Using Grids

        So, it has been a while since we talked about the layout of a magazine. Currently our staff is working on this years magazine layout. They have started with laying out the cover design which is a change. In the past three issues, the staff has designed the folio first and the cover became nothing more than an afterthought. I am interested to see how this approach works.

        One of the techniques that I approached the students with was the use of a grid system to divide up the page. One of the most common uses of a grid is the concept of “Rule-of-Thirds”. For those of you who don’t know what this is, the “Rule-of-Thirds” is a grid that photographers use to align their subject in the image. Imagine looking through a camera. Now imagine that there is a grid that divides your viewfinder into thirds vertically and horizontally. By lining up your subject, or the majority of your subject on one of the inner four corners or the edges of the inside rectangle, you create a stronger composition.



        Now take that rule-of-thirds idea and apply it to layout. By dividing the page up using a grid you force yourself to begin composing the page rather than throwing stuff on the page. The grid brings stability and strength to your layout composition. When applying this grid to a layout it does not need to be in thirds. It could be in fourths, eighths, sixteenths, etc. By dividing your pages you are giving yourself a rough template that makes the layout from page to page easier and faster.

        Obviously, if you have any layout experience, you have heard of people using columns to control layout. While this allows you to divide and work with the layout horizontally it doesn’t take care of the vertical aspects of your layout. It also allows you to begin the process of designing your folio in a much broader sense. For last year’s layout we began by dividing the page into fourths and filling in blocks in different arrangements.

        This forced us to think about where the written and visual information of the folio would happen in the layout. (Yes, for those of you who noticed, our layout last year involved a folio that, vertically, was almost 1/4 of the page.) By working this way we could actually start laying out the pages without having the folio design done, or even started.



        Try using the grid as a way to govern your pages. It may seem, at first, that you are going to drive your design into a rut. It’s okay to think that. I think that you will find that the grid is actually quite flexible and can help your designs. See how it works for you.

Pushing the Envelope

How far can you push the design envelope? Is it possible to have the concept of your magazine's layout go over the reader's head?
Before I go on about this topic I want to make two things perfectly clear: I tend to design on the conservative side and this topic came about because of our scores in this year's competitions. I don't want you to think that this is anything other than constructive criticism/reflection on my part.

Two and a half years ago, when I first joined Charisma, we crated Surfaces. The magazine had a fairly conservative layout. There were a few twists, but not many. The major twist was the fact that we chose to layout the magazine on 8 1/2 x 11 paper in the landscape orientation. That meant that the magazine was bound on the short side (I would not recommend this due to printing issues). The spread was divided into either four or six columns or a combination of each on a page.
Last year's magazine ! (that's right "!"), went in a completely different direction. There wasn't a spread that was similar. The only thing that tied the pages together was the folio, and the use of an exclamation point in some manner. We went from 4 color ink-jet printing on Surfaces to Duotone professional printing. The print quality was extraordinary and the magazine looked good.

The second magazine that I was involved with was hard for me to get my head around at first. It went against my philosophy of design, but I came to love it. Now that we have gotten three of our four competition results back, we have been less than thrilled.
As my colleague and I have let this sink in and we have discussed it, we are coming to the realization that the design concept for ! may have been too much. There are a lot of things that are happening from page to page and even on the page. For some this may be too hard to get their head around, and can end up overwhelming the reader. It distracts them from reading or enjoying the art.

So the moral of the story here? Take risks in your layout, but make sure that what you are doing does not overpower the content. I am by no means saying that conservative is the way to go. After last year's magazine I have begun to appreciate less conservative layout ideas. I have, however, come to appreciate that the cutting edge can be dangerous.

The Theme

So the next thing that we are working on is the theme for this year's magazine. The theme is the soul of the magazine. It controls the look and feel of the magazine. In some cases it may even dictate the submissions that are put in the magazine. The theme can be as simple as a shape or graphic element or as multi-layered as surfaces. The theme should be your first decision before anything else can be done. So what goes into the theme?
When I am trying to come up with an idea I create a list of things. The staff sits around and generates a list of ideas for possible themes. It starts off really random, but the more random the better. The longer the list, the better. From that list the staff discusses and narrows down the big list to a few choices.
In theory the items that are on the small list (Hopefully four or five ideas) are expanded. What I mean is, those ideas should be developed a little. Sketch out a concept for the cover, sections (If you use them), a folio line and anything else that comes with the development discussion.
With those ideas fleshed out a little, a decision needs to be made final. It is important that the theme that is chosen will flow through the magazine. It will help to bring the pages together and create a gestalt for your magazine.

Stuck for ideas? Take a look at magazines from home. You can use these layouts as a style guide, but more importantly you can use them to give your magazine a modern edge. It also helps to communicate with other high school literary magazines. Exchange copies of your magazines. See what they are doing. Ask them how they are creating the effects and themes. It is OK to borrow ideas but not to copy them.