The purpose of publication redesign is not only to improve the look of the magazine and to correct existing technical problems, but also to make 75% of the design decisions up front. Format, color, typography, styles — these decisions will be addressed during the redesign. This takes the burden off of the ongoing production process and allows the designer of the magazine to invest time in image selection, illustrations, charts/graphs and design concepts that make each issue unique and appropriate to the subject matter.

At its simplest, our goal in publication design is to strike a balance between stunning visual elements and clear communication, both crucial qualities when designing stories for a niche market . Our designers read and understand each story in order to select the highest quality images to illustrate concepts, to create intuitive designs that make navigating the magazine second nature, and to constantly develop innovative ways to add interest to the written aspects of the magazine.

Our style is based on strong elements featuring bold color and high contrast. In the current arena of communications there are a lot of messages competing for a reader’s attention and it is our job to garner that attention through design. In addition to vibrant visual choices we focus our attention on the overall structure of the magazine. Two often missed aspects of print design are scale and pacing. The visual hierarchy of a printed page is critical to a reader’s instinctive understanding of the content before them, and the visual hierarchy of the overall magazine is critical to understanding how articles relate to one another. It is our job as designers to organize elements in such a way that readers instantly relate to the content.

We also help to develop entry points within the magazine. Pull quotes, sidebars, factoids, and crossover elements (content that link readers from print to web or vice versa)—these are all elements we develop and deploy. The design process will take into consideration the physical production of the magazine including the size of the magazine, the stock it is printed on, and additional print techniques that will enhance the appearance.

Redesign Process

Our redesign process breaks down to a series of five stages:

Discovery

THOR leads an intake session with the editorial team to gather intelligence surrounding requirements, goals, and general preferences for the project. We look at aspirational magazines from which we can glean general ideas for an aesthetic. We also discuss competitors and trends to search for ways to best appeal to readers. The end result is a focused set of goals for the redesign and an understanding of the overall design vision for the magazine.

‍Preliminary Design

We produce a set of visual design samples based upon our Discovery findings. Included within these comps are typically:‍

Magazine cover; new nameplate (logo), new placement of elements, consideration of new photography or illustration style, strategic upgrades to promote overall reader engagement.‍

Department and Features; new layouts based on updated use of the document grid. Pacing is a key focus of this effort and creating a connected but distinct appearance for features/departments is at the top of the list.‍

Typography; we examine and make suggestions for new typography throughout the magazine with a focus on high readability and a modern appearance appropriate to the subject matter.‍

Entry points; new elements are added throughout the magazine to create greater reader engagement. Methods for creating connections between the print edition, online content, and promotional materials are examined.‍

Architecture: We present an overall assessment of the magazine structure with a focus on content organization that appeals to readers. This phase includes a collaboration with the editors to discuss adjustments to content.

‍Refine Design

‍After the editorial team has reviewed the initial designs and provided feedback, we begin to refine the designs until they are considered final. This occurs over a series of 2-3 revision rounds

‍Expand Design

At the end of the refining rounds, we have a clear sense of the overall design of the new publication. At this time we apply the approved design to all remaining aspects of the magazine and develop the necessary templates to build a complete issue of the publication on an ongoing basis.

‍Implementation

We use material from a real issue of the publication to test our work ahead of introducing the new design into the production schedule. We use this time to refine the small details of the design and reflect those changes in the templates, including ad placements for magazines that accept advertising. And a better designed magazine drives more advertising revenue.

Contact us to discuss your magazine. Even if it’s a shambles. We can fix it.