Overview
Editorial Design
A nationwide amateur-sports federation required its 40-page Word Request for Proposal to be quickly transformed into a visually appealing, print-ready document. I provided a 37-page, brand-consistent template within ten hours, featuring interactive links and a reusable InDesign system that now supports every USSSA proposal.
The Challenge
- Dense, unstructured copy that obscured key selling points.
- Only basic brand fonts and colors are provided, with no long-form print guidelines.
- Rapid turnaround needed, with stakeholder approval required within 24 hours.
- The file had to be lightweight (≤ 5 MB) while remaining press-ready.
My Approach
1. Content Architecture
Re-ordered sections, inserted sub-headings, call-outs & pull quotes for a natural narrative flow.
Trimmed redundant paragraphs to keep pace lively and page count efficient.
2. Design System Build
Crafted a 12-column grid, expanded the palette with a punchy athletic blue, and introduced a suite of custom icons and infographics.
Created master pages plus nested paragraph, character & object styles, enabling the USSSA team to update future RFPs in minutes, not hours.
3. Production Excellence
Designed in InDesign + Illustrator; added interactive TOC & hyperlinks.
Ran full pre-flight checks, embedded fonts, and exported an accessible PDF at just 4.2 MB.
4. Lean Collaboration
Two feedback cycles via annotated PDFs and real-time Slack channel.
Final sign-off within 24 hours of the first draft.
Alex turned our plain copy into a dynamic asset that sells the USSSA story.
— Aidan Ryan, Marketing Coordinator
