2. When was the last time someone
told you a really good content?
People don’t share content, they share stories—stories that connect, that engage, that are memorable.
A brand’s story is only as good as the storyteller. From Homer (not Simpson), Scheherazade, Kerouac,
Ogilvy and Jobs to the Kardashians—a good story is remembered and repeated.
“There are no truths,
there are only stories.”
Carl Jung

3. Why is a story important?
A story was the first mobile device—it allowed people to give context to different ideas and
experiences in a sometimes confusing world through the power of narration. Today the mobile world is
fragmented with threads of information. A confident brand story weaves all its assets
into a single compelling message to be shared.
A story that is repeated is the world’s simplest mobile device.
“The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you’ll go.”
Dr. Seuss

4. Does your story have brand confidence?
Every confident brand has a story that explains why the brand exists, its core values and how it is
unique in bringing a solution to the user’s needs. The mistake many brands make is to tell a story
that emphasizes the consumer’s confidence in the brand, rather than the brand’s confidence in itself.
People want to be associated with a brand’s confidence, not be responsible for it.
“The circulation of confidence is better
than the circulation of money.”
James Madison

5. There is a lot of talk today about content—how to create, curate, and use it to build a brand.
But content is often just copy and copy sucks. A brand story needs context to connect.
At A Story by Design, we create an entire system of content based on
storytelling and brand confidence.
We learned this when we created Chic Simple.
Why do we claim we are storytellers?
“If you don’t like someone’s story,
write your own.”
Chinua Achebe

6. Its brand confidence inspired consumer confidence.
The design of Chic Simple enhanced the brand message of simplicity and style.
The books were laid out for an entire meal or a quick bite. It took product information and gave it context.
Knowledge is powerful and intriguing—the way you connect with it should be too.
WHAT MADE CHIC SIMPLE UNIQUE?
“The more you know, the less you need.”
Chic Simple began with two books and a promise to help people live with economy and style.
The title and tagline communicated brand confidence.
“A style. A trend. A way of life.”
London Financial Times

7. “The more you know, the less you need.”
Poland
Germany Thailand
United Kingdom Korea
China
“What the Sears catalog was to one generation
and the Whole Earth Catalog was to another, a
new series of books, Chic Simple would like to
become for ours—the definitive style guides.”
Vogue
“Chic Simple is the most innovative series
of design and lifestyle books to come out of
the United States in recent years.”
Elle Decor
It went viral across a global platform.
HOW BIG WAS THE CHIC SIMPLE MARKET?
Two books grew into a 25 book international bestselling lifestyle series with more than 2,000,000 books in print.
And then something big happened!

8. 1996
solutions
“What the Sears catalog was to one generation
and the Whole Earth Catalog was to another, a
new series of books, Chic Simple would like to
become for ours—the definitive style guides.”
Vogue
“The more you know, the less you need.”
Chic Simple leveraged its story into content syndication.
WHAT WAS THE NEXT STAGE OF GROWTH?
Instyle Magazine co-branded with Chic Simple to create a content partnership. Chic Simple Solutions—
a monthly 8-page editorial feature with content and merchandise recommendations—was published for over
5 years and read by an estimated 5 million readers. And then something really big happened!

9. Chic Simple became one of the first eCommerce content brands.
eCOMMERCE DISCOVERED THE POWER OF A STORY.
Chic Simple gave the consumer confidence to buy. The demand for syndicated Chic Simple branded content
grew online and off, which became a thriving source of revenue. Its success drew the attention of Pegasus
Capital. They bought Chic Simple in1999.
“Simple irresistible..giving
Martha Stewart a serious run
for her money.”
Entertainment Weekly
“The more you know, the less you need.”

10. “Our business is infested with idiots
who try to impress by using
pretentious jargon.”
David Oglivy
The Chic Simple experience taught us four important lessons.
1. Clearly identify a brand’s essence and tell its story well.
2. A brand that tells its story well, breeds confidence.
3. A brand with confidence attracts a loyal following.
4. A loyal following breeds success.
Our method is simple. Here are a few examples of its success.
Content + Context = Brand Confidence

