Tour Texas Newsletter Refresh
Full Time Work Spotlight: AJR Media Group / TourTexas.com
Project: Newsletter Redesign + Sponsorship Strategy
Role: Lead Designer + Strategist
Year: 2025
The Challenge
TourTexas.com sends monthly newsletters to an audience of over 100,000 travel-curious subscribers. While the engagement remained steady, the newsletter templates felt outdated, inconsistent in voice, and limited in visual storytelling—especially when relying solely on client-submitted content.
The sales team had little flexibility when pitching newsletter placements, and mobile readability was becoming an increasing concern.
The Solution
As part of my role with AJR Media Group, I led the creative direction, structural redesign, and content strategy of all five core Tour Texas newsletters. The project involved a complete visual and editorial refresh—including new names, new layouts, and sellable modules built to scale.
Each newsletter was given a clear identity, purpose, and tone. We introduced consistent formatting, mobile-optimized blocks, bold hero imagery, and strategic editorial sections that allowed for both client features and in-house storytelling.
Key Highlights
Renamed and restructured all newsletters for clarity and brand voice
Introduced “The Approved Trip”, a curated solo spotlight newsletter anchored by a large header image and a new “Tour Texas Approved” emblem
Launched Hero Image Sponsorships and Route Sponsorships as new revenue streams
Created flexible modules to showcase editorial content, user-generated photos, and featured events
Designed all layouts with a mobile-first, image-forward philosophy
Built internal tools including spec sheets, copywriting guidelines, and QA checklists for execution in Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Visual System
Every newsletter now aligns with a shared Tour Texas identity: bold typography, editorial overlays, and the new “Tour Texas Approved” seal. I designed stamp concepts that now carry across email, web, and branded social campaigns.
Tools Used
Figma · Canva Pro · Adobe Illustrator · Salesforce Marketing Cloud · Notion