CNN Style_Identity and design for
a modern digital editorial experience.

CNN Style_Identity and design for a modern digital editorial experience.

(Overview)

CNN Style is a global editorial platform exploring art, design, fashion, architecture, and culture. While part of the wider CNN network, it speaks to a visually literate, culturally curious audience and plays a key role in attracting high-end advertisers.

Despite its editorial ambition, the platform lacked a distinct identity. Visually, it sat too close to CNN’s core brand, and the existing website limited storytelling, engagement, and commercial flexibility. The challenge was to evolve CNN Style into a confident, standalone editorial brand, without losing the authority and trust of its parent.

Industry

Media & Boradcasting

Services

Art Direction
Brand Assets
Brand Identity
Creative Direction
Custom Typeface
Design System
Website Design

Website

reaktor.com

Custom typeface design for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Campaign poster design for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Business card design for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Guest editor illustration style, by Kate Copeland, for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

(Strategy)

We began with a series of workshops to define CNN Style’s editorial voice, audience expectations, and commercial goals. The strategy focused on three pillars: visual distinction, editorial flexibility, and technical performance.

Content needs were mapped across articles, long reads, video, galleries, and special features, informing the structure of a modular design system. From the outset, brand and commercial requirements were considered together, ensuring the platform could support premium storytelling while creating space for luxury advertisers.

Website mobile homepage hero for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Website desktop homepage hero for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Website content cards for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Website components for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Website navigation overlay for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Website feature cards for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

(Solution)

At the heart of the new identity is CNN Display, a bespoke typeface developed in collaboration with A2-Type. It gives the brand a bold, modern editorial presence while remaining unmistakably part of the CNN family.

The visual system is built on a restrained black and white foundation, with CNN red used sparingly. This allowed photography, artwork, and video to lead, giving the platform a gallery-like quality. Clean, modular layouts support a wide range of content formats, while light and dark themes help differentiate editorial and video-led experiences.

The homepage and article templates were restructured to support richer storytelling and greater variety. A new Guest Editors section, illustrated by Kate Copeland, introduced curated content from leading artists and designers, adding cultural depth and new perspectives.

Technically, the site was rebuilt using React with server-side rendering and AMP. This improved performance, responsiveness, and SEO, resolving previous limitations and creating a faster, more robust editorial platform.

Website artilce for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Wbsite image gallery for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Website video gallery for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Website guest editor content components for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

(Solution)

Tote back merch for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

App icon for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Social media templates for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

Lanyard design for CNN Style, a global fashion, art and design publication.

(Testimonial)

Aaron led the reimagination of CNN Style, delivering a platform that balanced brand distinction with editorial credibility. He partnered seamlessly across product, tech, editorial and commercial teams to ship a faster, more immersive site that won multiple awards and brought in new luxury advertisers. Rare to find a creative director this fluent in both brand and product.