During this one-day seminar will we will discuss the issues faced when creating publications. Multiple sessions will address the importance of respect between edit and design, and how that respect leads to a successful, audience-focused publication. The wrap-up will include troubleshooting—working with less-than-perfect imagery, no-so-exciting editorial, and page-invading advertising.
Minnesota Magazine & Publications Association 2009 Summit & Expo
May 21–22
The current economy is not a fun topic, especially if you’re in publishing. Every day, it seems, publications are being shut down and people are being laid off. If you’re lucky enough to still have a job, you’re probably struggling with a slashed budget. But there is a positive in all of this—getting back to your creative roots. Below are some simple things you can do to shake up your designs that won’t take a cent out of your budget
1. Design and Edit. There is nothing as powerful as a layout that has a well-conceived connection between edit and art. Work closely with your editors to connect the story to the design. An evocative headline and descriptive deck should capture the reader and round out the visual elements.
2. Typography. Explore typographic solutions to a design. Look at pushing the limits of your type palette—roman, bold, italic, all caps, all lowercase, large, small, serif and sans serif combined. Play around. And if you’re looking for a unique headline font, there are hundreds of beautiful, well-designed fonts to choose from. Two of our favorite foundries are Font Bureau and Hoefler & Frère-Jones.
3. Design Basics. Scale. Cropping. Negative space. You may not have used these terms since college, but getting back to basics can bring new life to your designs.
4. Imagery. Rules, boxes, dingbats, and graphic forms can illustrate concepts and help create dynamic designs. And while you don’t want to replace professional-quality photography completely, there are some budget-conscious ways to add imagery to your layouts: Consider creating your own images. Combine a selection of photos to make an energetic collage (check out New York magazine’s Party Lines section as an example). If your department has a good digital camera, you can shoot still-life photographs to act as backdrops for your designs. Placing items directly on your scanner can lead to interesting results as well.
5. Color. Last but not least, color can add richness and meaning to a design. Expand the application of your publication’s color palette to keep the pages fresh and inviting. Look at working with colors that have a similar value range so the design doesn’t become like a rainbow. Stay away from introducing new colors, or you will end up expanding your palette too much and watering down your publication’s brand.
We have returned from our speaking engagement at the Parenting Publications of America (PPA) annual convention. We enjoyed spending time with a passionate group of editors, publishers, and designers all focused on creating successful publications for parents. Watch an abridged version of our two-part presentation “Implementing a Design Strategy” in slideshare format.
This issue’s critique is of the January 2009 issue of Birmingham Parent, sent in by Art Director Hilary Moreno.
The image of the child is cute, and the cover has a nice composition, but my first impression is that the image feels forced. A child with glasses for an article about reading looks contrived—do only children with glasses read? When it comes to the structure of the cover information, there are some issues. The box for the insert feels like it’s floating and would have been more successful if it was tucked into a corner. The remaining cover lines are organized to give the impression that they are related articles instead of unique stories. Finally, all of the information surrounding the logo needs to be better resolved. The tagline, date, and website treatments are busy, while the four small sunbursts are overkill. One, at a legible size, would have been enough.
If you’re interested in having your cover critiqued for the next issue, please email us a PDF. First come, first served.
In our last issue of 2connect, we reviewed five reasons to take your publication online. Once you make the decision to take your publication online, you need to consider the design, content, and usability of the site. What works in print might not work online. Accept the interactivity of the web environment and design for it—not against it.
1. Design. The design vision should be maintained as you translate the publication from print to web. Hold true to the type, color, and image directions. Resist the temptation to use new colors just because you can. Stay away from all those “shiny new web 2.0 toys” if they are not part of your original design strategy.
2. Content. It is crucial to present content in a manner that is accessible and takes advantage of the digital medium. Since reading onscreen is not the preferred choice for most readers, text should be written succinctly. Multiple images in print should be converted to a slideshow with text captions or a video.
3. Usability. The experience of reading a magazine is well defined. Readers either go through in a sequential manner or flip through the pages, stopping when something catches their interest. Reading online is a very different experience. The sequence of the reading order is determined by the user, not the designer or editor as in a print publication. Clear navigation is crucial to the success of the user experience. The readability of the type and the clarity of the images are also major factors. Sound design principles, whether it’s for print or web, are essential.
Attend the PPA conference in New Orleans to learn more about design strategies for print and web. Creative directors Kelly McMurray and Chris St. Cyr will lead the session titled “Implementing a Design Strategy.”
This issue’s critique is of the December 2008 cover of Sport Aerobatics, sent in by Art Director Phil Norton.
The photograph of the woman zooming above the water, smiling up at us, is completely engaging. The tight crop increases the impact of an already dynamic photo and creates a sense of curiosity of what will happen next. There are some concerns about legibility of the logo, but knowing that this is a subscription-based publication, the art director has more flexibility than if it were a newsstand publication.
