Magazine design

[marlene]

Can anyone recommend any good books about magazine design?

mxh

[ktinkel]

Originally Posted by marlene

Can anyone recommend any good books about magazine design?

None so great that they stick in my mind. I had (have but cannot find) many books by Jan White that helped, especially these:

• Graphic Idea Notebook: A treasury of solutions to visual problems
• Editing by Design: For designers, art directors and editors (updated and in print)
• Designing for Magazines: Common problems, realistic solutions (easy to find used — check Amazon)

Most of the recent books I have seen are more eye candy and useful, with lots of gorgeous covers and spreads from very expensive mags. Don’t know about you, but the mags I have worked on were all much more modest, with really down-and-dirty problems to solve.

But I have also noticed one recent book (Jan’s are from the 1970s and 80s) that looks as if it has some substance, though I have not read it (yet: couldn’t resist — just ordered it from Amazon):

• Surprise Me: Editorial Design by Horst Moser

And some of the annuals will give you ideas:

• The annuals from the Society of Publication Designers

What sort of magazine are you going to design? Full-color or 1 or 2 color? On slick/coated or matte stock? With a lot of pictures and bleeds or not? With ads?

[marlene]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm making a list and will try to get to a bookstore this weekend (famous last words ...)

The magazine is currently 4-color, coated stock, full bleed, with ads. Not a huge number of photos -- lots of mug shots, a cover story with photos on the cover and the inside spread, and other photos depending on the article content. Articles about events, for example, will usually have several bad photos taken with cheap digital cameras.

It's an association publication, so it's got a limited budget. Although I've been doing the production for years, I didn't design it -- the client paid a marketing firm to handle the design. I'm not absolutely positive I'll be doing the redesign, but there's a fair chance.

mxh

[terrie]

Had a thought...isn't there some sort of Association of Associations--you know what I mean??? I wonder if there is such and organization that they might not have access/samples of different member association publications and those might give you some ideas?

Also...have you thought about looking to see what Before&After might have available???

Terrie

[ktinkel]

Originally Posted by terrie

I wonder if there is such and organization that they might not have access/samples of different member association publications and those might give you some ideas?

The Society of Publication Designers produces annuals (and probably a magazine), which features magazine design.

Most of the design magazines, certainly including Print and CA, feature magazine design (with other kinds), in both issues and annuals. How and Step probably have some features about magazines.

But if she wants to see a lot of mags, a good newsstand in the place. Or busy doctors’ offices — especially the upscale ones — as they are likely to have a dozen or more different magazines, free for the study, replete with chairs to sit in! My implant dentist always has Saveur, Chili Pepper, Food & Wine, Golf something, horse publications (he has several), Restaurant Management (he has a stake in a local place), as well as People, Time, etc. It’s a good thing, too, as he tends to run late.

[terrie]

kt: But if she wants to see a lot of mags, a good newsstand in the place.

True...but my guess is that an association mag is quite different from commercial mags...maybe not???

And if nothing else, looking at association mags would give one an idea if there are patterns of design/layout specific to that type of mag, what sorts of things to keep and what sorts of things to avoid/modify...

Terrie

[ktinkel]

Originally Posted by terrie

True...but my guess is that an association mag is quite different from commercial mags...maybe not???

And if nothing else, looking at association mags would give one an idea if there are patterns of design/layout specific to that type of mag, what sorts of things to keep and what sorts of things to avoid/modify...

Absolutely. But I do not know of any clearinghouse on such publications other than the Society of Publication Designers though.

There are differences, for sure. But the structural elements — the skeleton of the magazine — are not so very different.

[marlene]

I'm realizing that one big diff between association mags and "commercial" mags is the cover art. After looking through an annual of great magazine covers with custom art and photography, it's obvious I'll never get the same effects with the amateur photos I have to work with!

I've check out some association web sites, but they only show their magazine covers on the web pages -- not the insides. But at least I can look at the way they handle the cover design.

mxh

[terrie]

marlene: I've check out some association web sites, but they only show their magazine covers on the web pages -- not the insides. But at least I can look at the way they handle the cover design.

Do you think any of them might be willing to send you a copy of their mag if you asked?

Terrie

[marlene]

My guess would be that they would only send out copies to potential members. Most associations that I've worked with don't print a lot of extra copies of their periodicals -- sometimes I have trouble even getting sample copies of stuff I've worked on!

mxh