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Topic: Magzine re-design - need advice, resources
| Author | Message |
| Pen_Syl | Posted – 1/29/2008 6:31:39 PM | show profile Hello, I'm a writer/editor, but I've been given the task of "project managing" our publication's re-design. Our production staff is tiny and rather inexperienced. Is there a resource out there that will tell me how many words per page if I use certain parameters like page dimensions, font type and size, etc. ? Also -- does anyone know of an article or book regarding "Trends in Magazine Design," etc. ?? Finally -- I need help coming up with template ideas!! We have a shoestring budget and are very stingy with our page count, so lots of white space and huge illustrations are kind of out of the question. Where can I look for inspiration/direction? Thanks in advance! Sylvia |
| Letterbox | Posted – 1/29/2008 7:28:04 PM | show profile It seems to me the best thing you can do is hire an experienced designer to redesign the first issue. He or she can then set up a template so it can be updated by your staff. Then use the designer as a consultant to troubleshoot. Trying to design out of a book sounds risky and possibly very expensive. It's easier to have a fixed design that you can work out of as opposed to designing from scratch every month. And as your staff matures, they can break out of the design and be adventurous. |
| paludi | Posted – 1/29/2008 7:46:17 PM | show profile You need a publication designer! Sylvia, its best if things like words per page counts come out of a decision between design and editorial about what the magazine is going to be and what is going to primarily drive the look--ie. is there art that will be featured throughout or will it be mostly text-driven, will there be big intros and splashy features, or are you striving for something more like a journal. After you address things like this, its easier to know how to pace the publication, and in turn, determine appropriate word counts. I have been through many redesigns and would love to help out if you need it (I live for this stuff, actually) Don't worry about your budget--will work for food (or drink) if you like. You can view my bio, contact info and samples at pauldimattia.com Thanks, Paul |
| darkfire | Posted – 1/30/2008 10:58:22 AM | show profile Find some help. I've designed and redesigned a number of books, and it's no small task. Also, it may be necessary to tell the powers that be that certain things just can't be accomplished well without investing some resources. (What they put it in is what they'll get out.) |
| AWC | Posted – 1/30/2008 11:20:27 AM | show profile Unless your in-house staff is very experienced (which you say they are not), you should not attempt to do this alone. You definitely need help from professional designers who specialize in this sort of project. You should follow the advice posted above: hire a professional designer to build templates for your first re-designed issue that your own in-house staff can update going forward. As far as resources, you might want to look at the website and publications from the Society of Publication Designers (www.spd.org). |
| Hanschak | Posted – 1/30/2008 11:25:08 AM | show profile I agree with all the responses. Imagine if the publisher handed the art director the task of managing a review of the publication's editorial direction. At the least, you could probably find someone who would help you pro-bono if you made a decent case for it, esp. in this market. |
| ConfidentDesigner | Posted – 1/30/2008 11:28:10 AM | show profile This is VERY important to the success of your publication going forward so spend the money and hire a professional who has a background in this area. Expect to spend from $10-30K for a comprehensive redesign, $5-8K for some basic templates and moderations on your current style. If a designer is charging you less than that, you're not getting the value. Invest the money. You won't be sorry. |
| Pen_Syl | Posted – 1/30/2008 5:07:44 PM | show profile Everyone -- I appreciate your replies -- BUT: The publication is run by a non-profit (sorry I didn't make this clear earlier. ) Circulation is members-only, nor are we ad-driven. Therefore, we have a shoestring budget (which I mentioned). There is absolutely NO money to hire a contractor. Our staff is small (and overworked), and somewhat inexperienced, but they are talented. They just need a little direction, and I've been elected to give that to them. So -- back to my original question, please. Are there any books, publications or websites that I can turn to for a little knowledge and inspiration? thanks, Sylvia |
| Letterbox | Posted – 1/30/2008 9:19:33 PM | show profile Talent only goes so far The thing is that I've never really seen a book that teaches all the things you need to know to be a good print designer. It was mostly OJT for me under the wing of experienced designers. You might end up spending way, way more money to correct technical mistakes and/or reprint on top of being late. The more extravagant the design, the more issues that can come up. I hate to say that I've seen this happen a few times. I was called in for a consult, deemed to expensive and called in on a rush a month later to redo the redesign on a rush. |
| Letterbox | Posted – 1/30/2008 9:30:59 PM | show profile That said, if you want examples of pub design just go to your local bookstore and pick up Communication Arts and Print. Both have annual pub design issues. I think SPD (Society of Publication Designers) puts out an annual. |
| ConfidentDesigner | Posted – 1/31/2008 12:11:04 PM | show profile Pen_Syl- Good luck! |
