The Voice of myPSE
Company: Puget Sound Energy
Project: The Voice of myPSE - Templates
Goal: First, to streamline development of the monthly newsletter by organizing a design template to group all stakeholder content into a single document with a visual style close to the finished newsletter. And second, to automatically enforce submission guidelines, (such as character limits to avoid overly wordy articles), to minimize the number of unnecessary revisions.
Outcome: Of course exceptions had to be made from time to time, but I found that when templates were used, the number of required edits and revisions was cut down by more than half, and everyone involved was much more informed of the process and expectations.
Description: The Voice of myPSE (AKA, “The Voice”), is a monthly newsletter included in every Puget Sound Energy customer’s bill. It contains announcements, safety messaging, rebate information, and other current events. It is received by millions of customers each month in both printed and digital form.
My responsibility was to establish consistent layouts throughout the monthly pieces. I collaborated with stakeholders across multiple departments and was in charge of selecting relevant pictures, creating illustrations, and working with copy-writers to ensure that all final articles maintained a unified tone and brand.
I simplified this process by creating several design templates with predetermined layouts. These shared documents allowed each content-owner to claim specific regions of the newsletter. It also allowed them to see first-hand just how much copy could fit onto each section.
