media

3. Design related tips
• When you design a front cover you can play around with the design and
you can exaggerate as long as you know what to exaggerate but you
should stick with your own concept and style.
• When designing the front cover you should make sure the model that you
are using on the front is looking directly into the camera as having eye
contact in your magazine is important. The headline should stand out in
size, colour and attitude as your headline is what’s going to attract your
audience because it promotes the main story that features inside the
magazine.
• Red is the most used and most popular colour to use on a front cover of a
magazine and green is the lest popular colour to use on a front cover of a
magazine. People say that black coloured covers do not sell, but they do.

4. Design related tips
• If you have a smaller cover line then black or white text is best to use, if
you have a bigger cover line then use colours.
• In the USA magazines are displayed in a waterfall fashion and so the top
third of the magazine is the most visible part and so you will see big cover
lines. However in Europe magazines are stacked so that the left third of
the magazine is the most visible and so this is why many magazines have
the masthead in the top left position.
• Having photography on the cover page will sell more than having
illustrations on the cover page. The design should only include 3-5 fonts
and 3-5 colours.

5. Cover pages
• The magazine cover is possibly one of the most important parts of he
magazine, because it is the first thing people see and is the first thing to
grab peoples attention. It includes what is featured inside and that’s what
people want to know, so the front cover has to grab the consumers
attention and be appealing.
• Each new cover of the magazine has to be different from the last issue but
still familiar to the readers so that you can keep customer loyalty. The
front cover includes information that tells the consumers what is going o
be included in the magazine and gives people a insight to what kind of
magazine it is.
• The cover tests how well you know your audience and if you don’t know
who your target audience is then it will show on your front cover- your
lack of ideas.

6. Image based magazine covers
• The cover of a magazine usually consists of one or few persons on the
front cover, preferably looking directly into the camera. Most celebrity
magazines use this method and also most fashion magazines use this too.
• The person who is on the cover is the person who will sell the magazine. If
people don’t like the celebrity on the cove then thy will most likely not buy
it, so you need a celebrity that is quite well liked. (obviously not everyone
likes everyone, but use the generalisation). This is why some celebrity
covers sells more than others.

7. Magazine cover lines
• The cover line is an important feature of the cover. The cover line will send
a message to the audience and should stand out to the public. Different
magazines vary on the amount of cover lines but it does depend on the
character of the publication.
• It is hard to create an appealing attractive cover line and takes time and
effort to come up with good ones. It can be a solution to problems, a
powerful statement or a play on words-but you need to b careful when
playing with words because he audience need to understand it straight
away.
• Research states hat on average a person will spend 3- seconds glancing at
over pages, this is why everything should b clear instantly- so that the
reader can take it in and interpret the cover.

8. Masthead/Logo tips
• The masthead needs to be recognisable so that in the sea of magazines
your magazine pops out. The logo is the most important feature on he
page, it has to be instantly identifiable.
• The logo should capture the publications character, attitude and should
apply to the target audience but should also be versatile.
• First thing you need to do is find the right typography; is your publication
modern, traditional, urban or conservative?
• A short masthead means that you can make the logo stand in the top left
corner. If it’s a long masthead then it can be put on top of each other and
the logo in the top left corner.
• Different fonts should be used for the logo and headlines. The logo should
be in the top left corner because it is visible when magazines are stacked.

10. • The contents page should include one main image that relates to the
feature article and should have other small images also on the page; up to
about four.
• The colours of the contents page should be kept the same with a simple
colour scheme that is the same as the front cover.
• The images on the contents page should take up to about 50% of the page
and should contain page numbers and some anchoring text which
describes the photo or is a quote from the photo.
Contents

11. Contents
• The structured layout of the contents page should only really include 1-3
columns and the text should be divided into categories and headings.
• Different features should be In different fonts/borders.
• At the top of the page should be: name of magazine, issue date & word
contents. In various places should be: subscription & contact info, issue
date, social media info, credits.

13. Design tips
• Double page spreads are two pages next to each other and each spread
work as one unit. When designing this unit look at the two pages as one
single element. Readers see the spread as one unit
• Not all areas of the spread are equal. Some of the areas are more
important than others. For example when you pick up a magazine you
hold it by the spine in your left hand and flip through the pages with your
right hand. The outer part of the right page is the most visible area of the
magazine

14. Elements of the spread
• Not all areas of the spread are equal. Some of the areas are more
important than others. For example when you pick up a magazine you
hold it by the spine in your left hand and flip through the pages with your
right hand.
• The outer part of the right page is the most visible area of the magazine.
For example if you were to put a magazine on a table then start flipping
the pages, the lighter part (left) will be flipped but the heavier part (right)
will stay flat on the table, more exposed to the viewers eye.
• This process is reversed if someone is flipping from the last page of the
magazine.

15. Most visible parts of a spread
• The best content should be placed on the outside of the spread as these
are the areas that are seen the most. On the outside is the best place to
put the most provocative images and words.
• Putting the best content in the most visible places is where it will make
the biggest impact on the reader. The most valuable areas are the top
right and top left this is because when you skim through a magazine this is
where you look the most.

