{"id":2340,"date":"2019-08-07T02:41:14","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T02:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/?page_id=2340"},"modified":"2019-08-07T02:41:14","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T02:41:14","slug":"mag-considerations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/mag-considerations\/","title":{"rendered":"Mag considerations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Magazine thirds<\/h3>\n

When building the magazine<\/strong>, <\/span> a few things to keep in mind, kind of umbrella things. <\/span><\/p>\n

Magazine is typically divided into thirds. <\/span><\/p>\n

Front, middle, back. <\/span> Pretty simple. <\/span> Each has a different function. <\/span><\/p>\n

We’ll get to that. <\/span><\/p>\n

A magazine is also designed, typically, <\/span> for three levels of engagement. <\/span><\/p>\n

First is to catch your eye. <\/span> It’s that quick look, headlines, pictures, <\/span> captions, the big things. <\/span> You look at these. <\/span> They make an impression. <\/span> You decide if you want to go further.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, I’ll call the light reading level. <\/span> This is where deck heads and leads, <\/span> and sidebars carry you further. <\/span> A deck head is the longer description beneath a headline. <\/span> A sidebar is a story within a story. <\/span> Related to it, but different, and often <\/span> in small, light reading bites. <\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, is the deep reading, which is primarily text. <\/span> By this time, the reader is fully engaged, <\/span> and you’re design goal is just to help <\/span> them move through the story. <\/span> So, three sections, front, middle, back. <\/span> Three levels, quick look, light reading, deep reading. <\/span> Let’s check ’em out. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Front of the book: Introduction<\/h3>\n
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– The three parts of a magazine, front, middle, <\/span> back, correspond loosely to dining. <\/span><\/p>\n

A small appetizer is first, then the main course <\/span> or courses, then dessert and unwinding at the end. <\/span> The front of the book, and magazines have historically <\/span> been called books, at least by insiders, <\/span> are a number of short features, <\/span> often just a page or two, sometimes less. <\/span> There will almost always be a contents page <\/span> and a masthead, which a list of those <\/span> who work for the magazine or who worked on the issue. <\/span> You may find a letter from the publisher, <\/span> perhaps a list of contributors, letters to the editor, <\/span> columnist, opinion pages, listings, any short topic, <\/span> news, reviews, product pages, all that. <\/span> If your magazine carries advertising, one page ads <\/span> and your fractional ads will also be up front. <\/span> So the front of the book is a key section. <\/span> It’s a tone and style setter. <\/span> You’ll often invest 2\/3 of your energy in the front <\/span> because it’s packed with lots of short essentials <\/span> starting with the contents page.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Masthead<\/h3>\n
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– The next three often go together, <\/span> although they don’t have to. <\/span> The masthead is a list of those who work for the magazine. <\/span> It’s a design issue only if you have a long list. <\/span> A small magazine, two or three names, a half dozen maybe <\/span> can be worked in really anywhere. <\/span> A few approaches are typical. <\/span> one is like Popular Science magazine. <\/span> A simple column next to the editor’s letter. <\/span> Seveur is done in two columns next to an ad. <\/span> Inc. magazine uses a whole page. <\/span> The magazine staff centered on top, business, marketing, <\/span> and other operations, in two columns beneath. <\/span> Oprah’s O magazine uses two full pages. <\/span> And, for everyone with a small staff, <\/span> Lagom magazine puts its staff of six, <\/span> plus 20 contributors together on a full page <\/span> with lots of white as is its spacious style. <\/span> And, of course, with all of these <\/span> there’s a wide range of typographic possibilities <\/span><\/p>\n

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Publisher\u2019s letter<\/h3>\n
