FIT is seeking a Website and Magazine Redesign for their Magazine Hue. They also need ongoing design and technical help with social media, e-newsletter, and 3 print runs per year for the next 3 years.
About FIT (The Organization)
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a part of the State University of New York, and has been an internationally recognized leader in career education in design, fashion, business, and technology for 75 years.
Providing an uncommon blend of practical experience and theory on a foundation of arts and sciences, FIT draws on its New York City location to provide a vibrant, creative environment for learning, exploration, and research. The college offers nearly 50 majors and has expanded internationally with locations in Florence and Milan, Italy, and Korea. Additionally, The Museum at FIT, founded in 1969, attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually to view its world-renowned special exhibitions and displays of its extensive collections.
About Hue (The Magazine)
● Hue, the magazine of FIT, is the college’s signature publication. It has won awards from CASE, NCMPR, SUNYCUAD, and UCDA and is recognized as an innovator among college and university magazines.
● Hue debuted in 2007, and the design was refreshed in 2013. It has not been fully redesigned since its launch.
● The magazine is published three times a year. It is usually 36 pages long, but varies from 28 to 40 pages per issue.
● Hue has an oversized format (12 by 9.5 inches) and is printed on high-quality, uncoated recycled paper.
● About 15,000-20,000 copies of each issue are printed.
● The print edition is mailed to approximately 5,000 alumni, 6,000 families of current students, and a total of 2,000 industry VIPs, industry partners, deans of art and design colleges, FIT board members (trustees and departmental advisory groups), CUNY/SUNY and government officials, and members of The Museum at FIT’s Couture Council. About 1,000 copies are distributed to faculty and staff. A few thousand copies are distributed at college events, including the annual fundraising gala and events for alumni and prospective and current students. The remainder are distributed to students. The website, hue.fitnyc.edu, uses the WordPress theme Zeen, with custom elements. This iteration of the site debuted with the fall 2020 issue, which was digital-only.
● The website usually features the same content as the magazine, with multimedia extras: video, audio, animation, slide shows, etc. Most web content is reproduced from the print magazine, with occasional elements created for the website alone. Since many alumni do not receive the print magazine and only see the website, the digital content must provide an engaging and memorable user experience.
● As a public institution, we must follow ADA accessibility laws protecting people with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities.
Scope of Work:
To develop a unified creative concept that gracefully integrates Hue’s print and digital channels, maintaining its own singular identity while reflecting FIT’s strategic and brand goals as delineated in the included document. The design shall present the best version of FIT.
Visual storytelling shall incorporate a range of media, and interactive content shall engage audiences in a new way.
A. Redesign
1. Print magazine: Redesign the print edition of Hue.
2. Digital Magazine: Redesign the digital edition of Hue to feel of a piece with the print edition. Create an appealing, exciting design concept that marries smooth functionality with design innovation. The website shall not just replicate the print edition; rather, it must be optimized as digital communication. We must use WordPress, and currently use a customized Zeen theme. We are willing to consider a different theme.
Additional tasks:
● Find and test plugins.
● Ensure site functions effectively on mobile.
● Ensure all elements of the site are fully accessible on all platforms—for individuals with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities. This is an essential requirement.
● Test all aspects of website before launch.
● Migrate content over from old site to new site if a new theme is used.
● The current Hue site has 9 main pages, plus a link to Newsroom and FIT’s main website. Evaluate the IA to see if it should stay the same or change.
● Provide a specification document that indicates how to post a story, post to the homepage, use plugins, and other elements or customizations that may be developed.
● Develop a Hue slug or indicator for online promotion (when a story is posted on Newsroom or FIT’s website).
B. Per-issue design
1. Print magazine
a. Creative tasks
● Meet with the editorial team as needed, either in person if possible or via videoconference.
● Create dynamic, innovative visual representations of our stories.
● Create conceptual designs for stories that lack exciting visuals
(such as many of our business stories).
● Work with the Hue team to refine each page design.
● Work with the managing editor to enter type corrections and ensure
text readability.
b. Technical tasks
● Retouch photos and prepare them for printing.
● Make paper and printing recommendations based on quality, sustainability, availability, and price.
● Attend press checks to ensure quality control, if budget permits.
(The printer is selected every year or two through a required bidding process.)
● Archive hi-res layouts and images for later retrieval.
2. Digital magazine
a. Creative tasks
● Work with the Hue team to develop digital-only content specifically for the website, taking advantage of web capabilities.
● Include multimedia elements such as animation, audio, and video to enhance the reading experience.
● Lay out stories from the print edition in WordPress.
● Create visuals to be shared in e-newsletters and across social media channels (particularly Facebook and Instagram).
b. Technical tasks
● Continue to find, test, and maintain plugins.
● Categorize and tag stories for easy organization and searching.
● Ensure each story functions effectively on mobile.
● Ensure each story meets accessibility standards
See attached PDF for full details:
FIT_Hue_Website_and_Magazine_RFP.pdf
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