Bucking the notion that a content brand needs a practical name that clearly reflects its purpose, Atlantic Media is calling its new business site Quartz. The project’s editor-in-chief Kevin Delaney, who joined Atlantic Media from the Wall Street Journal in February, explains that the name best reflects the character and mission of the site.
Delaney says branding deliberations came down to Quartz and a more traditional choice, which he wouldn’t reveal. "We decided to go with Quartz which is more surprising because it’s less conventional, but we thought it conveyed really nicely what we want to do. We want to be global, tectonic and digital."
Equally nontraditional is the URL, qz.com, which, explains Delaney, is digitally efficient and emphasizes the uniqueness of the letters q and z.
Timing of the launch is still later this year and Delaney declined to be any more specific. The team is currently in the middle of working on the design and back-end technology, which will put a priority on mobile and tablet access. A desktop version of the site will exist as well. The revenue model will be ad-supported and access will be free.
"Part of the opportunity is we’re starting with a blank sheet of paper," says Delaney. "The choice to focus on mobile and tablets as our primary platforms is a relatively straightforward one. We will have a desktop site for launch that’s not a throwaway, but it’s pretty clear that we can bring a focus to tablets and mobile that is more unique in this market given the moment at which we’re creating it," he says.
