Request for Proposals – Design Services for The Planetary Report

Project Summary

The Planetary Society is requesting proposals from individual contractors / organizations to provide design services to produce our quarterly space magazine.

With a global community of more than 2 million space enthusiasts, The Planetary Society is the world’s largest and most influential space advocacy organization. Founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman and today led by CEO Bill Nye, we empower the public to take a meaningful role in advancing space exploration through advocacy, education outreach, scientific innovation, and global collaboration. Together with our members and supporters, we’re on a mission to explore worlds, find life off Earth, and protect our planet from dangerous asteroids.

The selected designer or team will develop a new template for our membership magazine and lead ongoing layout, illustration, and design for the magazine each quarter on an annual contract basis.

The Planetary Report is published quarterly, and each issue consists of 24 pages. Explore past issues of the magazine on our website at planetary.org/planetary-report.

Project Scope

1. Design a new template:

   • Develop a modern, visually appealing, and cohesive template for our magazine including infographic and illustration art direction samples.

   • Ensure the template is flexible to accommodate various content types (long-form articles, collections of shorter content, image features, etc).

   • Incorporate feedback and revisions as needed before final approval of the template.

2. Lead ongoing layout and design for our quarterly magazine:

   • Use the approved template to design, illustrate, and layout four consecutive issues of the magazine, starting with the March 2025 issue (publishing March 10, 2025).

   • Work closely with our editorial team to ensure content is accurately and attractively presented.

   • Incorporate feedback and revisions as needed before final approval of each issue.

Deliverables

1. Template design:

   • Fully designed and editable template files in Adobe InDesign (or similar software).

   • Style guides for typography, color schemes, and other design elements.

   • Illustration and infographic sample.

2. Issue layouts:

   • Complete layout files for four issues in Adobe InDesign (or similar software)

   • Print-ready PDF files for each issue.

   • Source files and any custom graphics or assets created for the magazine.

   • Deliver print-ready files to our printer.

Qualifications

• Proven history of design, illustration, art direction, and typography experience

• Interest in space exploration is favorable

• This RFP is open to qualified entities both within the United States and internationally

Project Timeline

08/05/2024	Contract signed
08/06/2024	Creative brief delivered, design discussion meeting
08/07/2024 – 10/07/2024	Template design and feedback process
10/21/2024	Final template presentation + approval
12/02/2024	Begin March issue layout
2/10/2025	Final March issue art due from designer

For subsequent quarterly issues, the layout process will take roughly eight weeks from start to finish.

Submission instructions

Please send your CV, cover letter and print portfolio to [email protected] no later than Friday, July 19th, 2024.