Quillette, the online magazine for free thought, partnered with us to modernize its brand. While established as a significant force in the intellectual landscape, its visual presence had become inconsistent across platforms, diluting its authority. Our mission was to restore its gravitas by unifying the brand across its web, podcast, and YouTube channels, creating a salient and trustworthy identity for its next chapter of growth.
After 10 years of shaping the global intellectual landscape, Quillette faced a visual and structural inconsistency that diluted its authority. We needed to craft a cohesive system that captured its academic gravitas, avoided the trappings of clickbait media, and increased conversion across its fast-growing digital ecosystem, particularly its YouTube and newsletter funnels.
Our approach was an “architectural restoration” of the brand’s intellectual core. Inspired by ancient Greek stoas, public forums for debate, we developed a distinctive “window device” to symbolize entry into ideas. Using Conversion-Centered Design informed by user data, we rebuilt their digital funnels. This resulted in a unified, intelligent brand that grew YouTube subscribers by over 5,000% and reduced website bounce rates by 240%.
100K subs in 11 months — the strategy, tone, and aesthetic CUT THRU helped shape made us recognisable and shareable without compromising depth.Zoe Booth, Editor-in-Chief, Quillette
We reimagined Quillette’s identity as a visual framework that invites reflection rather than noise. A restrained forest-green palette, deliberate spacing, and a new window motif echo the intellectual clarity of the brand’s writing. It’s design as composure — creating space for independent thought to breathe.
