Project Overview:
Redesign and make more user-friendly New Balance Athletics' Restricted Substance Manual (RSM) 2022-2025. The RSM enables New Balance suppliers to make safer, more sustainable chemistry choices and implement continuous improvement programs around chemical management. It contains a Restricted Substances List (RSL) for materials, finished products, packaging and chemical commodities. RSL compliance is required for all material supplier and contract and owned manufacturing facilities. The RSM prohibits some chemicals, sets limits for others and specifies testing requirements and methods for substances on the RSL.
Scope:
This project involved a complete overhaul of the RSM which had been a Word document in previous years. The goal was to make it more user-friendly and appealing. The project involved design, image sourcing, infographics, charts and tables, and interactive pdfs.
My Role:
I was Art Director of the project from conception and implementation of the new design to collaboration and completion with New Balance's Product Chemistry and Regulatory Affairs Manager.
Potential cover options.
Cover and Table of Contents.
Process:
After 2023, the covers of the RSM incorporated a more streamlined look in order to fall in line with other New Balance offerings, such as the Supplier Standards Manual (after completing the RSM in 2022, they liked it so much they asked me to revamp the SSM as well in 2023).
Each year I varied the design slightly to add variety from year to year (incorporating New Balance Brand Guidelines).
Dense and content-heavy charts and infographics were broken up by use of white space and imagery to add interest.
Process:
After the RSM was completed, it was translated into Chinese and I adapted the layouts. I was provided the translation in a PPT document and flowed the copy into the original Indesign document. Then I worked with the translator to make sure everything transferred correctly.
Chinese translation of RSM pages.