11. • #1 NYT Bestseller for 67 weeks
• 7 years on NYT Bestseller list
• Translated into 24 languages
• Over 5 million copies sold
• Top 10 fitness books of the decade—
USA Today
The How
The Why
For body builder Bill Phillips, the “how” was about
building muscles, which he promoted in both his
magazine and with EAS body supplements.
To expand his community, we identified the “why”
of his message as the transformation of body and
mind. In1998, we created a franchise for Bill and
branded it “Body for Life”—the bestseller that
launched five other titles and a co-branded
supplement line.
With this success, North Castle Partners
purchased EAS for $160 million (1999), which
they in turn sold to Abbott Laboratories.
WHY versus HOW—A franchise leveraged into a buyout.B2B

12. “We are celebrating our heritage
with the modernization of the Ford
oval, a proud symbol that will lead
us into the next 100 years.”
Bill Ford, Chairman Ford Motor Company
The Why— Brand Book
The How— Graphic’s Manual
The Story— Fable
J Mays, Ford’s Global Design Director, asked us to
conduct a workshop on Value & Style for senior
global executives.
Ford was approaching their centennial and
recognized the confusion within the company as to
what the brand represented. Ford had lost its story,
and with that they had lost brand confidence.
We created a cautionary fable that illustrated the
perils of ignoring a company’s heritage, which helped
senior management recognize the importance of Ford
reconnecting to its story.
We worked with The Partners U.K. (WPP) to update
Ford’s brand identity. The Partners created Ford’s
Graphic Manual, and we articulated Ford’s DNA in
Ford’s first Brand Book since 1961.
As a result, management was inspired to replace the
signage of the world headquarters in Dearborn, MI
from International Ford Motor Company to the simple
Blue Oval, which was a sign of restored brand
confidence.
Reconnect to their story—a legacy reclaimed.B2B

13. A division of
SLOW GUIDES TO THE NATURAL LIFE
Sometimes the hero dies.
Kashi wanted to establish its authority as a
lifestyle brand with a book.
We created a travel series—Kashi: Slow Guides to
the Natural Life—that focused on “journeys”
within a 100 mile radius.
It was designed for “locavores”, a term that had
just entered the dictionary as word of the year,
and for those who appreciated the natural and the
artisanal—from farm stands to Brooklyn.
What was exciting for Kashi was how the series
could tap into their community to help write the
stories. What we coined as “local intelligence”, is
now called crowdsourcing.
Traditionally the publishing industry would partner
in developing this project, but it was 2009 and
publishing was being disrupted by the digital
revolution. Consequently, we recommended not
moving forward with the project at that time.
Sometimes the hero dies.
A right to claim—the authority of a story.B2B

14. Brand Book
Ted Talk
Website
Brand Book
Brand Book
Braingear, a Swiss company, created a personal
neuromodulation device based on a
proprietary technology utilizing tPCS
(transcranial pulse-current stimulation).
They funded the Spaulding Neuromodulation
Center, a teaching affiliate of Harvard, to
research clinical trials. We created the inaugural
presentation in the form of a Ted Talk.
Our task was to help explain benefits of the
application of non-invasive brain stimulation
therapy based on science that was validated in
clinical trials. To achieve this, we employed
metaphors of the natural world with visuals and
language, to make what might sound like a
frightening procedure beneficent.
We developed a companion website working with
the web developers, plusplusminus, and an 80-
page presentation book designed by Woollsaxe,
that we called “The Coherent Mind”. It explained
both the process and application to potential
production partners including Samsung, LG and
SoftBank.
Articulated the problem—the why for a new solution.B2B

15. We were commissioned to create a hair-
centric digital content brand designed for
the consumer and for the salon
professional that we named mi.Hair.
The business model was based on an App
that would be a service tool for the stylist,
and also a beauty eCommerce site that
featured integrated content for the
consumer.
We developed the application architecture,
along with design, IA, UX, and editorial
guidelines for the App, which positioned
mi.Hair as a new lifestyle channel for
beauty and style that integrated
eCommerce with distinctive curated,
crowdsourced and original content.
mi.Hair: Brand Book
Content brands are commerce brands—& vice-versaB2B & B2C
mi.Hair: App OSI

16. “Stories are data with soul.”
Brené Brown
We identify its why - its reason for being.
We define its context - its point of reference.
We shape its visual look - its face.
We give it personality - its voice.
We frame its message - omni-channels.
We talk to the audience - B2B & B2C.
We help it connect - one on one
We tell its story - its brand confidence
What can we do for your brand?

17. This is our world.
Our clients range from global companies who have lost confidence in their brand because they lost track
of their story, to corporations who want to expand their brand story into new categories. We also work closely
with the founders of NewCos who have vision, but need their brand promise articulated with a distinctive
story, identity, look and voice.

