Think of the last time you flipped through a magazine. The photography was striking, the typography beautiful, the articles polished. But what tied it all together wasn’t just the visuals; it was the editorial cohesion. 

Every issue has a through-line, a narrative arc, and a particular tone of voice. That cohesion doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because an Editor-in-Chief is steering the ship.

Your brand deserves the same treatment.

When most entrepreneurs hire a brand designer or agency, they assume the designer will do it all.

“Here’s my business name and some inspiration images, now make me look professional.” 

But skipping the editorial step is like asking a magazine designer to fill 100 pages without a single pitch meeting. You might get something that looks good, but will it reflect your story, resonate with your audience, and align with your business goals? Not likely.

That’s where your role as Editor-in-Chief comes in. 

You don’t need to design the layouts or pick the fonts—that’s what your creative team is for. But you do need to hold the vision, direct the story, and make decisions about what belongs and what doesn’t. Without an editor, even the most talented design team is just guessing.

The Editor vs. The Executor

Here’s the biggest misconception in branding: thinking your designer should be both the editor and the executor.

• The Editor: Curates, sets the tone, defines the story, and decides what’s “on brand.”
• The Executor: Brings the vision to life through design, strategy, and execution.
  

When you blur these roles, the process breaks down.

• If you try to be the executor, you’ll nitpick fonts, obsess over colors, and waste hours scrolling Pinterest—tasks that belong to your design team.
  
• If you completely check out, you’ll hand over creative control to someone who doesn’t know your business the way you do. You’ll get a brand that looks good but doesn’t feel like you.
  

The sweet spot is when you embody the Editor-in-Chief. You don’t dictate kerning rules or website code, but you know what story your brand is telling and who you’re telling it to. You approve direction, provide clear feedback, and keep the project aligned with your vision.

Think of Anna Wintour at Vogue. She didn’t design the magazine spreads herself, but you can bet her fingerprints were on every page. That’s the energy you need to bring to your brand.

The Editorial Blueprint: What to Have Ready Before You Hire

Just as a magazine issue begins with an editorial calendar and a theme, your brand needs a blueprint before any design work begins. 

At Drop Cap Design®, we call this the creative direction stage. It’s what separates brands that are pretty but purposeless from those that are magnetic, consistent, and enduring.

Here’s what your editorial blueprint should include:

1. A Vision Statement

What’s the overarching story? Why does your brand exist? A vision statement should be more than “make money” or “look professional.” It should express the role your brand plays in your customer’s life.

Prompt: “If my business were featured in a magazine profile five years from now, what headline would I want to see?”

2. An Audience Profile

Every magazine has a target reader. Your brand should too. Who are you trying to reach? What do they care about? What keeps them up at night?

Prompt: “If my brand had a subscriber list, who would be on it? What other magazines or brands would they already love?”

3. A Defined Voice & Tone

Is your brand elegant and refined, playful and approachable, or bold and disruptive? Designers can’t guess this—it has to come from you.

Prompt: “If my brand were a columnist, how would they write? What words would they overuse? What phrases would they never say?”

4. Visual Preferences

This is where your “inspiration spread” comes in. What colors, textures, and styles resonate with you? More importantly, what doesn’t? Designers love knowing what to avoid just as much as what to include.

Prompt: “If my brand were a magazine cover, what fonts, colors, and photography would make it stand out on the newsstand?”

5. Non-Negotiables

Every editor has guidelines: words they don’t publish, stories they won’t cover, advertisers they won’t run. Your brand needs boundaries, too. These might be values you’ll never compromise on, messages you always want to reinforce, or visuals you refuse to use.

Prompt: “What must always be true of my brand, no matter how it evolves?”

Feeling overwhelmed by these questions? You’re not alone. This is exactly the kind of strategic clarity we dive deep into during a 1:1 Brand Clarity Session.

In 60 minutes, I’ll help you work through each element of your editorial blueprint, so you can hire your designer with confidence and direction.

BOOK YOUR CLARITY SESSION →

Why This Matters: Saving Time & Money

Design projects often spiral because the editorial groundwork wasn’t done upfront. Without a blueprint:

• Revisions pile up. You keep changing your mind because you weren’t clear to begin with.
• Designers guess. They present ideas that don’t fit, wasting everyone’s time.
• You overspend. More rounds of edits = more billable hours.
  

On the flip side, when you show up as Editor-in-Chief with your blueprint in hand:

• Your designer works faster and with more confidence.
• The designs you see actually reflect your brand’s identity.
• The process feels collaborative instead of chaotic.
  

This is why at Drop Cap Design®, our projects always begin with brand discovery and creative direction. It’s not extra fluff—it’s the editorial calendar that makes the whole magazine possible.

How to Work With Your Designer Like an Editor

Once you’ve created your editorial blueprint, here’s how to step fully into your Editor-in-Chief role during the project:

1. Ask the Right Questions

Instead of nitpicking, ask:

“Does this design communicate our story?”

“Would this resonate with our audience?”

“Does this feel aligned with our values?”

Give Decisive Feedback

Editors don’t hand back articles with “I don’t know, maybe?” They give clear edits. Instead of saying “I’m not sure about this color,” try: “This shade feels too youthful for our audience—I’d like something more refined.”

Trust the Creative Team

You wouldn’t tell your magazine designer how to use InDesign. Don’t tell your brand designer how to use Illustrator. Give them your editorial direction and let them do their craft.

Keep the Big Picture in Focus

Don’t get hung up on one photo, one font, or one icon. Ask yourself: does this fit the story? If yes, approve and move forward.

Example: The Editorial Approach in Action

One of our clients came to us after spending months stuck in revision cycles with another designer. The problem wasn’t that the designer wasn’t talented—it was that the client didn’t know what story they wanted their brand to tell. 

They kept changing their mind, chasing new ideas, and second-guessing themselves.

When we shifted into an editorial approach, everything clicked. We worked with them to define their vision, audience, voice, and non-negotiables. Once those were set, the design process moved smoothly. Decisions became easier, revisions fewer, and the final brand was something they not only loved but felt deeply aligned with.

That’s the power of stepping into your Editor-in-Chief role. See some examples of how our brands have stepped into their story in our Library of Brands.

Closing: Own Your Editorial Role

Hiring a brand designer isn’t about checking out. It’s about stepping in.

Your job is not to be the executor—that’s what you’re hiring for. Your job is to be the editor, the one who holds the vision, makes the calls, and ensures the brand reads like a cohesive, intentional story.

When you show up as the Editor-in-Chief of your brand, you create space for your designer to do their best work. Together, you’ll craft a brand identity that looks incredible and tells the right story—one that resonates with your audience, supports your goals, and stands the test of time.

And if you’re ready to step into that editorial role but need a partner to guide you through the blueprint? That’s exactly what my 1:1 Brand Clarity Sessions are designed for.

In a focused 60-minute session, we’ll work together to:

• Define your vision and story
• Identify your target audience
• Clarify your voice and positioning
• Create your editorial blueprint
• Set you up for design success

You’ll walk away with crystal clear direction—and the confidence to brief any designer you choose to work with.

BOOK YOUR BRAND CLARITY SESSION

Ready for full-service support? Explore our complete branding services where we handle both the editorial blueprint and the beautiful execution.