ART121.starter.pdf

| FEATURE

GET

STARTED

WITH...

MAGAZINE

DESIGN

THINKING ABOUT A CAREER

WHERE YOU COMBINE WORDS

AND PICTURES FOR A WIDER

AUDIENCE? MARK RAMSHAW

LOOKS AT WHAT’S INVOLVED

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esigners, by and large, crave exposure.

And why not? There’s little point

producing art that nobody else gets to

see. Doubtless this is one of the reasons so many

are attracted to the world of magazine

publishing. There aren’t many other digital

design professions that can boast an audience of

anything between ten and 400,000 a month. But

does the reality hold up? Most magazines aren’t

freeform ﬂ ights of artistic fantasy; they’re

designed to appeal to a mainstream audience.

Then there are the deadlines, with many

magazines published monthly or even weekly.

And just how does a magazine designer stand

out from the crowd anyway?

As always when planning your career, it pays

to do a little homework, not only assessing

whether you’ve got what it takes, but which type

of magazine work will suit your skills, tastes and

artistic ideals. After all, there are fundamental

differences between designing for a self-

published magazine, taking on magazine work

for corporate clients, or holding down a designer

post at a major newsstand publisher.

Association, Roddy Llewellyn also holds the

position of senior art editor on this very

magazine. “A BA degree, preferably specialising

in editorial design, is typical for an art editor,” he

explains. “Many publishers will only take on

people educated to this level, although you can

still sometimes work up through the ranks from

an HND. The usual route is to go from designer

to deputy art editor, and then art editor. From

there some might progress to group art editor

and ﬁ nally creative director.”

LABOUR OF LOVE

Llewellyn suggests that it can take a full ﬁ ve

years to reach an art editor position. “Art courses

tend to concentrate on freedom of expression

and experimentation, which is great, but

magazines exist to make money, so many of the

skills required for that kind of design need to be

gained through experience.”

When it comes to job security, this area of

design gets tops marks, and although there’s a

fair bit of competition for the limited number of

art editor positions available at any one

“The relationship between type and image will always be crucial, and many

of the old rules that have been subverted and forgotten still stand. While a

book or poster has a one-hit quality, a magazine design must be enduring

and engaging long-term and a suitable vehicle for a varied range of content”

BEN REECE, Research Studios, www.researchstudios.com

The most obvious and arguably glamorous

magazine-based role is that of an art editor for a

newsstand publication. Whether the job involves

layout for a gossip weekly peppered with

paparazzi photos, an upmarket glossy such as

Wallpaper*, or a cool style bible such as

Marmalade Magazine, this will generally be a

full-time post. Whether at a ﬂ edgling

independent or a large publishing house, the

working conditions will be broadly similar and

the choice of tools fairly standard – you’ll need

to be proﬁ cient in InDesign, QuarkXPress,

Photoshop and Illustrator.

An industry veteran with experience judging

magazine design for the Periodical Publishers

publishing company, talent does tend to rise to

the top, with the better art editors getting the

opportunity to handle prestigious redesigns or

even new magazine launches.

Not that design skills are the only barometer

for success. It may sound obvious, but the ability

to work as part of a team is essential if you’re

looking to carve out a long-term career.

“Magazines rely on communication and

organisation,” agrees Llewellyn. “A successful

magazine is one where the editorial and art

departments work together.”

The relative stability offered by this sort of

work does come at a price, however. Evening

stints in the ofﬁ ce are common on deadline,

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| FEATURE

IDEAS

LITTLE WHITE LIES

www.littlewhitelies.co.uk

The Church Of London Ltd

DAZED & CONFUSED

www.confused.co.uk

Dazed Group

FUSED MAGAZINE

www.fusedmagazine.com

Fused Magazine

ANOTHER MAGAZINE

www.anothermag.com

Dazed Group

Barely out of the starting gate and

already much acclaimed, Little White

Lies may well be the magazine

world’s next big indie success story.

