Magazine layout 101

I've worked in most areas of graphic design at some point: small agencies with big clients; big agencies with boring clients; print-based; web-based. I freelanced for a few years in search of somewhere to settle down. I've always loved magazines and, despite a lot of designers berating the lack of creativity involved in making a magazine, I've found it one of the most consistently entertaining areas of design to work in.

Working with a close team who find new, exciting stories to cover, and laying out interesting content to show your readers, is exciting. The monthly build-up to press day and the satisfaction of seeing the end result on the shelf are the reasons I settled in this field of design. The biggest thrill is knowing that people choose to buy the product you're making.

I've had to avoid using a big feature for this tutorial, as the photos used are rights managed and people would have demanded large sums of money to reprint them here. This also includes any illustrations and images bought from photo agencies. I will use a generic news page with a five different stories on it. The images on these pages are generally promo shots sent by the companies involved, or things we've shot in-house.

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