Overview
As the Financial Times expanded its product range — from core subscriptions to more specialised apps — it became clear there was no consistent way of presenting these products across marketing.
Each product had its own visual language, making it harder to maintain a cohesive brand experience across channels.
To address this, we developed the FT Consumer Marketing Style Guide — a system defining how FT products should be represented across digital and print. This extended beyond logos and colour, covering device presentation, gradients, motion, messaging, and layout principles across product pages, campaigns, and promotional assets.
I led the UX messaging, product content structure, and design language — ensuring the system was clear, scalable, and usable across teams.
The Challenge
With more than seven products, multiple platforms, and a mix of internal teams and external agencies, the FT needed a consistent system that could unify product representation without removing what made each product distinct.
Key challenges included:
Inconsistent visuals across teams (packshots, cropping, UI styling)
Misuse of brand elements, particularly FT Pink
No defined standards for device presentation (shadows, radius, placement)
Lack of clarity around tone, messaging, and UX patterns
Friction across teams without a shared reference point
The system needed to be modular, practical, and scalable — usable by designers, marketers, developers, and agencies without deep brand knowledge.
My Role
As lead UX content strategist, I owned the content design of the style guide end-to-end.
This included:
Defining the structure and framework of the guide
Writing all instructional and UX guidance
Creating a clear messaging system across products
Translating brand principles into actionable design rules
I worked closely with brand, product, and creative teams to audit existing work, identify inconsistencies, and define standards that could scale across channels.
A key part of my role was bridging brand and product — turning high-level principles into practical guidance that balanced visual consistency with real user needs.
Research & Insights
I conducted a detailed audit across teams and channels, reviewing how product imagery and messaging were used across email, social, app stores, display ads, and internal campaign materials.
I also considered platform constraints, including Meta and Google ad requirements, alongside internal brand and UI documentation.
Key insights included:
Standard Digital users primarily used tablets, but marketing often showed mobile
Premium and Standard Digital lacked clear visual differentiation
FT Edit required a more distinct identity for a younger, mobile-first audience
Visual elements (gradients, shadows, motion) lacked consistency
Designers wanted flexible systems rather than rigid templates
From an audience and messaging perspective:
Different segments responded to different value propositions (credibility, independence, status)
Tone needed to adapt by audience type and context
There were signs of message fatigue and product confusion
Emotional cues like confidence, empowerment, and discovery resonated more strongly than generic messaging
Design Approach
I designed a modular system that could scale across FT’s product ecosystem while maintaining a shared design language.
The structure allowed each product to express its identity while staying consistent with the wider brand.
Key components included:
A flexible layout system to maintain hierarchy and clarity
Product-specific messaging guidance aligned to audience needs
A device strategy reflecting real usage (desktop, tablet, mobile)
A full colour system with clear rules for gradients and brand usage
Motion principles explaining when and how animation should be used
Typography and CTA guidance for consistency in tone and hierarchy
Visual rules for details like corner radius, shadows, and composition
Each section included practical examples of correct and incorrect usage, helping teams apply the system with confidence.
The goal was not to create rigid templates, but a system that provided clarity while allowing flexibility.
Outcome
The style guide is now used across FT marketing and product communications as the primary reference for product representation.
It has:
Standardised visual and messaging systems across multiple subscription products
Reduced ambiguity for designers and marketers
Improved efficiency across teams through clear, reusable guidance
Strengthened brand consistency across global campaigns
Enabled faster onboarding for new team members and external partners
Impact as a Designer
This project demonstrates my ability to design systems that operate across brand, product, and marketing.
Rather than focusing on individual outputs, I created a scalable framework that improves consistency, efficiency, and quality across the entire customer journey.
It reinforced the role of UX content and design systems in shaping not just how products look, but how they are understood and experienced at scale.
