulate them.”

–Tatania Christy, managing editor, Bay Family Digest