Colin Strom — Cultural Strategy & Brand Architecture

SPARKS MAGAZINE
Role: Editor-in-Chief
Timeline: Ongoing
Deliverables: Brand Identity, Social Strategy, Organizational Restructuring

The Problem

Founded in 2010, Sparks Magazine has a rich legacy as a cultural pillar on campus. My goal as Editor-in-Chief was to honor that history while updating the brand to reflect the current era. The objective was to modernize the publication visually and operationally, creating a space that offers rigorous professional development alongside a strong community culture.

The Process

I focused on aligning our internal operations with a modernized external identity to better equip our staff and engage our audience.

Visual & Social Revamp: I spearheaded a comprehensive visual rebrand, including a completely updated logo. I also overhauled our social media strategy to focus on current events and cultural topics highly relevant to our target audience.
Division Restructuring: I officially transitioned the former Public Relations division into a comprehensive Marketing division to accurately reflect their true scope of work, which includes leading overarching strategy and organization-wide promotion.
Expanded Skill Development: To increase professional opportunities, I formed a brand-new film team designed to eventually scale into a complete division, and successfully revived the organization's web development team to build out our digital platform.
Operational Management: I supported the magazine's financial stability by managing and coordinating our established concessioning fundraisers, ensuring staff met their mandatory participation points to sustain the print publication.

I focused on aligning our internal operations with a modernized external identity to better equip our staff and engage our audience.

Visual & Social Revamp: I spearheaded a comprehensive visual rebrand, including a completely updated logo. I also overhauled our social media strategy to focus on current events and cultural topics highly relevant to our target audience.
Division Restructuring: I officially transitioned the former Public Relations division into a comprehensive Marketing division to accurately reflect their true scope of work, which includes leading overarching strategy and organization-wide promotion.
Expanded Skill Development: To increase professional opportunities, I formed a brand-new film team designed to eventually scale into a complete division, and successfully revived the organization's web development team to build out our digital platform.
Operational Management: I supported the magazine's financial stability by managing and coordinating our established concessioning fundraisers, ensuring staff met their mandatory participation points to sustain the print publication.

The Results

Aligning our internal structure with a forward-thinking brand vision drove immediate momentum for the organization. The internal updates and external brand refresh resulted in a 36% increase in application rates for the Issue 31 cycle. By prioritizing real-world skill development and culturally relevant content, we successfully modernized the publication while honoring its roots.