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– The publisher’s or editor’s letter. <\/span> Magazines typically, <\/span> not always, have these usually after the contents page, <\/span> although I have seen them before. <\/span> They usually serve as an introduction to the issue, <\/span> maybe a special theme, some context for a key article, <\/span> a personal experience, an editorial opinion, <\/span> wide range, usually brief, typically two columns, <\/span> sometimes a full page, <\/span> but there really are no restrictions on style. <\/span> If your look calls for it, <\/span> you can occupy a full page with a short letter. <\/span> We see this in Lagom. <\/span> Lots of air, very relaxed. <\/span> Similar approach in Surf Girl, but with a difference. <\/span> Very short letter on a full page photo. <\/span> I call this inspirational poster style. <\/span> The hand lettering, the open sky, <\/span> it’s feminine, it’s pretty, very light. <\/span> In contrast, Monocle Magazine is dense. <\/span> The editor’s letter is a full page and a half <\/span> and includes call outs and illustrations <\/span> like a regular feature article. <\/span> Most typical, though, is the style of Popular Science, <\/span> which is a short letter sharing space with a mass tag. <\/span> In this case, separated by a band of white, <\/span> which makes both very clear. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Contributors<\/h3>\n
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– Some magazines list special contributors. <\/span> Fewer do than don’t, depends on the nature of the magazine. <\/span> Harvard Business Review does. <\/span> In this case, each of the five is pictured <\/span> along with some context or history of the story. <\/span> ESPN magazine in the neatest possible grid, <\/span> shows the photographers of its special body issue. <\/span> Each with copy that fits exactly. <\/span> Which you need to make this layout work, <\/span> that’s the kind of give and take you want <\/span> between editorial and design. <\/span> And the kind every good magazine will have. <\/span> This issue of Wallpaper magazine is using images <\/span> illustrated by two of its contributors. <\/span> The faces are pretty much obscured, <\/span> obviously a special effect. <\/span> Monocle magazine is similar <\/span> with its cut paper illustrations. <\/span> So a contributors page, if you have one, <\/span> can and should be customized to the look, <\/span> and certainly to the voice of your magazine. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Columnists<\/h3>\n
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– A magazine may have columnists. <\/span> These are writers with a familiar voice <\/span> or a regular topic who appear in every issue. <\/span> When you have more than one columnist, <\/span> like Ink magazine does, <\/span> you want to use identical layouts for all of them. <\/span> Columnists are not necessarily front of the book <\/span> and they’re not necessarily together. <\/span> One can be front, another back, <\/span> in which case, having the same look is even more important. <\/span> A variation of the columnist <\/span> will be a regular column to which you invite <\/span> a different guest writer each issue, <\/span> as Time magazine does with its essay page. <\/span> Another variation, also in Time magazine, <\/span> is the recurring interview feature. <\/span> I assume that a regular ghost writer handles these. <\/span> Both variants can appear in the front <\/span> or the back of the magazine. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Small features<\/h3>\n
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– The front of the book is excellent for small <\/span> and even tiny features. <\/span> Bits of news, trivia, numbers, quotes, <\/span> things like that. <\/span> Forbes’ leaderboard section is a good example. <\/span> Dozens of interesting bits on a variety of topics. <\/span> Beautifully designed, lots of visual detail and nuance <\/span> that makes this section engaging to read <\/span> and crystal clear. <\/span> Small features can be simpler. <\/span> Typical will be a one or two page photo <\/span> accompanied by a very short story, <\/span> and sometimes just a caption. <\/span> National Geographic is famous for these. <\/span> Its visions section is page after page <\/span> of beautiful photos that are simply captioned. <\/span> You could have one page like this, or many. <\/span> Sea Nat’s point of view section is a little different. <\/span> The black and white photo is noosier. <\/span> The caption is longer and includes a headline, <\/span> text, a web link, and a photo byline. <\/span> And back in Nat Geo, its further feature <\/span> is literally an entire section on a single page. <\/span> The name of the section, <\/span> its descriptive deck head, <\/span> the article headline, <\/span> the byline, <\/span> the story in text, <\/span> an illustrated diagram, <\/span> a web link, and the photo byline, <\/span> all in the typographic styles of the magazine. <\/span> More informal would be a page of tidbits. <\/span> A good example is Civil War Monitor Magazine’s voices page, <\/span> which features pertinent quotations about a single topic <\/span> that changes issue to issue. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Product pages<\/h3>\n
