The name
The Billerica Green takes its name from the central gazebo area at the heart of town — the place where community events happen, where people gather, where the town shows up for itself. Naming the publication after it wasn't just good branding; it was a statement of intent.
This wasn't a magazine about Billerica. It was a magazine that belonged to it.
"The name was the brief. Everything else — the visual identity, the editorial voice, the decision to make it free — followed from that one idea."
My role
Responsibilities
Co-creator, brand identity, full layout design, original illustration, advertiser creative
Mission
Give local businesses a platform to be seen, give residents a reason to pick it up, strengthen the community
Model
Free to residents, funded by local advertisers — keeping money in the community it served
Full scope of work
Brand identity
Logo, type, colour system
32-page layout
Every issue, every month
Original illustration
Custom artwork throughout
Advertiser creative
Designed for repeat local clients
Digital edition
Extended reach beyond print
12 consecutive issues
On schedule, every month
The creative approach
Every issue was designed from scratch — 32 full-colour pages that had to feel polished, readable, and genuinely local all at once. Original illustrations gave the publication a visual personality that no stock library could replicate, reinforcing the handmade, community-first spirit of the whole project.
Advertising was handled in-house too. Rather than leaving local businesses to figure out their own placements, ads were designed as part of the magazine's visual system — meaning they looked like they belonged on the page.
32-page full color editorial layout — designed from scratch
Custom artwork — handmade feel, every issue
Local business ads — designed to belong on the page
Digital format — extended reach beyond print distribution
Results
Repeat advertisers are the real measure of a community publication. They don't come back because they have to — they come back because it worked. That's the result.