We increasingly live in a digital world. It’s faster and easier to get information out to residents via social media and a website. However, we cannot rely on digital media alone and continue to find that our residents and business owners get great value out of our printed and mailed publications. The City of Coral Springs has had a newspaper or magazine-style publication since 1990, which has gone through several iterations – from the original Citizen, to the retitled Coral Springs magazine in 2007, and now in its current form, Under the Sun. The magazine was renamed and completely redesigned in 2013 when the City unveiled its new logo, branding colors, and tagline “Everything Under the Sun.” The summer of 2020 presented an opportunity to take time to do another re-design, after a break in publication due to COVID-19. After 6 years with the same format, we were ready to move into the future with a more modern and sleek design.

1) To produce a beautifully designed, distinctive magazine that effectively communicates with residents and business owners on important City news and issues;

2) To reinforce strategic priorities as defined by our business plan and strategic plan; 

3) To enhance the City’s brand and image.

With the city’s re-brand in 2013, the publication was naturally named “Under the Sun” as the tagline became “Everything Under the Sun.” The information inside is intended to directly showcase to readers all the many programs, facilities and events the City has to offer. The magazine also does not accept any advertising, which distinguishes it from other glossy ad-laden publications sent to residents, of which there are a still a couple serving the area.

The 2020 redesign included a fresh new front cover design, a simplified layout with branding-coordinated colors, and the creative use of white space, which was lacking in the 2013 design. Large photos are emphasized, especially in the feature articles. The sections, and included articles, are all chosen carefully and relate back to either the City’s vision (To be the premier community in which to live, work and raise a family), or strategic priorities (such as sustainability or an active/healthy community), or our employee Core Values (leadership, customer service). 

The magazine serves as an important element shared with the community as a whole, and is the only true push notification where we can guarantee that every household and business receives a copy. Each new issue is also posted online to the City’s website using the Issuu platform, which produces a page-flip type experience on the user’s screen or tablet. There is a dedicated Issuu account and subscription that readers can opt-in for if desired. We also produce an animated front cover video (á la Time magazine) for social media posts, to draw attention to the issue’s main theme and alert readers to look for it in their mailbox or online.

In addition to the online Issuu experience, our latest editions are also available on our website in an ADA-compliant PDF version. Each issue, we check for compliance and reading order so that all articles are easily accessed and found using the PDF and the PDF is remediated by an expert in ADA accessibility.

Results were measured through our 2021 customer survey, a quantitative study conducted by the ETC Institute, an independent firm contracted by the City every two years to survey residents on various topics.

The latest survey results show a sustained high readership for the magazine, at 80% in 2021, up from 79% in 2019. In 2007, after the last redesign and renaming, that number was 72% of residents. In the past 15 years, readership has gone up now 20% overall from a 59.6% rating in 2006! Readers also gave our publication a 96% satisfaction rating. These results directly contribute to the 91% overall satisfaction rating with the City’s communication with residents. Many of these results are seen by ETC Institute, the survey company, as on the top tier for all of the cities they work with in the nation. 

The photography, writing, design and layout is all done in-house by our Communications and Marketing Department.