Changing the Narrative About York, Pennsylvania

YRK Magazine set out to rewrite the story of York, Pennsylvania—to highlight the creators, changemakers, and quiet power of its community.

When LUMI’s founder took the reins, we doubled down on what the community asked for: more art, more representation, more real stories. We rebuilt YRK into a platform for local talent and untold stories, elevating everyone from solopreneurs to major employers. Over 9 years, we helped publish 35+ issues, profiled 475+ businesses, and redefined what local media can look like when it’s rooted in the people it serves.

Scope of Work

  • Renaming
  • Rebranding
  • Brand Toolkit
  • Brand Messaging Strategy
  • Content Strategy
  • Copywriting
  • Social Media Toolkit
  • Graphic Design
  • Campaign Development: Donations
  • Photography
  • Videography

The needs were clear: a greater focus on the arts community, solopreneurs, minorities, and generally a focus on the people who already call York home vs focus on attracting transplants.

While York boasts an industrial and factory centric history, in recent decades the arts community has grown exponentially and the stories of these artists needed to be front and center to encourage collaboration and show York as a haven for artistic expression. Due to low cost of living and an emerging central business district in downtown York, entrepreneurs of all walks of life were thriving on a budding mainstreet and needed to get their products and services in front of people county-wide. In an area where minorities were becoming the majority, it was important that the pages of the magazine clearly represented the diverse nature of York and painted a picture of opportunity for all. And, finally, with our focus switched from attracting new residents to lifting up and supporting existing York Countians, YRK would champion it’s local community and shed light on the endless opportunities and reasons for our local community to stick around, share their talents and grow their businesses and families. The undeniable underlying theme for what we needed to be: the aspirational vision for who York County was becoming while celebrating diversity and homegrown talent.