This article originally appeared in the March 2017 issue.
If you were a little surprised by our new look last month when you picked up your copy of our publication, you probably weren’t alone. But while the updated layout and revamped logo may have appeared to have come suddenly with no apparent warning, this is actually something we’ve been planning and anticipating for months and we’re anxious—to say the least—about it being released to kick off the new year.
In our last issue we launched a complete redesign for 2017, which included changing the logo that has proudly anchored the top of our magazine for ten-plus years. So what do you think? Hopefully the fresh look with the new layout format and masthead are being well-received; to be honest, it’s no small task to get the entire staff at Diesel Tech to agree on lunch, let alone a logo change. We must have looked at a hundred different fonts, styles and looks before unanimously coming to the conclusion that this was exactly what we were after.
So why the new look? The answer is quite simple: to keep up with our ever-changing industry that is always evolving. If all owners were content with keeping trucks stock and not interested in improving, our staff here would be forced to get real jobs. So since we’ve come to expect and recognize that diesel enthusiasts simply always want more, we felt we couldn’t ask any less of ourselves, which led to our redesign.
We started by dropping the word “magazine” from our main logo because to be honest, we’re a lot more than just a publication. Accessible on a computers and phones, the digital version of the magazine allows readers to enjoy Diesel Tech from anywhere in the world. Next, of course, is our website, www.dieseltechmag.com, which provides up-to-date information from the world of diesel pickups on a daily basis.
Along with our website is our ever-growing library of video content, which runs the gamut from our DT Tested series to interviews with the big names of the diesel industry to test drives of the newest trucks on the market and much more. Our Build Series is another great offering that brings thousands of visitors to the site every month to read more about our own project trucks.
Simply put, we’re constantly on the lookout for the next big thing and want to share that with our readers as quickly and efficiently as possible and our actual print magazine is just the beginning. Our social media presence has skyrocketed thanks to our live streams at various industry events such as SEMA, the Ultimate Callout Challenge, and PRI.
Our old logo served us well for many years, but like the industry, we’ve evolved as well and we felt it was time for a fresh look. We wanted a logo that was attention-grabbing, something that reflected us as a staff. While some publishing companies operate out of skyscraper buildings with employees who drive foreign luxury cars to the office, that’s not who we are. We have assembled a DIY-type staff because we daily-drive our own diesel pickups to work each day and never back down from an opportunity to go elbow-deep into an engine.
We feel our new logo is bold, just like today’s diesel trucks that have a rugged off-road feel to it. It reflects both our attitude of pursuing the best things our industry has to offer as well as our desire to roll up our sleeves and get dirty with our own project trucks. Diesel trucks are who we are and we feel we now have a logo that perfectly reflects our passion for the industry. As we continue to move forward, make sure your seatbelt is fastened because we’re all in for a thrilling ride.