Magazine Design—Designing a Magazine

Designed by Artform

A magazine’s design should reflect its content and targeted audience. Designing a magazine requires some research so that the magazine’s final look is unique and consistent with its mission. 

  

 Hudson Magazine was launched approximately 3 years ago as a bi-monthly publication that featured high-end home and garden products and services geared to the sophisticated residents of the Hudson Valley in New York, and the surrounding areas of Westchester and Connecticut.  Of course, Manhattan’s design centers were a very important resource for the magazine. After studying the existing publications in the area, the designers decided on a clean and uncluttered look—well organized with a crisp layout that was easy on the eyes and soothing to the senses. Lots of white space and a minimal amount of color, other than the photography, would dominate the pages. Wider margins and ample leading were just some of the ways to make the pages appear light and airy, yet remain visually exciting to keep the reader’s attention. Even the choice to use a very white satin-finish stock would add to its fresh and crisp design.

Designing a Magazine Masthead

Designed by Artform

Designing a masthead brands the magazine even before turning to the first page to get a glimpse of the inside. The name is just as important as the graphic treatment—and it needs to grab attention as it sits next to all the other publications on the newsstands.  

 

Hudson Home & Garden was the original title for Hudson Magazine. As the name was somewhat long, the designers chose to split the name into two lines with the emphasis on “Hudson,” while keeping in mind the importance of  “Home & Garden.” Matching the design of the masthead to the clean, sophisticated look of the magazine was imperative. Two fonts with varying weights created a classic yet modern effect. Font colors changed to complement the cover image.  

The decision to change the name from Hudson Home & Garden to Hudson Magazine was a marketing decision based on the need to expand the focus of the editorial coverage and advertising to include design and luxury resources along with home and garden. To achieve a strong graphic look, the designers used a condensed font to maximize the use of space from left to right, as well as top to bottom. A lighter font in the same family was selected for “Magazine” to offset the strength of “Hudson” and create tension, resulting in a bold balanced design. 

 

Designing the Contents and Editor’s Note

Designed by Artform

The magazine uses a very clean design template throughout starting with the Contents page and Editor’s Note.

  

 Hudson Magazine’s Contents page was set up in a two-column format of equal widths. Photos were placed on the left side, the Contents on the right. Mixing  two fonts, serif and sans-serif  in varying weights and sizes gave balance and emphasis where needed. Color was applied to the word “Contents” to offset the black type and the minimal use of photography.

  

 The Editor’s Note followed a similar two-column layout with a wider right-hand side column to accommodate the editor’s note. A drop cap added interest to the text.

Designing A Magazine Spread

Designed by Artform

Readers are always looking for the latest  product releases. Interior designers, architects, and consumers use these resources for ideas and inspiration.  

  

In each issue of Hudson Magazine, “InVogue”  features the latest product releases from designers and manufacturers. “InVogue” serves as a runway for many designers and showrooms in the A & D Building, the D & D Building, and the New York Design Center in Manhattan. In this layout, the descriptive copy was set in a single narrow column with numerals to link text to the images. Lots of white space creates an uncluttered look to give emphasis to the products.

 

The “What’s New” department section follows the editorial calendar schedule and focuses on a specific product group (in this issue, Outdoor Style took center stage).  In this layout, two different column widths are used maximizing the white space in the center drawing readers to the featured products. A combination of  two fonts in varying weights and sizes, thin hairlines, numerals, and a drop cap add interest to the layout. 

 

Templates are not used in the ”Catalog” section. Each photo is treated as a single design element. This gives the designers more freedom when deciding on the placement and size of the images. Square halftones juxtapose silhouettes to create a well-balanced design.

Magazine Editorial Layout

 Designed by Artform

The copy has been approved. The next task is to combine the text with the graphics into a design layout that conveys the content effectively and captures the reader’s imagination and attention.

 

These Hudson Magazine editorial layouts specifically follow a clean, esthetic design consistent with the magazine’s overall look. The handling of the headline, subtitle, tagline, text, author’s name, initial caps, pull quotes, and sidebar is fairly consistent. The treatment of the images and number of columns vary to maintain interest and diversity.