Magazine layouts: Where creativity meets structure.

One of the most interesting parts of my job is designing magazine layouts. This process involves:

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Understanding the content: Before I start designing, I immerse myself in the articles, understanding their tone, message, and target audience.

Creating a visual hierarchy: Using typography, colour, and white space, I establish a clear hierarchy that helps readers navigate the content effortlessly.

Balancing text and visuals: A great magazine layout strikes the perfect balance between written content and visual elements like photos, illustrations, and infographics.

Ensuring consistency: While each spread should be unique, maintaining a consistent style throughout the publication is crucial for brand identity.

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Design examples.

The first example you see on this page is a two page editorial on ‘why chocolate makes you happy’. Now you might think you would not need a load of words and images to need convincing about that fact, but, it turns out it can be quite complicated. I was given a word document, asked to find images. The two pages are the result.

On a related note, if you would like a free A3 sized (or you can print it smaller if you prefer) PDF download of a poster for you to print off, titled '5 reasons why we like chocolate cake' take a look here.

We have fashion pages next that focus on clothes and accessories with a red theme. The image shows pages 3 & 4, of the edit, working with the clients text and images, with instructions to add further images if needed. 

Next up is a concept layout for a business section in a lifestyle magazine. The client wanted mockups for the different topics within the magazine, this one was for 5 top tips from entrepreneurs. 6 pages in total, I chose the typefaces and images, grid layout and graphic elements. As this was at the proofing stage, dummy text was used to get a feel for the typography.

Also shown is another interior design related editorial layout. These pages focussed on 6 autumn/winter 2024 design trends that would inspire and influence spaces. 6 pages, it used the client’s wording and images.

A bit of a more traditional layout for the next one. A magazine spread for the official opening of the Aviva studios in Manchester. Using the client’s images and wording, this was 7 pages, ( pages 5 & 6 shown ). A nice editorial to work on, with great architectural and internal photography.

The next one is taken from a blog post on my sister site, titled ‘Say goodbye to boring walls’ ( or perhaps should be titled, ‘my art can make your wall boring’ ). The edit explains the use of monochrome art and minimalistic art in interior design. This 4 page layout, is A4 with bleed, and set as a DPS ( double page spread ), can be downloaded for free here if you need generic interior design filler content.

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As a graphic designer passionate about editorial design and magazine layouts, I'm always excited to take on new projects. Whether you're overworked and need another pair of hands, launching a new publication or looking to refresh an existing design, I'd love to help.

Thank you for reading this far, and don't forget to download that free 4 page filler edit if you have a use for it.