Reader's Digest unveiled a redesign with the February 2014 issue that managing editor Dominique Ritter called a modern take on the 90-year-old brand.

The Canadian Reader's Digest has published for 65 years and its last design refresh was around two years ago. "This isn't just about the magazine," said Ritter, "it's really a re-imagining of the brand itself."


A new logo is set in a customized font with "a sweeping element that recalls our classic logo," said Ritter. The most notable change is the emphasis on the word 'Reader's', which is now larger to convey a commitment to the brand's audience and its love for the written word. Before, 'Digest' enjoyed more real estate.

"The average reader spends an hour with the magazine. These are real readers," Ritter said. Covers once again feature the title's well-known table of contents treatment. Inside, a re-ordering of content changes the pace of the magazine, interweaving its more in-depth features (at least eight in each edition) with shorter pieces, anecdotes and the mag's trademark jokes, what Ritter calls "little breathers."

"Reader's Digest is an emotional journey, and I think that's one of the things that defines us," said Ritter. The iPad edition has been redone as well and the website now sports a mobile-optimized design. A redesign of the French Canadian Sélection will follow with its March 2014 edition.