16. Be consistent
• The bottom parts of the spread, the inner corners and near the gutters are
less important. This is where designers place footnotes and credits in the
spread.
• Everything should flow together and you should work through it from the
top to the bottom of the magazine:
• Headline
• Intro copy
• Main copy
• This should be your guide when making a double page spread

17. Image and body text arrangement
• Big blocks of text need to be kept together and not separate from each
other.
• The text columns need to be kept tidy and even so that the reader can
easily follow and enjoy the magazine.
• By having barriers on the page it stops the ‘flow’ of the story and
magazine, meaning its harder for the customer to read.
• The magazine should be kept simple by keeping a simple design; having
columns at the top and placing the images above them.

18. Headlines
• The most important component on the page is the headline, It is as
important as the layout. When opening magazine the first thing that the
reader will notice is the layout and the second is the headline. This is
because the headline is what will lure in the reader to buy the
magazine/read the article.
• If the headline is not attractive then the reader will not read that article.
• The headline size, determines the importance of the headline.
• The positioning is also important, the headline should be placed at the top
of the page as this is where your eyes will look first. Plus the headline
should be set in a bigger size than the rest of the text on the page.

19. Intro
• The intro is the introduction to the article. The intro acts as a bridge
between the headline and the body copy, setting the tone of the article and
giving a brief description as to what you can expect from the rest of the
article.
• The intro text should summarise the story and attract the readers attention.
• The intro should be set in a bigger type size than the body copy but in a
smaller size than the headline. The font should also vary from the headline.
• The intro should be placed below the headline as the headline draws the
readers attention and then the intro text informs them on the article. This is
why they should be kept together.

20. Body copy
• The body copy is the largest part of the article. It should be as interesting
as the design, headline and intro text.
• No matter how good the design of the magazine is, if the main body copy
is not interesting then your magazine could lose readers.
• As the designer you should use column and type choice to reflect the
identity of the brand.

21. Pull quotes
• Pull quotes in a magazine can be very useful. In your magazine you should
pull out the most interesting quotes from the story and emphasise them.
• Pull quotes can be used to break up blocks of body copy which makes the
article look more interesting to the reader.
• You can use pull quotes combined with images so that they can tell a story
together. The pull out quotes can be taken from the text or they can
summarised quotes.
• The quotes should be set out in a big enough size so that it grabs the
readers attention but the size should not be as big as the headline.

22. Subheads
• Subheads are used to break up the body copy and let the reader know
what to expect in the next few paragraphs. Long blocks of text can put the
reader off so subheads should break them blocks up to show a new
section of the article.
• The subhead size should be a bit bigger than the body copy or have it the
same size but put it in bold.
• Subheads should not be places just below images, and they should also
not be placed 3 rows from the bottom or 3 rows from the top of a column.
They should never be placed right at the top of a column and not beneath
a pull quote.

23. Image captions
• Image captions work with the image they relate to and they should work
as a unit. Image captions should NOT be placed above an image.
• The image should be placed at the top of a page with the caption below it
or on the image. Image captions can be set in one or two long rows or in
several narrow rows.
• The type size should be about the same size as the body copy. It can be set
in a different style to the body copy. Sans-serif is what an image caption is
usually set in as it is easier to read on image backgrounds.

24. By-lines and credits
• The by-lines and credits are determined by the importance of the authors
and photographers that worked on the article. If you use stock images and
outsource writing in the article then the credits can be placed near the
gutter.
• However if the article has been written by a famous journalist and images
have been taken by a photographer then you should place the credits
below the headline or below the intro text.

25. Running head
• The running head is what guides the reader, they act as navigation
elements.
• The running head should be carefully designed so that they reflect the
style and tone of the magazine. If they are set in brightly coloured box’s
then they will be visible even when the magazine is closed.
• Not all pages need running heads but they can be placed at the beginning
of the sections; it would be too much if the running heads were put on
each page.
• The design of a magazine can be done as freely as you want but just don’t
over do it so that the running heads d not dominate the page.

26. Folio
• The features of a folio can include;
• Page numbers
• Publication logo
• Date/month
• Section title
• Web page
• The features that you chose should be repeated all over the magazine.
Folios serve a purpose and should be placed on every page of the
magazine.
• If you only put a folio on one page of the double page spread then put it
on the right side as it will be more visible here. BUT you should place a
folio on all pages.

27. Panels and box copy
• Magazines use boxes as extensions to a long news article, by placing more
facts or data in the box which is relevant to the article. They are generally
shorter in length but can be in a form of text, bulleted text or lists.
• The boxed texts should be set in a different style to the main body copy;
maybe a sans-serif. The size of the text should be around the same size as
the main body copy. The headline should be several points larger than the
box copy and the kicker should be the same size or slightly bigger.
• A heavier type can be used for headlines and kickers to emphasise them
more.