Examples of editorial design

Layout catalogs, or create simple grids that help the correct visual hierarchy of the texts are some of the keys to editorial design.

That is why a good editorial designer needs to be gifted with typography and a lot of design because they both go hand in hand. In this post we are going to delve deeper into editorial design and how it influences our day to day or the work of a company and marketing.

In addition, in case it is not enough, we will also show you some examples and suggest some tips for you to become an expert.

Editorial design

Editorial design, as its word indicates, is a technique that is part of the broad family of graphic arts and graphic design in general. It is the part of the design that is mainly responsible for laying out and designing everything that has to do with the printing sector: magazines, flyers, catalogs, business cards, posters, etc.

Editorial design is present every time we open a book to read it or every time a magazine on a library shelf catches our attention and we decide to read it. That is why each element that constitutes a book cover. it is also part of editorial design. Hence the relationship between graphic design and editorial design. A design that tries to transmit and reach a more reader audience.

General characteristics

As we have mentioned before, editorial design is all the visual elements that we see projected on a magazine cover or a catalog, that is why editorial design is divided into:

• Fonts: It is one of the most important parts of the design, Well, it is the one that will try to captivate the reader's attention since it will be one of the first elements that they see. That is why typography plays a very important role, since it is necessary to know which typography is the most suitable for each context. For example, it would not be appropriate to include a handwritten font for reading since they are not very readable, but for a main text it would be.
• Image or illustration: In 50% of the design and although it may seem like a modest element, it is undoubtedly what will denote the most attention in the reader. It is important that the designer knows what type of image or illustration to use at all times and especially that it has a quality and an adequate color profile for later printing or preview on screen.
• Grid: The grid is an element that at first glance is the main scheme and the backbone of design, since it is what supports all the elements and places them in such a way that they are visually related and are in perfect balance. You can opt for programs like InDesign to create these types of resources.
• The target: You may not believe it here, but it is also necessary to carry out a search to know first-hand the target audience with which we are going to deal. before designing it is necessary to know who we are addressing to be able to communicate the message in one way or another.

Examples of editorial design

There are many editorial designs that have been made throughout history. In this section we leave you with a list of those magazines that have gone down in history by name and by the design of their covers. It is important that you look at how the elements are distributed, what type of fonts they use and how they play with the image and the text.

Life

Life magazine is one of the most outstanding magazines of the moment, but especially this collection of the Beatles that was designed in 1964. What has caught the most attention of this magazine is that the images are photographed by Henri Cartier himself- Bresson.

It is certainly one of the examples where the image becomes the main character and the text plays a secondary role on the cover. Hence the importance, as mentioned above, of elements such as images or illustrations.

In short, it is a good design to be inspired by.

National Geographic

National Geographic magazines have been another of the most outstanding examples where the image can become the protagonist of a magazine cover. In this case, the magazine itself went viral after the appearance of the famous Afghan girl Sharbat Gula. An image that turned 180 degrees and moved a hundred people around the world.

It is one of the magazines that contains the best images made by the best photographers from around the world. It is undoubtedly one of the best options to get inspired.

The New Yorker

The new yorker is one of the most famous magazines in New York. Not only has its name been echoed in all parts of the world, but its cover designs have gone down in history. Despite dealing with political issues and events that have changed the history of the world, They use illustrations that show the tragedy of the news. 

The use of metaphors throughout the message is important, and this magazine is an example of it. If you are interested in using illustrations beyond images, this magazine is a good option to inspire you.

Time

Time magazine is one of the most influential magazines in America, so much so, that they designed a special collection without an image, only a large headline was shown «Is god dead?«. It is without a doubt one of those designs where typography becomes the protagonist, that is why it is necessary that its design accompany the context of the message.

The dark background and the reddish color, make the cover create a certain tension and mystery in the reader. It is a good example if you are looking for a typographic design.

editorial designers

David carson

David Carson is known worldwide for starring in an exclusive design for RayGun magazine. He is one of the designers with excellence since he was able to combine graphic elements such as typography and image and, in turn, manage to communicate a very expressive message. Without a doubt, it is the clear example if what you are looking for is an abstract design that has a good visual richness and a good understanding. In addition, a curious fact about his career as an artist is that long before being an artist he was a film director, something that helped him work even more with emotions and feelings.

Roger Black

roger is one of the world's top magazine designer fathers, its list of cover designs is extensive and you are sure to know some of them: Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Newsweek, McCall's, Reader's Digest, Esquire, National Enquirer among many other magazine covers. The elements that best stand out in his works is undoubtedly a perfect combination with color and typography. which attracts the reader's attention. It is a good source of inspiration and creativity if you only want to work with only and exclusively two graphic resources.

Milton Glaser

His name probably sounds familiar to you, as he is one of the artists and designers who have become part of history thanks to his designs. He has undoubtedly become an important icon of art culture and you will surely know him for his projects so recharged with colors and for the vividness of his works. He is undoubtedly an excellent illustrator and even many of his works have been screen-printed on many t-shirts or clothing, especially with the famous design of I love New York an excellent design if you are quite a tourist.

Javier Mariscal

The artist of the year for the 92 Barcelona Olympic Games could not be missing. He is famous for designing the Olympic Games mascot, Cobi. During his project in Spain, he has also made posters, sculpture, branding, posters, graphic novels, animation, cinema, furniture, architecture, packaging, editorial design and even decoration. It is one of the Spanish references to follow if you like the world of illustration, you can also take a look at their works, as they are quite creative and provide that touch of personality necessary for your projects to be recognized by the public.

Conclusion

In short, editorial design has gone down in design history for many of its works, so much so that it would be an endless list to show each and every one of the works that have been designed during all this time. It is also important that you are clear about the main and secondary elements when designing a cover or in general an editorial design project.

You can also document yourself about Saul Bass, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Yuko Nakamura, Jessica Walsh among many others.

We hope that you have learned much more about editorial design, and we invite you to continue researching much more about some of the designers that we have mentioned before.