Company Spotlight
Christopher Specht
Elevating and Beautifying Digital Publishing at BonoTom
Christopher Specht’s path to becoming the seasoned graphic designer and digital specialist that he is today is as interesting and scenic as his art.
He began as a part-time intern with BonoTom Studio while attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Chris then joined the studio full time in 2015 and has been instrumental in launching the studio’s digital publishing platform.
Little did he know that what started as a freelance gig would evolve into a lifelong passion and a permanent position.
Originally a film student, Chris pivoted to graphic design through his work with BonoTom. But for him, design is not merely about aesthetics.
“Publication design is organization beautified,” he says. From crafting compelling headlines to ensuring seamless navigation, the goal is enhancing readability and engagement. Chris explains that pages need to be inviting and easy to navigate—the organization part. Then, typography and graphics need to be creative and compelling to make a reader want to read—the beautification part. “I can’t overstate the value of quality typography,” he emphasizes.
Chris is also an advocate of the fusion of print and digital media. The successful trend he’s seeing with association publications in particular is a hybrid approach, which marries the tangibility of print with the immediacy of digital. This involves less printing and more electronic distribution and digital storytelling extensions.

This model enriches the reader experience, boosts engagement, and appeals to advertisers. Print publications feature QR codes or links that point to a digital version, which can include additional assets. The ability to incorporate videos, extra images, or other resources is great for content but also enticing for advertisers. Two of the publications that BonoTom manages have monthly digital editions but then print two or four issues per year.
Chris once thought that digital publishing might overtake print as a preferred medium. Now, he’s not so sure. Some clients that have made the full switch to digital have ended up either printing some issues or ending their publication altogether. “I think it would be foolhardy to totally end any version of the association publication,” he observes.
Throughout the changes he’s seen in the industry, one thing has remaind. Chris notes that the BonoTom company culture has always been “one of collaboration.” Daily production meetings serve as an incubator for creativity, where ideas are exchanged and projects are refined through collective input. “We review and comment on each other’s projects in our daily production meetings. We exchange technical information and workflow hacks to improve our output.”
Sometimes Chris misses the physical closeness of in-person, organic feedback. But he acknowledges that “the studio in the cloud is the new normal, and we adapt as necessary.”
For BonoTom’s clients, the ability to adapt, partner, and deeply connect is one reason why they remain loyal and satisfied. And one reason they keep coming back to collaborate with the very talented Chris Specht.
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