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– Product pages are another popular <\/span> front of the book feature. <\/span> They, too, can appear in the back. <\/span> Product pages are just that, <\/span> products of interest to your audience. <\/span> They can be ads in disguise, <\/span> although they certainly don’t have to be. <\/span> CNET Magazine’s products are presented <\/span> as a straight-up buying guide. <\/span> The design is images in silhouette, meaning no backgrounds. <\/span> Each is referenced by a description on the right. <\/span> Here’s the thing, to look best, <\/span> you want to do all the photography yourself <\/span> so the products have common lighting and a common look, <\/span> as they do here. <\/span> You can use publicity shots from the manufacturers, <\/span> but you won’t fool anyone. <\/span> It will look commercial. <\/span> In this case, CNET is also using <\/span> the magazine’s own type styles. <\/span> It’s coherent with the rest of the magazine <\/span> and also projects the message <\/span> that this is an editorial product and not a commercial one, <\/span> even though commercial it may be. <\/span> This design is also easy to lay out <\/span> because type and images are separate. <\/span> Type is here. <\/span> Images are there. <\/span> Somewhat different is the dossier section <\/span> in C Home Magazine. <\/span> These products are referenced by locale, <\/span> that is, where in the state they come from. <\/span> The design is a blend of silhouette and rectangular images. <\/span> It looks nice, it fits the style of the magazine, <\/span> but it is harder to lay out <\/span> because images and text are interwoven, <\/span> so you basically get a jigsaw puzzle to do every issue. <\/span> A third approach is Sunset Magazine’s. <\/span> This is themed. <\/span> These are all products for your travel bag. <\/span> They’ve been arranged into a single photo <\/span> and captioned beneath. <\/span> The layout is easy <\/span> because the words are separate from the picture. <\/span> The two challenges here are to, A, make a beautiful photo, <\/span> and, B, write the caption so the references are obvious. <\/span> You can make that job easier <\/span> by applying tiny numbers or letters <\/span> to the images in the picture. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Front of the book: Wrap up<\/h3>\n
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– What we’ve just seen are probably <\/span> the most common front of the book sections. <\/span> There are certainly others. <\/span> Calendars, listings, society pages, things like that. <\/span> Lots of possibilities, lots of ways to do them. <\/span> Think about all of them as they can work in and around ads, <\/span> if your magazine carries ads. <\/span> Certainly full pages, but also fractional pages. <\/span> So they’re versatile, they’re flexible, <\/span> and they’re practical. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Middle of the book<\/h3>\n
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– The middle of the book is commonly called <\/span> the editorial well, and it’s almost always <\/span> where your big feature articles will appear. <\/span> If it’s dinner, this is the main course. <\/span> It’s called the well because this <\/span> is where a magazine that carries advertising <\/span> normally has none, or it’ll have just <\/span> the occasional ad page or spread <\/span> to separate one article from the next. <\/span> There are of course exceptions. <\/span> This open space allows you almost unrestricted liberty <\/span> to design in the style that best suits the material <\/span> or makes the most dramatic impact. <\/span> You’ll have a few restrictors, one will be space. <\/span> Unlike the web, print is limited, <\/span> so there’s usually a compromise between text and graphics <\/span> and how much space is allotted to each. <\/span> Another may be your magazine’s type styles, <\/span> or graphical identifiers. <\/span> Lines, borders, pointers, things like that, <\/span> sometimes you’ll want to retain a house style, <\/span> other times not. <\/span> For all practical purposes, <\/span> there are infinite ways to design feature articles, <\/span> just no limit, but you will find recurring techniques <\/span> that have proven useful over time. <\/span> Let’s look at a few. <\/span> The BBC’s Science Focus Magazine, Cassini’s Last Hurrah. <\/span> This is classic. <\/span> A dramatic, full spread, full bleed photo, <\/span> atop which you put your headline and deck head. <\/span> You could also start the story right here, <\/span> but of course you don’t have to. <\/span> Because the type is reversed, this look will always be best <\/span> if you photo has a smooth open space like we have here. <\/span> The following spread, where the story actually starts, <\/span> is very detailed. <\/span> Photos, drop cap, subheads, captions, <\/span> callouts, a sidebar, each with a different function. <\/span> After that busy spread comes a break. <\/span> Another full spread, full bleed photo. <\/span> This one with only a caption. <\/span> And the story ends with another detailed spread. <\/span> So you can see a rhythm here. <\/span> Simple, detailed, simple, detailed. <\/span> This lead in the New York Times magazine <\/span> has a similarly big photo, but this one doesn’t bleed. <\/span> It’s framed with white on every side, <\/span> similar to an art piece on a wall, <\/span> and just as quiet. <\/span> The headline, Quiet Places, runs vertically on the left. <\/span> Vertically running is unusual. <\/span> And the deck head, by lines, and text are on the right. <\/span> The distance across the photo, <\/span> headline on one side, text on the other, <\/span> creates a long dramatic pause over the image. <\/span> It’s like it opens a window <\/span> through which we can enter the silence of this private room. <\/span> The Steward from Saveur Magazine <\/span> is an article that leads off like the Times we just saw, <\/span> except that the type is all on the right. <\/span> The type face, extremely condensed, <\/span> is a house style, very distinctive. <\/span> The image, to my eye, has the feel of a sanctuary. <\/span> Quiet, sacred to some, yet there’s activity. <\/span> The quiet of the image is expressed on the page <\/span> in the space around the headline. <\/span> The horizontal bars, top and bottom, <\/span> are also a house style. <\/span> Both the type face and the bars continue on the next spread. <\/span> Lots of text here. <\/span> Roughly a 50 50 mix, but very pretty. <\/span> Note that all the photos touch, <\/span> they’re clustered toward the middle <\/span> and have a common caption. <\/span> In my experience, this is almost always more attractive <\/span> than scattering pictures around a spread. <\/span> You can see an asymmetry in it, <\/span> but the photo on the right, which bleeds, <\/span> did you notice that? <\/span> Is offset by the opening type, <\/span> and the result is an active and attractive balance. <\/span> This illustration from Nautilus Magazine <\/span> occupies the right page. <\/span> It’s a full bleed, while the headline and text <\/span> begin on the left. <\/span> Simple presentation, easy to do. <\/span> Harvard Business Review. <\/span> The illustration crosses the gutter, <\/span> but does not fill the spread. <\/span> Note the headline is at the bottom. <\/span> This is surprisingly common. <\/span> Deck head and by lines follow. <\/span> Then a drop cap, which in this case <\/span> looks just like a bar, then the story. <\/span> In Wallpaper Magazine, the headline crosses <\/span> from the photo into the text column. <\/span> Note the photo bleeds three sides, <\/span> which leaves a column of white on the right. <\/span> The caption is atop the photo on the page margin. <\/span> One more for now, 1843 Magazine, <\/span> a cluster of photos atop the spread, <\/span> none of them bleed. <\/span> With the headline and text beneath. <\/span> It’s pretty, it’s low-key, <\/span> very much in keeping with the vibe of this magazine. <\/span> In every case, a combination of factors <\/span> will be acting on your layout. <\/span> The image itself or images, what is it, <\/span> does it have open space for text or not, <\/span> what are its proportions, <\/span> is your headline long or short and what does it say, <\/span> how much text do you need in the space, and so on. <\/span> It’s pretty rare that you’ll have total control <\/span> over all those factors, so your facility <\/span> in making different configurations <\/span> while retaining a look and feel <\/span> will be key to your design’s success. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Back of the book<\/h3>\n
