Magazine Design and Layout

 Introduction 

When designing a magazine, there are a variety of aspects to consider. From the font to the color scheme. every decision must be intentional in order to gain readers. You have to keep in mind elements such as font psychology and color theory but those are not the only aspects that you must be aware of. Below are a few tips and things to keep in mind when designing a magazine as they can exponentially increase the effectiveness of a design and a layout.

1) Include Illustrations

This may not seem to be important but the effect it has is critical to a design. One of the most important factors in rating a design is whether or not it it is effective in meeting its purpose. In magazines, illustrations are not common as the convention is to use photographs. Photographs are effective, there is no doubt of that, but using illustrations is unexpected. In the world of marketing, the unexpected sparks curiosity. This is what leads to people giving a product a chance. The illustrations used must be intentional or they will not be effective. 

This magazine cover from Time Magazine is one that showcases Diana, Princess of Wales. This cover sparks a bout of curiosity in the viewer mainly because of the illustration used. When you look closely at the cover, it is noticeable that her entire skin looks like in is bandages or cracked. This illustration speaks much louder that image would. It conveys to the audience that Diana had gone through many unfortunate situations in her life and even though she had been hurt, she never broke as the bandages are still together, in the form of her face. This symbolism is what intrigues people into reading a magazine. If this had been a photograph, it would have been much less effective. It would not have connected with the reader as much as this illustration. Bottom line, illustrations are a powerful tool for magazines and should be used!

2) Wrap Your Text Around Images in Unfamiliar Ways

Take a look back at the tip above. Do you see the paragraph and images? Why are they positioned in such an unfamiliar way but you can't take your eyes off of it? Though the design of the paragraph above is unusual, it is extremely effective. Another important component in the marketing of a magazine is catching the eye of readers. Without this, magazines would not have any readers. Wrapping text around images catches the eye, making it a must have in magazines. 

In the image below, there is a two page spread with an article regarding the relationship between happiness and the rain. Immediately, the first thing you notice is the umbrella. The reason you notice it is not only because it is in the center of the page, but it is somewhat interrupted and interwoven with the text itself. Pulling you eyes to the center of the page peaks curiosity, leading to people reading the article. This image and the text around it is unconventional. Humans by nature are curious regarding the unconventional. This design tip keeps that trait in mind and uses it to its advantage. 

3) Take Advantage of White Space

Leaving white space does seem a bit counterproductive but hear me out. Having white space emphasizes what is on the page. This emphasis draws the eye and the reader in, increasing the effectiveness of a design. Take, for example, the magazine spread below.      

This magazine has a large amount of white space and minimal color. Though it is not colorful, it is extremely effective. The use of white draws the eye to the color of the page. The contrast created between the background and the image makes the spread much more powerful. It increases the impact that the spread has on the reader. The stark impact causes a reader to want to reader more as they are now not only intrigued but interested. 

4) Consistency is Key

Before arguing that this entire post has been about tips regarding how to create a bold magazine and that now I am just negating myself, it is important to consider the fact that everything is good in moderation. Being bold is good, but you have to be consistent with your design. Do not change the color scheme and font on every page. It makes the magazine seem disconnected and makes it less comfortable for a person to read. Plus, consistency establishes an identity, something that is imperative to the sale of magazines. 

Take a look at Time Magazine. The cover is extremely bold, displaying not a typical cover image but places that have been affected by gun violence. Though Time Magazine theme and cover varies in style and impact, there is still a core identity. This is due to the fact that Time Magazine is consistent with its fonts and color scheme. The color scheme, once it has been established by the cover, will not change until the next issue of the magazine comes out. The fonts on the cover may vary but inside the magazine, serif fonts are always utilized, creating a tonal identity for the magazine. Having a powerful identity projects reliability in magazines, drawing readers to it. So, be bold but consistent.

5) Use the ABC rule 

No, this is not a review of the alphabet, rather an exploration of how to keep your cover balanced so that you do not take away from the impact it creates. The ABC rule is simple, yet effective. Have one A heading, which in this case would be the masthead of the magazine. Next, have a strong B heading, which in this case would be the title of the cover article. Finally have a C heading, which would be a subheading. The magazine on the left utilizes this method. Notice how the the masthead is bold and the largest thing on the page. The cover article title is the next largest piece of writing on the page with the subtitle being a bit smaller. This minimalistic approach creates a sense of balance and allows the cover image to shine. Though attention is drawn to the titles, the amount balances out with the image creating a sleek look, something that draws readers in.

6) Use Pull Quotes To Your Advantage

Pull quotes do more than highlight a statement the author thinks is important, they speak for the story in a short and concise manner. To elaborate, when someone opens a magazine to glance through it in order to see if there are any articles worth reading, their eyes will be drawn to two things: the titles and the pull quotes. People always make sure that titles catch the eye but they tend to forget about pull quotes. These quotes are one to two sentences that will speak to your reader on behalf of the whole article, so made it powerful and bolded.

In the image on the right, there is a massive pull quote that has been spotlighted. Without knowing the title or what the article is about, I am instantly intrigued. This is because not only does the pull quote catch my eye but what is says is powerful. It creates an atmosphere of mystery, something that has proven to spark interest in readers. It is like the hook in the beginning of an essay. Without people realizing it, it captures their attention, making them yearn to learn more.

7) Contrast is Critical

In the previous blog regarding color theory, we roughly went over the importance of contrast in design. Contrast is an important aspect that people tend to brush over. It creates a stark separation between two aspects. It draws the eye towards it and creates a bit of intrigue. It does not have to be two bold complementary colors such as green and red. Even a small pop of the color blue, could make a massive difference in the effectiveness of a design. 

