USC Dornsife Magazine is the alumni and general-interest magazine of the University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. The magazine's goal is to strengthen the college's reputation and to support philanthropy by translating faculty work into accessible storytelling. Each issue is built around a unifying theme, which helps the editorial team package and extend stories across channels. In 2025, the magazine’s Life and Family themed issues were published online. The story pages were designed for digital reading, not as PDFs that mirror print. Stories were adapted for the web through SEO-friendly headlines and structures that support both quick and deep reading. The issue landing pages guided readers through multiple entry points. The digital experience also extended magazine reporting through multimedia and programming, allowing stories to live beyond publication and reach audiences on the platforms where they already spend time. Results demonstrated increased visibility and engagement. Magazine website visits rose 71% from 2024 to 2025, alongside higher average read times and improved e-newsletter performance. One feature on Professor Karen Lloyd’s research (“Buried Alive”) was extended into a Reddit "Ask Me Anything," an explainer video, and a live Dornsife Dialogue, generating discussion among thousands of users. Former ISS Commander Chris Hadfield amplified the story on X, calling it “worth reading” and driving approximately 25,000 views.
From the Judges
A beautiful magazine with engaging long-form pieces. Judges loved the animation elements!