The subject matter – the world of

movies – may be nothing new, but the

visual treatment certainly is. Taking a

new ﬁ lm as the blueprint for the

aesthetic of each issue is a risky

move, but it’s one that is clearly

paying dividends.

On a mission to shine a light on the

burgeoning talent in the British arts,

music, fashion and photography

scene of the early 1990s, Dazed &

Confused was conceived by a team of

London creatives led by Jefferson

Hack and photographer Rankin.

Fifteen years on, its circulation

continues to grow, the awards keep

on coming and the design remains

effortlessly cool.

Launched by Kerry Thomas and David

O’Coy, the Midlands-based Fused

Magazine continues to go from

strength to strength. Close

involvement with the arts and culture

scene helps build the brand, while a

distribution deal with Borders can

only help bring its music-worshipping

wares to an even bigger audience.

By rights a newsstand magazine that

appears only twice a year shouldn’t

build up a faithful following, but since

its launch in September 2001 Another

Magazine has proven rudely

successful. Ostensibly a fashion

magazine, its interviews with A-list

stars give the design team even more

ammunition with which to create

beautifully pristine layouts.

PAPER

A CLOSER LOOK AT

SEVEN STARS OF THE

MAGAZINE WORLD

ABOVE AND RIGHT: Recently

launched Hi-Fructose focuses

on underground art, technology,

and collectable toys, and its

innovative design reﬂ ects the

irreverent topics, tone and title

ABOVE: Artwear creators Sketchel provide ample ammunition for Fused magazine’s designers to

create a visually arresting spread. The magazine design (inset) is becoming ever-more inventive

and with many publications hitting newsstands

every month, or with even greater frequency,

burnout can be a problem. And then there’s the fact

that commercial pressures mean newsstand

magazines tend to be quite soberly designed.

“The two imperative rules for successful

magazine design are that type must be easy to read,

and the magazine should be simple to navigate,”

says Llewellyn. “So while magazine work can be

creatively restrictive, it’s for a good reason.”

Not that sober has to equal dull (although many

publishers have a number of less than glamorous

magazines in their portfolio, and somebody has to

design them). Since the heyday of Raygun, The

Face and Arena, even mainstream magazines

embrace a degree of visual experimentation. But

it’s crucial to remember that the art team is there

to serve the editorial staff, and not vice versa.

self-publishing. That way you really do get to take

full charge, shaping every aspect of the magazine’s

appearance. And if it proves successful you also

reap all the rewards.

“We’ve seen the evolution of the fanzine and

many well-produced and well-sponsored indie-

looking publications, such as Marmalade Magazine,

which has given a new creative outlet for young

designers, but it’s still possible to produce

independent, non (or less) commercial publications

that concentrate more on niche interests,” observes

Ben Reece at Research Studios.

The Tender Trio, created by artists Stephen

Kelleher (aka Frankenstyles), Brian Coldrick and

Christian Reeves, is an example of one such

WORDS RULE

“The editorial should always be the star,” stresses

Sacha Spencer Trace, art director at the visually

striking Marmalade Magazine. “Balancing editorial

with design is deﬁ nitely a tightrope, but ultimately

the design only exists to seduce people into reading

the articles. If you don’t have a love of the printed

word then this isn’t the job for you.”

If the notion of a steady salary and a career

working behind a desk that belongs to somebody

else doesn’t appeal, then you might want to consider

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FEATURE |

GET

FIVE STEPS TO

FONT HEAVEN

STAR

M-REAL

www.jbcp.co.uk

John Brown Citrus Publishing

WALLPAPER*

www.wallpaper.com

IPC Media Ltd

WIRE

www.thewire.co.uk

The Wire Magazine Ltd

WHETHER YOU’RE DESIGNING A

NEW LAUNCH OR WORKING ON A

REDESIGN, IT PAYS TO REMEMBER

THAT WORDS AREN’T JUST A

MINOR INCONVENIENCE

M-Real is a twice-yearly publication

created by John Brown for paper

company M-Real. Showcasing the

company’s brand, products and

services, it’s mailed to publishing

creatives around the globe.

