Case studies✦Plate III of VI
Fig. I — The case file, 2016
Forbes Portugal
Forbes reached the Portuguese-speaking markets in 2016 — Portugal, Angola and Mozambique — with curated articles and a store, and a cover that repainted the magazine every month.
01 Overview
Forbes expanded their global reach in 2016 to the Portuguese-speaking countries of Portugal, Angola and Mozambique. This version of the renowned magazine carried curated online articles and a store.
One platform, three markets, and a monthly print rhythm to keep up with. The brief was a magazine that could be re-dressed every edition without being rebuilt every edition.
A magazine changes its clothes every month. The platform had to expect that, not survive it.— Studio note, Lisbon 2016
02 The work
Fig. III — The colour path. One editorial decision, carried across the whole magazine.
Templates. I implemented most of the page templates, and the backend logic for the custom meta fields carrying the editorial model behind them.
AJAX. Requests for the templates, and for the store’s checkout process — so browsing an issue and buying one behaved like the same product rather than two.
The rotating cover. The real challenge, and the interesting one: a monthly cover editor that changes the site’s colour according to the theme of the magazine. A single editorial choice, propagating through every template that edition touches.
03 The store
The implementation milestone ran in several sprints, which kept the team moving against clear goals. The web store was completed inside it — templates, checkout flow, and the AJAX behind both.
The project owners then decided to postpone its launch. That is where the store stands in this file: finished work, held by the client, and worth recording as it happened rather than as it reads better.
04 Outcomes
- Three markets from one platform — Portugal, Angola and Mozambique.
- Templates and AJAX delivered across articles, sections and the store.
- The rotating cover editor shipped, repainting the theme each edition.
- Backend logic for custom meta fields, carrying the editorial model.
- The web store was completed; the owners chose to postpone its launch.