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– The back of the book, historically, <\/span> is where a lot of your small ads go. <\/span> And by small, I mean a sixth page or less. <\/span> These can be small display ads, <\/span> want ads, classified ads, <\/span> and so small articles were designed to wrap <\/span> in and around those ads. <\/span> The thing that wraps easiest is text. <\/span> That most commonly takes the form of story tales or endings, <\/span> you know, continued on page 86. <\/span> You can also have listings of things, <\/span> calendars, events, goings on about town, stuff like that, <\/span> anything that’s going to wrap. <\/span> This example is from Civil War Monitor Magazine. <\/span> The story tale is marked by a bold rule, <\/span> a headline, where it jumps from, <\/span> then text. <\/span> It runs ’til it ends and the next one starts. <\/span> In their case, they also include photos and call outs <\/span> to keep the interest high. <\/span> If you don’t carry ads, and more magazines don’t, <\/span> none of this matters. <\/span> You can run full features all the way to the last page. <\/span> That said, even with no ads, <\/span> Eight by Eight magazine uses the back <\/span> to run story tales, too. <\/span> Very similar to the magazine we just saw. <\/span> If you have open space, even with ads, <\/span> you can put in the back things like you have in the front, <\/span> which we’ve already seen. <\/span> Columnists, product pages, small features, <\/span> a final page photo, or interview or such is also common. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Making a magazine: Introduction<\/h3>\n
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– Get out your pencil and make some notes. <\/span> If you’re making a new magazine, or reworking <\/span> an existing one, and trying to work out a look, <\/span> it may help to ask the following questions: <\/span> I want to emphasize that you’re going for <\/span> a unique voice. <\/span> You’re working to a vision, so you want to avoid <\/span> creating a facade. <\/span> Just to look off the shelf; maybe something <\/span> you’ve done before, or from a template, or something <\/span> you just make up. <\/span> If your collaborators, the publisher, the editors, <\/span> the writers can’t articulate that vision for you, <\/span> do everything you can to hang in until you have one. <\/span> You as a designer can play an important role here. <\/span> So, questions: <\/span> Is your magazine mostly serious, or entertaining? <\/span> If it’s serious, is it introvert, or extrovert? <\/span> If it’s entertaining, is it quiet and dry, <\/span> or loud and showy? <\/span> Do you and your audience know each other? <\/span> This would usually be the case with a small, closed group, <\/span> a club, an organization, a school, a professional network. <\/span> Similar would be an indie magazine. <\/span> A small art, or special interest magazine, <\/span> a single copy or direct subscription. <\/span> You probably share insider language or jargon, <\/span> or experience. <\/span> The third kind is a general broadcast magazine <\/span> going out to the newsstand, goes to the public, <\/span> it’s a mainstream magazine, and you probably <\/span> do not know that audience. <\/span> Do you expect words to do the heavy lifting, or pictures? <\/span> In other words, are you leading with words, <\/span> or leading with pictures? <\/span> Do you expect the pages to be dense, or light? <\/span> A dense can come across as intense, and full, <\/span> and having gravitas and authority. <\/span> On the other hand, dense can feel forbidding, <\/span> or somber, or dull. <\/span> Light can be airy, and quiet, and pretty. <\/span> It can also feel incomplete, or trivial, or even wasteful. <\/span> Which way it goes will depend on the adroitness <\/span> of your design. <\/span> Lots of short articles and pictures, <\/span> or just a few long ones? <\/span> Or a mix? <\/span> A variety of topics, or mainly just one, or a few? <\/span> How will your magazine be printed? <\/span> Offset, digital? <\/span> Can images bleed? <\/span> This will affect the design. <\/span> And how will it be delivered? <\/span> Will it be picked up, or sent through the mail? <\/span> Periodicals rate as the lowest of all postal rates, <\/span> but there are strict requirements, and weight <\/span> will still matter, which may limit your pages. <\/span> In addition, when you’re building a magazine, <\/span> you have so many visual tools and techniques to work with. <\/span> Tools of type. <\/span> Some typefaces are neutral, and work with almost everything. <\/span> Others are specific to subject or mood. <\/span> You have high contract versus low. <\/span> Heads, subheads, kickers, deckheads, callouts, <\/span> text, bylines, captions, legends, sidebars, folios, <\/span> footnotes, on and on. <\/span> There is the grid. <\/span> Two