18. We are Kim from the east coast, Jeff from the west coast and Wayne from the north coast.
For over twenty-five years we have been the shapers of brands. We have been publishers, editors,
designers, marketers, writers, authors, brand developers, packagers, consultants and content
creators. We have worked across all media platforms: books, magazines, eCommerce, retail and live
shopping networks, websites, blogs and apps, television, radio and seminars. With a wide-range of
clients, the stories keep getting better and better for us to tell (neuromodulation!).
Who are we?
“Great things are not accomplished
by those who yield to trends and
fads and popular opinion.”
Jack Kerouac

19. Kim Johnson Gross
I started my career in women’s content as the content. I was a young
Ford model and quickly realized that I wanted to be on the other side of
the camera creating the story.
Upon graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, I worked as a
Fashion Editor at Town & Country, while studying graphic design at
Parsons. I then worked in the art department at Peter Rogers
Associates, an ad agency that specialized in fashion accounts including
Bottega Veneta (“When Your Own Initials are Enough”), Vidal Sassoon
(“If You Don’t Look Good, We Don’t Look Good”) and Blackglama Fur
(“What Becomes a Legend Most?”). That’s where I learned the power of
a great tagline combined with bold graphics.
As Fashion Director at Esquire, I developed brand extensions including
trade videos and publications, and the book, Men In Style (Rizzoli).
Jeff Stone and I joined forces to start Chic Simple, which we eventually
sold to Pegasus Capital Advisors. I have since become an advocate of
ageless style as author, What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life (Grand
Central Publishers), and with style seminars, videos and magazine
columns.
Jeff Stone
I began my career surrounded by storytellers at the Boise Book Shop, where
I worked from the age of 13 until I went to college. I then helped start
Bookpeople of Moscow, a bookstore in the college town where I studied
cinematography and Russian.
Upon graduation, I moved to Seattle and launched the US division of
Hancock House, a Canadian publisher. Two years later, Random House hired
me as a sales rep, and then its first Marketing Director, followed by VP
Associate Publisher at Knopf, Publisher of Vintage Books and President of
Bantam Books trade division.
While at Random House, I created several new publishing brands including
Vintage Contemporaries that launched writers including Jay McInerney and
Pulitzer Prize winners Richard Ford and Richard Russo. At Knopf, I published
and created marketing campaigns for celebrated authors including Michael
Crichton, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Julia Child, Katherine Hepburn, Toni
Morrison and Miss Piggy.
I left corporate publishing to start Chic Simple with Kim Johnson Gross,
where we also acted as a brand consultants for a variety of firms including
Wells Fargo, Harper Collins, Pfizer, Hear Music, The Audubon Society, Levis
and Abbott Laboratories.
Wayne Wolf
I grew up in Minnesota where the winters are long, the snow is high and
creativity runs deep. By 1996, I decided to move to New York to enjoy a
milder climate where I joined Martha Stewart Living as a designer
overseeing the front of the magazine. Upon leaving MSL I was hired by
the Valentine Group, a design firm known for their work in fashion and
beauty. It was there that I met Kim and Jeff. I helped to oversee the
design development of their new lifestyle book series—Chic Simple.
Based on the success of Chic Simple, I became Chic Simple’s Design
Director where I continued to develop the content brand and
collaborated on other brand projects.
After leaving Chic Simple in 1999, I founded Blue Cup Design as a
multimedia design firm that combined my editorial and design expertise.
Blue Cup Design has overseen the design and development of several
content venues including The Utne Reader and Aspen Magazine, and
books by Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis.
Blue Cup Design also specializes in creating mark, brand identity and
packaging systems, catalogs and advertising campaigns. Clients
include Aveda, Sailors for the Sea, Greystone Home Collection and
Target.
Throughout the years I have collaborated with Jeff and Kim on a variety
of projects. We realized that when the three of us work together, we
create A Story by Design.
us
wayne@astorybydesign.com
jeff@astorybydesign.com
kim@astorybydesign.com
“And that’s what stories are:
shared knowledge.”
Brian Grazer

20. Thanks for listening to our story. We would like
to tell your story with A Story by Design.
wayne@astorybydesign.comjeff@astorybydesign.com kim@astorybydesign.com
“Storytelling is like sex.
We all do it naturally. Some of us
are better at it than others.”
David Mamet