Minnesota Magazine & Publications Association 2009 Summit & Expo
May 21–22

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.

1. Conversation. The problem with a print-only publication is that the conversation is primarily one-way. The writers and editors publish information for the audience; the audience reads and rarely responds. Even when people write in to the editor, it is not a conversation but a response. Taking your publication online allows you to build your reader community by encouraging them to participate in the conversation via social-networking functions such as commenting.
2. Time. There is no way that print can keep up with the speed of interactive media. You may want to create a digital publication that allows the audience to subscribe to a feed so the content can be streamed to an application like Google Reader or My Yahoo Reader. This is the new new delivery.
3. Cost. With the rising cost of paper and postage, you might want to consider downsizing your print publication and focusing instead on creating a robust interactive counterpart. Farewell Christian Science Monitor print version.
4. Exposure. Searchability, sharing, and social networking can build exposure for your publication and organization. This is especially important for circulation-based publications that rely on large readerships. Embrace the wisdom-of-crowds theory. Just ask those Threadless guys.
5. Analysis. Ever wonder what content your readers are finding most interesting? Previously that question could only be answered through market research techniques such as direct mail and focus groups, both of which can be costly. A well-developed companion website allows you to view the user activity and make adjustments based on real data, not vague survey questions.

Step 1. Define why you need to redesign Is your publication meeting reader expectations? Are the design and editorial working as a cohesive package? Is there new direction driven by the editor to be considered? Are there budgetary concerns? Assess the publication from the point of view of all departments: editorial, design, advertising, and circulation.

Step 2. Get Everyone’s Buy-in A successful redesign comes from positive collaboration. Work with all pertinent departments to develop a plan to achieve your goals.

Step 3. Complete Market Research Find out who your readers are. What other magazines and newspapers are they reading? What Web sites and blogs are they visiting? What TV shows do they watch?

Step 4. Determine the Scope of the Redesign Based on the scope of the project, what’s the best way to execute the redesign? Are you looking at minor changes or a complete overhaul? Can you execute the redesign in-house or do you need to outsource it?

Step 5. Set a Schedule and Commit to a Launch Date Whether you do the redesign in-house or outsource it, you will need time to review the design with your staff. There will be lots of back and forth, so be sure to set a realistic timetable to accommodate input from all interested parties.

Now you are ready to kick off the actual process…

Attend the Folio 2008 conference in Chicago, Ill., to hear what happens next. Creative Director Kelly McMurray will lead the session titled “The Six Steps to a Successful Magazine Redesign” on September 23 at 9:45 a.m. Visit Folio Show for more information and to register. Can’t make it? Email me, and I’ll send you a copy of the lecture.

So why is it that we constantly hear about the tension between art and edit when there should be understanding? The creative goal is the same—to create a successful publication that is the product of a collaboration between art and edit. To determine how this relationship can work more effectively, I asked talented editors I have worked with to provide insight. In a nutshell, the answer is respect.

“Editors have to learn that 50 percent of the success of an article/magazine is the packaging/presentation. You need to capture a reader’s attention with both words and images. I think most editors have a tough time understanding that. In turn, I think art directors have to realize that editors are under tremendous pressure to make the magazine work. Ultimately, it is the editor job that is on the line if a mistake is made or a magazine isn’t successful.” —Rob Vosper, Former Editor, InsideCounsel

“Number 1: Respect. This is hugely important. The editor should think of the art director as a collaborator, not simply as a technician who is there to serve the editor’s desires. Number 2: Confidence. The editor must have confidence in his/her own taste in visual matters. Enough confidence, in fact, that he/she can give guidance without micromanaging. The editor must also have confidence that the art director will pay attention to the actual content of the stories. Editors have their failings; we all know that. So do art directors, one of which is to fail to pay detailed enough attention to what the articles actually say. If art directors want to be collaborators, and they should, they need to dig in sufficiently when it comes to designing the magazine.” —John Benditt, President, DrivingWheel Consulting

“My experience has taught me that the best magazines consider the design and edit process to be hand-in-hand. We inadvertently handicap our design team when we don’t bring them into the thinking early enough in the editorial process. I think it’s crucial to not think of the design team as a “service” to the edit function, but rather a partner. That makes all the difference in the world. —Karen Dillon, Deputy Editor, Harvard Business Review

“Both sides need to value the other’s contributions and concerns. The best professionals are both word and visual people. That’s what this job entails, after all, not just one or the other.” —Jane Buchbinder, freelance editor

“I see the role of art director as a translator, as someone who can convey images onto a page, bringing alive and enhancing the words. I think it’s important to approach the relationship as a negotiated one, with the editor suggesting why something doesn’t work, either from a visual or content point of view.” —June Erlick, Editor-in-Chief, ReVista, the Harvard Review of Latin America

Beyond the Redesign
1. Ongoing Consultation. Expectations for after the completion of the project should have been established at the onset of the process. Once that first issue is off the presses, what role will the design firm play? Consider setting up an ongoing agreement for at least the first few issues. No matter how thorough a redesign is, there may still be details that need to be addressed. Having the design firm review pages for design- related issues is always a good idea. Another solution, depending on staffing and financial resources, is that you may decide to outsource the design entirely.

2. Additional Resources. Don’t limit the design firm’s role to only design. Based on how the new design is being implemented, you may find that you have to make some staff changes. Consider working with the design firm to recommend candidates, review portfolios, and consult on the design for a smooth transition.

3. Keep in touch. Communicate about competition entries and press coverage to make the most of your relaunch.

The Redesign
1. Planning and creative strategy. Kick the project off with an in-depth meeting to review mission, audience, advertisers, circulation, distribution, products, current design, goals of redesign. The design firm needs as much information as possible to create a successful design. Do not rush this meeting. Take time and make sure all of the key players are in attendance.

2. Redesign process. This is one of the hardest points of the process for the client and the most rewarding for the design firm. The publication team has done its work: researched and interviewed design firms; selected a firm; gathered and prepared materials noted above; and held an in-depth strategy meeting. Now it is time to let go and let the design firm do its job.

3. Presentation expectations. When it’s time to review designs, make sure the significant components of your publication (logotype, cover, table of contents, departments, columns, anything that is unique to your publication) are included in the initial presentation. This information should have been clarified in the Request for Proposal so there is no miscommunication.

4. Deliverables. After the design has been reviewed, revised, and finalized, the design firm will create templates with style and color palettes and an in-depth style guide—these are must-haves at the completion of a redesign. Do not cut corners and accept only designed pages that the in-house design team to decipher.

5. Launch issue. To ensure the most complete redesign, work with your redesign firm for at least the first issue of the redesign. If budget allows have them design the first issue as an off-site art department so they can work through any last-minute, unexpected details. At minimum, have the firm review PDFs during the design process to ensure that the templates and style guide are being followed appropriately.