columns, three columns, four columns, <\/span> 12 columns, asymmetrical columns, wide margins, <\/span> narrow margins, asymmetrical margins, horizontal hang lines. <\/span> There’s the page itself. <\/span> There’s a tall page, a square page, a wide page, <\/span> and what happens when they’re doubled; meaning opened? <\/span> You have tools of layout. <\/span> Mixed pages, single pages, double pages, super sized type, <\/span> big pictures, small pictures, clustered pictures, <\/span> rectangular pictures, pictures in silhouette, <\/span> pictures that bleed, or don’t. <\/span> There’s illustration. <\/span> You have graphical devices, lines, borders, circles, <\/span> boxes, arrows, flags, colors, flat panels. <\/span> You have techniques for keeping things apart, <\/span> and techniques for bringing things together. <\/span> You can have pictures and text interacting, or separate <\/span> It’s endless. <\/span> So what I’m going to do for the remainder of our time <\/span> to deal with some of this is go through <\/span> one complete magazine. <\/span> There are so many amazing magazines that <\/span> I want you to see. <\/span> I would love to show them to you. <\/span> I left hundreds of pages back at my desk, <\/span> but for this course we have to focus on the basics. <\/span> So we’re going to look at a magazine that’s very simple. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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DNA of the cover<\/h3>\n
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– When I look at magazines for design, it almost <\/span> doesn’t matter to me what the title and topic are. <\/span> I’ll pick up almost anything. <\/span> That’s how I wind up with business magazines, <\/span> and motorcycle magazines, and cooking magazines, <\/span> and political magazines, and fashion, and sports, <\/span> and indie, and history, and music, and art, <\/span> and foreign magazines, which can be tons of fun. <\/span> If it moves me in some way, I’ll dive in, <\/span> and look for what’s making that feel. <\/span> I’m generally at this point, not reading closely. <\/span> That may sound funny because editorial and graphics <\/span> are so vitally linked. <\/span> But it’s not really. <\/span> Before you read a magazine, you feel it. <\/span> You pick up a vibe from it. <\/span> Or you should. <\/span> That’s what I’m interested in first. <\/span> Some designs are new and amazing, and I love that. <\/span> Others are just really well executed renditions <\/span> of things I’ve seen before. <\/span> I like that too. <\/span> There’s also a lot of roughage. <\/span> Copycatting, commercialism, things like that. <\/span> But even there, you can often pick out good stuff. <\/span> In some magazines, you’ll find only a detail <\/span> or two that’s interesting; maybe an ad, or the way <\/span> a caption’s been handled. <\/span> In that case, I’ll just use my camera. <\/span> If there’s more though, I’ll buy the magazine. <\/span> This is a special edition magazine from Time, <\/span> called, The Science of Childhood. <\/span> It’s a single topic magazine with no ads. <\/span> Time is doing a lot of these on a range of topics. <\/span> Time is known for good design. <\/span> As long as I’ve been reading it, design really is <\/span> in its DNA. <\/span> Some magazines are like that. <\/span> Others, not so much. <\/span> So, what’s here? <\/span> The cover is typical size and shape. <\/span> Eight inches by 10 and seven eighths; slightly smaller <\/span> than letter size. <\/span> We see a five by five, or 25 frame grid. <\/span> Normally on an even grid like this, three by three, <\/span> four by four, each frame will have the same proportions <\/span> as the page itself. <\/span> That’s not true in this case, because <\/span> the top and bottom rows have been cropped. <\/span> However, all the kids are the same size. <\/span> You’re not close up on some, and far away on others. <\/span> That’s a design decision, and it’s a good one <\/span> that’s often overlooked. <\/span> When you have a group of like pictures, you generally <\/span> want them cropped the same because it gives <\/span> equal weight to everyone. <\/span> The type is centered on the page. <\/span> It’s stationary position, bold, very stable, <\/span> there’s no asymmetrical tension here. <\/span> The bold, science head is is set <\/span> in ITC Franklyn Gothic Demi Compressed, <\/span> and the deck head beneath it is a light serif, <\/span> called, Duplicate Ionic. <\/span> These two styles have a lot of contrast, <\/span> and they will be used throughout <\/span> the magazine for continuity. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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DNA of lead spreads: Teens<\/h3>\n
