Magazine Design - Anatomy of a Magazine
There are 4 main principles of a magazine layout, according to designer Shumi Perhiniak (yesimamagazinedesigner.com). Purpose, balance, hierarchy, and readability.
1) Purpose. What is the purpose of your magazine?
- What is your style?
- Consider your audience. Who are you trying to reach?
Choosing language, style and content that fit the purpose and audience of your magazine can make it more engaging for your audience. The whole point is for your magazine to tailor to the interest of your audience, so paying attention to your purpose and how to bet fit it however possible is imperative.
2) Balance. Is your content overwhelming on one side or the other?
- content on a page should be evenly distributed.
Unbalanced content on a page can create an uncomfortable feel. Humans are naturally attuned to symmetry; we like things that are even. So, because of this it will make your readers more susceptible to wanting to actually read your content. Having too much content on one side or the other can risk losing your audience's interest.
3) Hierarchy. Are key ideas highlighted?
- Key ideas should be more visible and easily accessible on a page(s)
Prioritize the information. Make a list of the information you want to include in your article. One way to do this is to make a list of key ideas, and then prioritize them. Which ones are most important to relay first, based on your purpose? The information you decide is more important than should be made more visible. This is a good opportunity to get creative, this can mean messing around with different styles and fonts of text, enlarging text, bolding or italicizing, ultimately making your text stand out.
4) Readability. Is your text easy on the eyes?
- There should be a comfortable contrast between the background and body text.
- Consider your topic and audience. Are you using the proper tones? Appropriate language?
- Are both pages being considered when creating your design?
Readability is the most important factor when it comes to body text. Creating a comfortable contract between the background and the body text so that the body text draws attention to itself. It is also important to always consider both pages of your magazine when creating your design, including all the elements that go onto a page. Readers pay attention to both pages, so it is a good idea to give the placement of all of your elements, i.e. body text, images, subheadings, Pullquote's, etc., a specific purpose. Your audience may face challenges not only reading a large mass of text, but also paying attention to the message you are trying to convey. If there's a lot of body text, or two large masses of text next to each other, you can make sure there's a well enough amount of white space between tem. So, try and make it as easy as possible for the reader's attention to stay on your message and design!
In conclusion, there are a many different features that should be considered when creating a magazine design. Using this information can benefit me in creating my final task project. I will strive to familiarize myself as much as possible with these principals and learn as much as i can about what exactly goes into making a creative magazine design.
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