The magazine to the left makes an expert use of contrast. The cover image and the fonts are almost all a color scheme of grey, black, and white. The masthead and main cover line however, are in the colors of the rainbow. This pop of color creates a large amount of contrast, something that immediately draws the eye while creating intrigue and a sense of interest. If the masthead and main cover line had not created such a contrast, the eye would not be as easily drawn to the cover of the magazine, making it more difficult to gain readers.

8) Give Attention to the Table of Contents

At first glance, this section of the magazine does not seem to be extremely important but as the saying goes, "Looks can be deceiving". How the table of contents looks in the term of importance, is extremely deceiving. After gaining interest from looking at the cover of the magazine, the first thing a potential reader will do is go to the table of contents in order to find out what content is being reviewed in that issue. The table of contents must be functional, easy to navigate, and creative. Display a bit more of artistic side in the table of contents while maintaining a functional style. If everything does not fit on one page, make it a two page spread. The reader will find it much easier to navigate rather looking at one page that is packed to the brim.

The table of contents to the right is a two page spread. It is organized, easy to navigate, and catches the eye. Separating the articles into columns of three decreases crowding and makes it much easier for a potential reader to easily skin through the spread and realize what information that the magazine in going to focus on. Throughout this entire blog, we have mentioned many important aspects of a magazine but one we haven't mentioned is the content itself. Without a good table of contents, the reader will not have an understanding of what the magazine will go over. No matter how much design goes into a magazine, it is the content that makes the reader stay, not the colors or the fonts. The table of contents in essential and therefore requires a sizable amount of attention.

9) Use A Grid System to Help You Design Your Layout

For many people, it is hard to visualize the spread of a magazine on an entirely blank canvas. Using a grid system can not only make your design look a bit more organized, but it can help you more easily decide where to put certain aspects of your spread. The grid system does not mean that there are only two ways to design a spread. You can get extremely creative but use the grid system. You can be bold, while having the added organization and sectioning.

In the image above, there is a spread that utilizes one version of the grid system. The spread is created is not extremely classical and a bit unconventional yet it still uses the grid system. The grid system does not restrict creativity, rather it gives you an organized approach to you layout. When in doubt on how to organize your layout, trying using the grid system. You might find that a few well placed boxes is much better than a blank canvas.

10) Always Keep the Audience in Mind

No matter what aspect of the magazine you are working on or designing, may it be the table of contents or the cover, you must keep the audience of your magazine in mind. Every decision should make meticulously keeping in mind your audience. The way you design your magazine should be a reflection of your target audience. If your target audience is kids, you should use bright, bubbly colors like pick, orange, and yellow. If you audience is educated adults, you should use colors such as black, white, and red.

The New Yorker is a current affairs magazine that is famous for breaking a large variety of conventions of not only the genre, but of magazines in general. The reason that the New Yorker is being so unconventional is a two word answer: their audience. The target audience of the New Yorker are open minded, unconventional people who live a bit of a metropolitan lifestyle. They break conventions in order to attract their creative and more forward thinking target audience. They pull aspects of New York into the magazine, such as the illustrated cover images in order to speak to their audience and connect with them In the end, it is all about your audience, so in every design decision you make, always keep them in mind. 

Relevance to My Genre

All of these tips are used by magazines in my genre in order to target their audience more effectively. On example of this would be the image to the left. This cover utilizes tip one which talks about how magazines should include illustrations. The New Yorker has taken it one step further with every single magazine cover of theirs' being an illustration. Their unconventional cover has helped attract their target audience, which is open mined, metropolitan people, by breaking the mold of how a cover for a current affairs magazine should be. Another example of this would be the image to the right. This cover utilizes the tip that you should use the ABC rule in designing your magazine cover. It has the A title being the masthead and the Person of the Year title. The B title is The Silence Breakers and the C title is "The voices that launched a movement". The use of this sleek, yet minimalistic rule helped make the image and the titles much more impactful as you are not being bombarded by five different topics. 

                                        

Design and layout can help magazines not only conform to conventions but also break them. Take the New Yorker, a magazine that my blog has constantly brought up because it deliberately continues to break all of the conventions of this genre. Other than a masthead, as you can see in the image above, there are no cover lines. It is just an illustration as the main image, something that is unconventional, other than the masthead. On the other side of the coin, design and layout can help magazines easily mold to the conventions of its genre. Take the Time Magazine cover above and notice the start contrast between the background of the cover image, and the woman in the image. The background is a muted blue while the women are dressed in all black. Design and layout makes or breaks conventions but ultimately makes the magazine more effective. It is important to remember the tips and tricks of design to create impactful spreads, powerful covers, and wonderful magazines. 

Works Cited

Morris, Sam. “5 Pro Tricks to Instantly Improve Your Magazine Layouts.” InDesignSkills, 12 Oct. 2021, www.indesignskills.com/inspiration/magazine-layout-design.

Fussell, Grace. “10 Tips for Designing High-Impact Magazines.” Design & Illustration Envato Tuts+, 15 June 2020, design.tutsplus.com/articles/10-tips-for-designing-high-impact-magazines--cms-25956.

Kanti, Andina. “Magazine Design: 9 Incredible Tips You Can Try Now.” MagLoft, 5 May 2021, www.magloft.com/blog/incredible-magazine-design-tips.

Hr. “11 Tips to Getting Your Magazine Cover Design Right.” Web Design Blog Helping Website and Graphic Designers, 12 May 2020, line25.com/inspiration/11-tips-to-getting-your-magazine-cover-design-right.

H, Krista. “6 Tips and Tricks for Editorial Design.” Sketchdeck, 28 Aug. 2020, www.sketchdeck.com/blog/editorial-design.

Afandi. “Amazing Tips to Improve Your Magazine Layout Design.” UI Creative, 15 Jan. 2021, uicreative.net/7-amazing-tips-to-improve-your-magazine-layout-design.html.