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– This section, like the others, <\/span> differs only by color. <\/span> Just a couple more comments and we’re done. <\/span> First spread, note the same typefaces and devices, <\/span> and note the connection to the yellow focal point in the pillow on the primary photo. <\/span> This is probably on purpose. <\/span> It’s a stock photo like most of the others, <\/span> so when you can find a connector like this, it’s nice. <\/span> The thing I want to point out here <\/span> is that head is on the left page, on the margin, <\/span> and the text is on the right. <\/span> Head and text don’t need to be together. <\/span> This is very effective. <\/span> The square drop cap W plays a big part in that <\/span> by drawing your eye to the right. <\/span> Here’s a variation of the same thing. <\/span> Head on the picture, text in the right column. <\/span> Reads perfectly well. <\/span> My guess, in this case, is that it was done for space. <\/span> There’s not enough atop that column for the headline, <\/span> and it’s not wide enough either. <\/span> Here’s the thing, though. <\/span> When you’re carrying your style with the typography, <\/span> which in a magazine you should be, <\/span> you can get away with this. <\/span> You can move the type around and still retain your look. <\/span> The other thing here is <\/span> that this is essentially the same layout as this one. <\/span> In the back of the book is this Best Book section <\/span> set in a sidebar style. <\/span> The wide gray border like the salmon one <\/span> we just saw, head in Haffner bold, <\/span> text again in Franklin Gothic Compressed. <\/span> We’re on a six-column page. <\/span> Three of the books, here, here, and here <\/span> cross two columns, the text running horizontally. <\/span> I really like this spread. <\/span> It’s well-organized. <\/span> It’s colorful. <\/span> It’s inviting. <\/span> It’s full of variety. <\/span> It’s fun to read. <\/span> The book titles are very slightly larger <\/span> than the bylines in the descriptions. <\/span> Nice texture. <\/span> On the next page, the layout continues. <\/span> In this case, one book crosses two columns, <\/span> but it runs vertically. <\/span> This is because of the cover’s tall shape. <\/span> Again, when your type styles are consistent <\/span> like they are here, you can flex them like this <\/span> and they’ll work. <\/span> And finally, the last page is simply a cute photo <\/span> and a big quote in the same Duplicate Ionic <\/span> typeface as the cover in the section heads. <\/span> This is fun. <\/span> This is a poster style that you can transfer <\/span> anywhere you have a big photo with open space <\/span> and something interesting to say. <\/span> Like I said at the top, <\/span> this is about as simple as a magazine gets. <\/span> But let’s review some of what we’ve seen. <\/span> Crop groups or grids of pictures the same way. <\/span> Establish simple typographic styles <\/span> and use them consistently. <\/span> In magazines this is key. <\/span> Type is your primary voice. <\/span> Establish a few simple graphic devices <\/span> and use them consistently. <\/span> You can flip layouts and repeat them. <\/span> Your readers won’t notice. <\/span> You can separate headlines from body copy. <\/span> Heads here, text there. <\/span> You can carry the story at a light reading level <\/span> with just callouts and photos. <\/span> And set your sidebars in a style that’s <\/span> different from the main body <\/span> but coherent within themselves and that doesn’t compete. <\/span> So that’s a light overview of magazine design. <\/span> To reiterate, this is how I learned design. <\/span> Thanks for watching. <\/span> My assignment to you is go hit the newsstands <\/span> and continue your education. <\/span> Maybe I’ll see ya there. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Magazine thirds When building the magazine, a few things to keep in mind, kind of umbrella things. Magazine is typically divided into thirds. Front, middle, back. Pretty simple. Each has a different function. We’ll get to that. A magazine is also designed, typically, for three levels of engagement. First is to catch your eye. It’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2340","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2340"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2341,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2340\/revisions\/2341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jaaronanderson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}