About the practice
I work with a small number of institutions on the publications that matter most to them — and only those.
Madison Asher — Founder & Editorial Designer
Background
I trained in editorial and book design before spending nearly a decade inside the communications teams of foundations and universities. I saw, from the inside, how an annual report becomes the document a major donor actually reads, the artifact a trustee shows a friend, the proof point a new program officer studies on their first week.
Madison Asher LLC is the studio I built to do that work the way I always wanted it done — slowly, with care, and with a single point of authorship from first interview to final press check.
I take on three to four engagements a year. Most clients stay on retainer.
Process
What a year of working together looks like.
01
Listening
Weeks of reading — strategic plans, board reports, financials, prior publications. I arrive at a point of view before I open a design file.
02
Editorial structure
We agree on a narrative architecture, section by section. Designers who skip this step produce decoration. We are producing a document.
03
Design
Typography, grid, color, photography direction, and information design — built to be read closely and to be remembered.
04
Print & delivery
Press checks, paper specification, and the kind of finishing details that signal the institution behind the document.