Impressing such an audience time

and again can’t be easy, but a Best

Magazine Design win at the recent

APA awards highlights just how well

it rises to the occasion.

Given the positioning of that asterisk,

it comes as little surprise to ﬁ nd that

Wallpaper* itself is a meticulously

designed affair. But the self-styled

bible for the best in architecture,

industrial design, entertaining and

travel surprises by also regularly

proving to be a visually stimulating

creation. Typography, photography

and white space have rarely been

deployed with such care.

Around in one form or another since

1982, The Wire’s freshness can be

attributed to a staff buyout some six

years ago. It’s also evolved from a

magazine primarily focusing on the

jazz scene to one that embraces

music in all its forms (though with a

penchant for the sounds to be found

on the roads less travelled). Fantastic

design compliments some of the best

music journalism around.

WITH

1. START WITH THE TITLE

This is the ﬁ rst thing that gets read.

Your magazine logo needs to be eye-

catching and memorable, without

resorting to illegibility. Bear in mind

that it must be readable from a

distance, and also when partially

obscured by other publications on

the newsstand shelves.

MAGA

2. CONSIDER CONTEXT

Remember when deploying

different serif or san serif typefaces

that each possesses more than

basic visual attributes. Choice of

font can make a magazine article

appear elegant, formal, relaxed, and

so on. Try to choose fonts that suit

the magazine’s subject matter.

DESIG

ABOVE: theBite (right) is

published in the Middle East

and designed in the UK by Roger

Fawcett-Tang at Struktur Design,

publishers of Sketchel (above)

3. GET FEEDBACK

Fonts can provoke an emotional

response. You may even ﬁ nd that

certain fonts appeal more to

different age groups or sexes. It

makes sense, therefore, to show

designs to a sample audience that

reﬂ ects your intended readership.

ABOVE: We try to keep the core design of LWLies slick and clean, so

the themes that each ﬁ lm introduces don’t stop readers from knowing

what magazine they’re reading,” says art director Rob Longworth

publication. “I had the idea of putting out a free

graphic magazine with them simply because I love

their work and wanted us to work on a project

together,” says Kelleher. “It had no real aim other

than to showcase our different styles and hopefully

get a bit of noise going in the city.”

With no manifesto and no apparent market,

ﬁ nding sponsorship proved troublesome, but the trio

weren’t deterred: “After a series of knock-backs we

decided to fund it exclusively, pay for everything out

of our own pockets, because we believed in it. I

knew from looking at the likes of Faesthetic that it

would be popular and stand out if only for the fact

that there were no adverts and scarcely any

information – just an e-mail address. The public

reacted, hooked-in by the mystery element and

appreciation of the effort I guess, and we received

great feedback and even a few commissions!”

The only problem, Kelleher concedes, is that the

lack of income from the project means it’s likely to

remain an infrequently published sideline. “But it

does enable us to try different things and unite

artistically,” he adds. “I would deﬁ nitely recommend

this kind of self-publishing as a good way to

broaden a portfolio, develop personal work, and

inspire and engender a creative atmosphere.”

In Hong Kong, design studio Milkxhake has been

lucky enough to ﬁ nd backing for new publication

The Very First Magazine 2006. Created in

collaboration with paper company Antalis, the

magazine enjoys a limited run of 1,000 copies per

issue. Milkxhake’s arrangement with Antalis has

made it possible to create a magazine free from

commercial restraints, resulting in an enticingly

artistically-led publication without any of the usual

ﬁ nancial burden or associated risks. And like The

Tender Trio, The Very First Magazine 2006 is also

run as a side project – Milkxhake also devotes time

to commercial ventures.

For some, though, the idea of self-publishing as a

sideline isn’t enough. Self-publishing with the aim

of earning a living is perhaps the most

4. BE CONSISTENT

Try to work with a limited palette of

font types and sizes. Create rules for

font usage and element grouping

and then stick to them. This

repetition will make the reader feel

more comfortable and help the

layout become quickly familiar.

