Departure of creative director affects Bloomberg overhaul

The departure of star creative director Richard Turley from Bloomberg Businessweek will affect the major gear shift being implemented by Bloomberg Media chief executive Justin Smith, reports Joe Pompeo of Capital New York.

Pompeo writes, “Smith is plotting a new course for Bloomberg Media Group that largely focuses on building out a bigger, smarter and more consumer-friendly digital presence for properties like Businessweek and bloomberg.com, which serves as an online repository for Bloomberg News. The strategy also involves an overhaul of Bloomberg TV, a business- and finance-focused cable news channel that has struggled to generate a significant audience.

“Turley, whose compelling, forward-thinking aesthetic was credited with making editor Josh Tyrangiel‘s Businessweek makeover a smashing success, was to be involved in all of Bloomberg Media Group’s design plans going forward, according to sources familiar with the matter. He did not respond to an interview request submitted through a Businessweek spokeswoman.

“‘It’s a huge loss,’ one source said. ‘People are perplexed about how they let him get away.’

“At the same time, Capital has learned, Bloomberg Media Group recently retained the design firm Hard Candy Shell, which has been responsible for some of the most high-profile digital journalism relaunches of the past several years, including The New Republic and the New York Post.”

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