SaltWire Inside Voices
An editorial campaign where the words are the artwork — voice and layout developed together so the same idea scales from a transit shelter to a billboard.
- Editorial design & brand voice
- Featured
- Editorial designBrand voiceCampaign rollout
“The words are the artwork.”
The problem
Local journalism has to argue for its own value in public, on a billboard, in three seconds. Photography wasn't going to do that job — the stories themselves were the strongest asset SaltWire had.
The thinking
Write and design at the same time. Voice and layout were developed as one pass, so line breaks, scale and emphasis carry meaning instead of decorating it. The result reads as a statement, not an advertisement.
The result
A rollout where the same idea holds its shape from a transit shelter at walking pace to a billboard at highway speed. Placeholder copy pending final campaign reporting.
“The words are the artwork.”
What this work holds onto
Say it in a sentence
If the line needs a second sentence to land, it isn't finished. Every execution earns its space with one idea.
Typography is tone of voice
Weight, scale and break point do the work of a raised eyebrow. The same words set differently say different things.
Scale without softening
The idea gets bigger, never gentler. Nothing is added to fill space at larger formats.
Break the line where the meaning turns.
Don't break it where the box runs out.
Trust silence around the words.
Don't fill the margin with supporting graphics.