Designing your magazine can be a lot of fun. If you are doing it for the first time, it can be challenging too. If you are planning to make a magazine, this article will be a good guide for you to understand how you can design your magazine from end to end.
Magazines are fun to read, visually pleasing, and are a great platform to market products and services. Follow this post to know how to make a magazine in a few simple steps.
Steps to make your magazine
- Choose a topic: Having a catchy subject is the most essential for a magazine. Choose a topic that is in sync with your area of expertise and area of interest of the target audience. The topic can be anything from music, travel, health, fashion, or interior decoration. If you have deep knowledge of that topic, you will better engage with the readers.
- Pick a title: The title you choose must be short, crisp, and catchy. While selecting a title, you should aim to create a brand that leaves a mark on the readers.
- Decide the cover article: The cover article of every magazine receives maximum attention. In a travel magazine, the cover article could be a highlight or topic discussed in detail in the magazine.
- Find a cover image: Wondering what a compelling magazine cover is? Your cover page should have the most attractive elements at the top and center. A good rule is to divide the page into a 3X3 grid and plan the placement of various elements around these grids.
- Design the masthead: The masthead defines the brand. All known magazines like Time, Vogue, Forbes, Autocar have unique mastheads. It is good to use the same font in all your editions to create a consistent brand. You may play with the colors depending on the background. You may choose to have the masthead either in front of your cover image or behind it.
- Write the articles: Readers who return to read the magazine and follow the editions do so for the content. Depending on the scope of your magazine, you may have to spend a few weeks to months on content creation.
- Add the graphics: Cover image is not the only graphic needed for a good magazine, you also need interesting and attractive graphics and photos throughout the magazine. Graphics attract the readers visually and draw them to read the magazine. You can search for high-quality images on the internet, make sure you do not pick ones that lead to infringement issues.
- Choose a few feature articles: Besides the cover article, you should highlight a few more articles on the cover. Pick the ones that will be of the highest interest to the readers. You can also add the page numbers so that readers know where to find the article that interests them. A handy trick is to select the articles with the best quality research or are the longest.
- Use thumbnails: If you are creating an e-magazine you should place thumbnails such that the images stand out while complementing the background.
- Create the table of contents: Once you have collated all the articles and respective graphics, you should build a table of contents. This is essential for the convenience of readers.
- Design the back page: An attractive back page is as important as the cover and can be used for advertisements.
- Printing tips: If you are creating a printed magazine, keep in mind the below aspects:
- Quality of paper: Magazines must be printed on glossy paper for the best quality of graphics. Consult a professional service provider involved in promotional item printing for advice on the most suitable paper.
- Layout: Double-check the layout to ensure it is as per your expectations. Once printing begins, changes will be an expensive affair.
- Add a full-bleed: A bleed is like a wide margin that is trimmed during printing. Adding a bleed helps ensure there are no blank edges.
With these simple steps, you will be able to make your magazine. In the process, you will experience satisfaction with the creative work and save a lot of money.
