CASE STUDYThe Open Road Guide
YEAR: 2026
INDUSTRY: Travel
LOCATION: Alaska/Canada
SCOPE: Hybrid Business Directory & Travel Guide (both print and digital)
PROJECT OVERVIEWThe Open Road Guide is an annual publication under Open Road Publishing.
The Open Road Guide is an annual year-round publication produced by Open Road Publishing LLC and serves as a sister publication to the Alaska & Alaska Highway Business & Travel Guide. Designed for travelers exploring Alaska and the Alaska Highway, the guide features business listings, travel information, maps, and regional resources.
For the 2026 edition, I was responsible for designing the publication's complete interior layout, developing a cohesive editorial system that organized content into a clear, engaging, and easy-to-navigate reading experience.
THE CHALLENGEDisorganized & Bloated Interior Layout
The previous edition of the Open Road Guide lacked consistency, white space, and a clear organizational structure, making the publication more difficult to navigate. For the 2026 edition, the executives wanted to completely refresh the interior layout to create a more user-friendly experience while transforming the guide into a stronger sales and marketing tool. The redesign also introduced several new sales-focused features that increased advertiser visibility and enhanced the publication's overall value.
THE APPROACHDeveloping the Editorial Layout System
To achieve the publication's goals, I developed a new editorial layout system that emphasized consistency, readability, and ease of navigation. I established a cohesive visual hierarchy, introduced additional white space, and created flexible page templates that accommodated editorial content, maps, and advertisements. New sales-focused features were thoughtfully integrated throughout the guide, resulting in a publication that better served both travelers and advertisers while maintaining a polished, professional, yet casual appearance.
THE RESULTA More User-Friendly Sales Tool and Travel Publication
With a more organized and user-friendly publication, the Open Road Guide gained 100+ new advertisers, with a few of these advertisers offered to partner up with Open Road Publishing to help distribute the new Open Road Guides to their customers. What’s more was that Open Road Publishing has grown to have two additional office locations in Willow, AK and Fort Nelson, BC.