5. GIVE EQUAL BILLING

Try to remember the rule of thirds,

aiming for a balance between text,

imagery and white space. Be

generous with margins, line

spacing, kerning, and don’t get

carried away with colour.

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| FEATURE

PROJECT FOCUS:

MARMALADE MAGAZINE

ART DIRECTOR SACHA SPENCER TRACE ON WHY PUBLISHING MUST BE MORE

THAN AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART

“We launched Marmalade Magazine three years

ago. From the beginning it was conceived as a

business, rather than an affair of the heart. We

had backers, a business plan, and almost three

years of market research to identify a market –

focusing on the DIY generation, people who have

become fed up with consumerism and are now

more into the idea of making their own stuff.

“I never actually set out to become the

designer, it just happened after getting positive

feedback for the mock-ups I put together. In fact

I’d never designed anything in my life, although I

am very visual and don’t really believe in the idea

of restricting yourself to one medium. I

graduated from Central Saint Martins and

worked ﬁ rst as an animator and then a fashion

photographer before ending up on a magazine.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet Neville Brody,

and he’s become a really good mentor, and Robin

Derrick, creative director at British Vogue, has

been really supportive.

“We’re now selling 50,000 copies every issue.

We want that to keep growing, with the aim of

launching further titles, too.”

ABOVE: “We wanted an eye-catching design, so came up with the idea

of taking a sort of 3D approach,” says Sacha Spencer Trace. “Too much

theory becomes paralysing, and many magazines suffer as a result”

URL: www.marmalademag.com

ABOVE: Created by John Brown Citrus Publishing for paper company M-Real, the M-Real magazine is

both a showcase for the client’s paper and a communication tool. The design changes every issue

ABOVE: The Very First Magazine 2006 is funded by a paper company and designed by Milkxhake.

“The idea is to mix the concepts of a calendar, magazine and visual diary,” says Javin Mo

attractive option of all. But then it’s also the

riskiest, effectively requiring the creation of a brand

new business to power the venture. It’s not

something to be undertaken lightly, but for a few

initial pointers see the ‘Self-publishing for proﬁ t’

box on the opposite page.

comes with the Saturday edition of The Times

newspaper. It’s recently been given a makeover

by Research Studios.

“The studio has a long relationship with the

broadsheet press, ironically mainly through our

work designing the Guardian website, though we’ve

also worked in the past on the Life and Review

sections of the Observer and branding for Die

Woche,” explains Ben Reece. “Neville [Brody] has

also art directed The Face and Arena.”

Despite such formidable credentials, Research

Studios does surprisingly little magazine work.

Reece suggests this is less a conscious decision and

more a reﬂ ection of the fact that the studio avoids

pigeonholing by never developing or reproducing

any one particular style. “While we’re often

employed to do experimental branding and

concepts, everyone here enjoys applying themselves

to a piece of design where strict attention to detail

in typography and logical grids will create an

outstanding piece of work,” he adds.

Over at creative design agency Deep, co-director

Grant Bowden estimates that commissions from

contract magazine publishers account for some 20

per cent of the studio’s output. He says this is due in

part to the limited budgets often associated with

contract magazines. “But we do intend to keep our

hand in,” he stresses. “It’s deﬁ nitely one of the most

enjoyable types of project we get to work on.”

Bowden says that the studio tends to work for

publishers, who in turn pitch for the contracts to

publish corporate magazines: “It’s quite a

competitive area. These magazines tend to be

funded through advertising, so some publishers

even pay corporations for the right to publish. This

level of competition means that the design is an

CONTRACT PUBLISHING

Designing magazines for paying clients arguably

offers the best of both worlds. It may offer less glory

than self-publishing, and less security than

employment at a publisher, but it still facilitates a

degree of autonomy, often allows for greater

creative expression than newsstand magazine work,

and has the potential to be very lucrative indeed.

Jobs can range from one-off design commissions

to contracts for regular design work, and may be

focused on anything from a magazine distributed

in-house to staff at a blue-chip company through to

glossies read by millions. An example of one such

publication is T2, the magazine supplement that

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