Medium created a new model for digital publishing--One that supported nuance, complexity, and vital storytelling without giving in to the incentives of advertising. The start of O&O publications marked Medium evolution as both platform and publisher.

In 2019, Zora Magazine was launched as Medium’s literary publication by women of color, for women of color. As one of Medium’s first in-house editorial verticals, Zora’s visual identity and brand voice was crafted by it’s editorial point of view, as well as brand family of Medium’s O&O ecoystem.

Zora’s identity strived to channel the level of elevation and sophistication to match that of its literary work. The brand design team developed a consistent, type-driven approach inspired by Zora’s editorial themes of incisive ideas, contemplative thinking, and the interiority and intersectional experiences of women of color.

Topol and Post Grotesk were selected as primary typefaces. Topol is a narrow sans-serif typeface designed by Filip Matějíček and Jan Horčík. The design features slightly condensed proportions with oval-shaped letterforms--ideal for strong headlines. 

The art direction team collaborated with Medium’s brand design team to develop a design and art direction strategy in tandem. The art direction team created a roster of freelance illustrators whose style reflects confidence, grit, intelligence, and sophistication of Zora’s editorial content.

Audience Development

The ZORA audience is a community of readers who are interested in Black literary figures, celebrating Black women authors, and consuming lifestyle content that showcases Black joy.

With a deeply engaged and active audience off-platform, the creative direction and audience development strategy refocused their goals to direct participation back to Medium’s platform. We reframed our success metrics from off-platform engagement to emphasize repeat readership and membership signups on Medium.

We did this through transforming our highest performing engagement series into an on-platform experience: The ZORA Canon Book Club, a monthly book club and discussion series that highlights the literary works of prominent Black authors. Its purpose was to increase discoverability and engagement within the Medium universe, marking ZORA as an evolution of Medium as a both a platform and a publisher.