Why is magazine layout important

When you start designing the magazine layout, you should start with the design of the body text because it occupies the maximum space and runs through several paragraphs. Focus on improving readability by adjusting the rows and columns in an appropriate manner. Make sure that the length of the body text is almost similar in all the articles.

Bylines: Byline is the line that appears below the article headline. You can allow the fonts of the bylines and the body texts to have fonts of the same size. Sub-headings: Sub-headings separate an article into multiple sections and allow readers to get an idea of what they should expect in the consequent paragraphs.

Subheadings may be presented using the same font as the body text, but you should highlight them appropriately to make them stand out from the rest of the text. Keep sub-headings bold to give them the appearance of mini-headings. Avoid putting sub-headings below quotes or images.

Pull Quotes: Pull quotes make articles look interesting. Quotes allow for a better expression of stories especially if they are clubbed with images. You may either select a portion from the body text itself or you may choose to rephrase certain portions of the body text and present it as an excerpt or a quote.

The font that you use to present pull quotes should be different from the font that you use to present the body text. Image Captions: Write image captions in a way that they complement the look and feel of images. Captions should be placed below the image and should describe it properly. The font size of the body text and the image caption can be the same or else, you may choose to use font that is a bit smaller than the font of the body text.

Running Headings: You may not need to work on running headings in all magazines, but some magazines definitely need running headings. Running headings appear at the top of all pages of a magazine and allows readers to smoothly navigate through the magazine. Put more emphasis in designing your running headings creatively because your readers see them more frequently and so they need to be visually appealing.

Folio: Folio refers to a way of arranging sheets of papers by folding them in particular ways. A folio should be designed in such a way that readers do not get irritated while looking at it in all pages.

You should exercise proper care when you need to work on a magazine that features full bleed images. You may end up annoying readers if you put folios on pages that contain full bleed images.

These are facts that a reader should know and these would keep readers more engaged. Information that is included in the boxes has very short length and the facts usually appear in the form of statistics or dates or small pieces of information. These boxes should be placed strategically in the layout so as to grab the attention of the readers. You may choose to give every box a specific heading. Top 5 Magazine Layout Design Software. FlipHTML5 FlipHTML5 is one of the most widely used magazine layout design maker and notably, it is a completely free program that users can effectively explore to design extraordinary magazine layouts.

Blurb Blurb facilitates the creation of extraordinary print as well as digital versions of magazines, Ebooks, and photo books. Adobe InDesign Adobe InDesign is one of the most famous and powerful programs that graphic designers make use of. Some of the best magazine layout design ideas.

Adventure Digital If immersive photography forms the core essence of your magazine, you should give more importance to imagery while designing the layout. Readers can enjoy long scrolling and so you can add long-form content to the template. Aficionado Horizontal layouts were typically avoided previously by traditional publications on account of convenience issues. However, with the advent of eReaders and tablets, designers are focusing more on the creation of horizontal templates.

Point size - Make sure the size of your text is readable for your audience and consider if they will be looking at a page or screen. Line length - The ideal line length is between 50 and 70 characters per line. Amount of copy - Where possible break up big blocks of copy, they can appear intimidating and might put readers off. Use paragraphs, columns, threaded text frames, lists etc. Entry points - Define clear starting points for your reader by using visual hierarchy and features like Drop Caps and highlighted text blocks usually used for quotes or interesting parts of an article.

Confused where to start? Join our Survival Kit for Designers newsletter and start your creative journey! About the author. Shumi Perhiniak. Related topics you might be interested in. Graphic Design Rules: Justification vs Alignment. Creative Cloud — Useful new features for Designers.

Typography Reimagined — How to use Type as Image. The grid is the architecture of your magazine, the framework that keeps every page element in its place. It keeps columns consistent and anchors photographs, panels and boxes so they don't float around. If you want something that offers more than just three basic columns, go for a much higher number such as It might seem like structural madness at first, but, once you get used to it, you'll see that it can divide down nicely into two, three, four and six.

When dealing with spreads that have multiple stories or when grouping stories on a theme, take the time to look at the overall hierarchy. Make sure a lead item is given prominence. It's easy to get this wrong and a lesser story can end up looking like the most attractive element. Use larger headlines, prime positioning and strong imagery to achieve a sense of importance.

For centuries, typesetters and letter-writers have concerned themselves with the size, shape and forms of characters. They mulled on the leading, kerning and tracking of each word on the page to ensure that all was legible and print-ready. In a way, the computer age has meant that this has become a lost skill. Whether headlines are the centrepiece of a spread or top smaller news items, take the time to concentrate on the letter spacing. Avoiding legibility issues, character clashes and unsightly gaps will make things easier on the reader's eye and help with overall accessibility.

When it comes to internal publications, which can be copy-heavy, just thinking about leaving blank space on the page can ring client alarm bells. Equally, stuffing as much as you can onto each and every page may leave the reader overwhelmed.

Experiment with white space in your new multi-column layout. Or on larger features, try starting your article just above the halfway point of the page. You'll be surprised how much a little bit of white space helps to soften the reader's eye into the layout. Employee publications often have their colour palettes dictated by the branding of the parent company, but that doesn't mean you should saturate every page with the same vivid purple as the company's logo.

Think about colour from the reader's point of view. Avoid assaulting their senses. Instead, use your colour scheme to create warm, friendly and appealing environments, both for your readers and your content. A spread that's so bright and lurid that it actually hurts the eyes simply won't get read. The sub-head should not be placed immediately after an image or quote.

Drop Caps Another important aspect of magazine layout design is the drop cap. This is the practice of capping the initial letter. It serves to decorate the text and also signifies the start of the article. Intro Block The space between the headline and the body copy is filled by intro block. Some publishers also call it Deck, Kicker or Stand First. If the space is less, this section can be omitted. The reading journey starts smoothly for a reader right from the intro block. By-lines Based on the type of article and publication, by-lines have to be placed.

They should be distinguishable. This is important for taking credit when the article is cited or referred to in other journals or literary works. Body Text The text contained in the body occupies the major portion of the article. You need to carefully choose the fonts for body. Good fonts would engage the readers more. The body content should be placed on a standard grid for balancing the columns and promoting readability.

Pull Quote If you want to add a break in a visually-appealing manner, pull quotes can help. You may omit pull quotes for aesthetical compulsions. The captions should also complement the images. Captions should:. Often the magazine content comes with sidebars. They are used for offering additional information to readers. The sidebar text has consistency of style and different typeface that distinguishes it from the main textual body.

A heading may also be present. Credit You may be using different illustrations for your magazine. For these, you need to give proper credit to artists, photographers, and other designers. Creating Captivating Layouts Layouts with contrast should be preferred as they make the content stand out. Such layouts are popular with readers too.

You can choose great magazine layout themes by browsing through the works of the best graphic designers. The content can be highlighted in bright. Ample open space should be available for exhibiting images. Reading experience is greatly enhanced by the use of illustrations and images.

You need to use proper and captivating fonts to promote readability. Fonts should not be too decorative. Else, they may prove to be distractive.