| ConfidentDesigner | Posted – 1/31/2008 12:16:11 PM | show profile That said...ask yourself the question: Would you hire a car mechanic to take out your spleen? Not to sound flippant but seriously, good publication design is very valuable, as you're discovering. We in the business have worked hard, paid lots of money for an education (as you have to become an editor, for example) and all we ask is to be paid a fair wage. If I were you, I would contact a local college that has a good design program and see if one of the professors would like to take your project on as a class assignment. Or, if you are a non profit, perhaps you can ask for a grant to pay for this or get a donor to sponsor the project. I used to work for a non profit and we asked for that all the time...and got it. |
| paludi | Posted – 1/31/2008 12:18:28 PM | show profile Sylvia--The offer still stands; if you are anywhere near the NYC area, I would be happy to do this pro-bono for you in whatever capacity you choose. I do a number of pro-bono projects each year and would be glad to take on another, epecially during this time of year which is often slow for me. My info is above if you are interested. Thanks, Paul |
| AWC | Posted – 1/31/2008 1:03:04 PM | show profile I agree with the posts above -- I completely understand that you're a non-profit, and that you don't have a budget for this. But the bottom line is that you, as a non-designer, are not qualified to take this on. You cannot lead this project by looking at few books -- it's a recipe for disaster. However, there are alternatives you might want to explore -- lots of designers and design firms do pro bono work for worthy causes. Also, the suggestion above about approaching an art/design school is a good idea as well. When I was in school, we were often asked to donate our time towards an outside project like yours. |
| chucho | Posted – 1/31/2008 2:23:04 PM | show profile Depending on what kind of non-profit and the size of the book, I would consider doing it pro bono, too. Your page size will come from your printer. You should find out those dimensions from the printer, and do not forget to ask how much for the margin (the white gutter space that frames the printed area of the page). Trust me: do not do a template without having your precise measurements on page size and margin. Changing that later is a pain the buttocks. It's nice to be thinking about magazine design principles, but I think the best thing to do is simply preview publications in your particular area (rinky-dink internal non-profit pubs). You will not have the resources to do a Vanity Fair, and you don't need to. Put it this way: the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. is one of the largest non-profits in the country and its internal "members only" newsletter ("PPFA Connection") is (or was a few years ago) an eight-page monthly with pics and a decent amount of white space. If this is a non-profit internal pub, don't waste your resources: an eight-page (one "form" as they call it in printer-speak) duo-tone (black and another color) makes a nice and affordable newsletter that you can do monthly on a shoestring. What I suggest you do is REDUCE the budget if you can using this strategy. That would look good on your rez. By the way: synergize with the web. You can always post more content online and use the publication as a teaser. Think outside the box, baby! . . . Don't you hate that phrase? Often uttered by people who live in boxes? :) |
| Letterbox | Posted – 1/31/2008 3:36:32 PM | show profile Not to diminish Chucho's very generous offer (unless your staff is not used to working with 4-color) but you don't have to stick with 1 or 2 colors. Four color printing is super cheap now. If you're not too worried about exact color, there are tons of printers that do gang runs, which means they run it with dozens of other jobs on the same form. |
| Letterbox | Posted – 1/31/2008 3:44:40 PM | show profile Then again, 1 and 2 color is easier to work with so better for inexperienced staffs! You have to get creative to make it interesting. |
| chucho | Posted – 2/1/2008 5:48:31 AM | show profile You're right. You can get full color, but you often compromise on paper quality and print quality. These mass (affordable, shoestring) four-color runs usually end up looking a bit like the Sunday newspaper ad sheets with registration drift and low paper quality. Not that can't be done well; it just requires a bit more searching for the right printer. Trial and error. It's frustrating to submit a layout and then on delivery you see pictures out of registration, "dirty" paper, and ink on your fingers. The aforementioned duo-tone suggestion is a compromise. It can be printed on much nicer, heavier stock bright paper -- printers can run these digitally, which eliminates any registration drift. (This process would be too expensive for a small non-profit for full color, tho'. I used to do a monthly newsletter that the company printed in b/w from a local printer that ran a press that printed directly from PDFs (rather than plates). That process is very expensive in full color, though for a eight-pager it might be within the budget. I think the problem with smaller pubs, like internal newsletters or shoestring-budget magazines is that sometimes they compromise on presentation and focus heavily on content. This might be OK for a medical journal or a law journal -- but you can communicate more effectively with a lively presentation -- which includes a good-looking publication with white space and graphics. And with the web it's very easy to tease more content in each run by simply referring to the website in the publication. Most organizations have sufficient in-house resources to do a website cheaply. But, yes, definitely, the more color the better. Maybe this process is indeed getting cheaper. |
