Magazine Design for your business.

Magazines are publications that are usually printed either weekly, monthly, or sometimes quarterly. They contain articles, stories, photographs, advertisements, and other useful information. Usually magazines are designed with a page size that is smaller than that of a newspaper. However, sometimes a client will ask for a custom sized magazine that is oversized. In the corporate world, Magazine Design can be used in a slightly different way and be a great tool to use as a corporate brochure that goes to the next level.

Focusing on your business and industry will provide a deliverable that is unlike anything someone will find at their local bookstore. And now with web content delivery being so simple you can even have it hosted up on your own website in either a viewer format, or a downloadable magazine design which drastically reduces the costs by removing the traditional print aspect. You can also have the best of both worlds and do both! Release the print version to your current and potential clients, and then a few weeks later re-release it to your email contacts and website visitors on your own website.

Like most design jobs, you will need to inform your graphic designer of your corporate identity including company colors, fonts, etc. Next you will need to start gathering articles for your magazine design. It’s not always as easy as it sounds and you want to make sure the articles, guides, or tips that you put into each publication are up to snuff and something your target audience is going to want to read, and continue to read for future issues.

Now you will need to determine the purpose of your magazine design. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself.

• Are you looking for a magazine design geared towards advertising or marketing a product/service?
• Do you want to educate or inform your readers of something?
• Is this magazine for entertainment / social purposes only?
• What mood or tone do you want the magazine to give?
• Who is your target audience?
• Are you looking to design something modern, formal, conventional, sleek or professional looking?

We suggest that you collect and study trade magazines from other businesses and industries. Determine which elements you like and dislike throughout the samples. This will help you with ideas and direction for you own layout.

Now it’s time to start gathering the text for your magazine design. Decide on the necessary information, and arrange the components of your magazine design in order of importance. Sometimes it is easier to do a mock up of the magazine design first to see how your text will layout. Remember, keep it simple.  Include only what is necessary to get your point across. Once the content is provided to your designer, they will have a better feel for the amount of panels that will be needed per page, and the overall size of the publication.

Choosing images for your magazine design is another important step.

Usually the client will provide original images to the designer or stock imagery is purchased. If you are choosing stock imagery the designer can usually help you find good quality images.  One thing to remember with images is resolution.  All imagery should be high resolution which is at least 300 dpi. If you use low resolution images, your results will be soft, blurry, pixilated photos.

Now that text and images have been provided you are ready to decide on the magazine design. There are many options available for magazine design. There are standard layouts as well as unique designs which may include die-cuts or unusual folding. Decide how you plan to distribute your magazine. Will you be handing out copies or mailing them out? Size, paper, color, trimming, folding, special cuts and mailing will greatly affect the overall cost of your magazine design.

Discuss budget with your designer this will help determine your magazine design and mailing options. Your designer can get quotes from various printers so you can see your options.

Once a final layout is decided the designer can begin putting everything together for the client. Usually a designer will send the client a few drafts before everything is finalized and ready for print. Remember to proofread all the text before printing your magazine design.

Finally it’s time to go to print. The designer will send all your files to the printer. Within a few days you will receive a proof. A proof is your final chance to make any edits to you brochure. Once you give the ok to the proof you are going to print. Now you just  have to wait for the final prints from your magazine design to be delivered or PDF to be online.