Pick up any magazine and your mind fills in a voice, tone and perspective. The design of the magazine is a critical component to conveying your story and identity. Bad design can confuse readers or make them feel misled. Strategic magazine design ensures that the delivery of your message is seamless and accessible.
Beyond fonts and colors, a great magazine starts with understanding your brand and your audience. That’s why, at Yankee Custom Marketing, we work closely with you before diving into a project.
YCM partners with clients for as much or as little support as they need. We’ve worked for companies with multi-member marketing teams, and we’ve worked with organizations without any internal marketing support. Flexible project proposals help meet the creative needs of each partner. The process is collaborative, grounded in a shared vision and enhanced by our decades of editorial expertise.
How do you start a custom magazine?
The first step of any project is the discovery and strategy phase. YCM meets with you and key members of your organization to learn the ins and outs of what you do and how you do it. We dive into your existing brand identity and go over your audience, mission and goals. Once we have a clear purpose, we create a strategic magazine design framework that reinforces your brand’s message.
YCM will work with you to create a visual identity system or adopt existing brand guidelines, so that each new publication feels like a natural next chapter.
If brand guidelines already exist, we:
- Build around existing visual identity systems.
- Ensure alignment with typography, color palettes, imagery and tone.
- Maintain brand consistency across platforms.
If starting from scratch, we:
- Develop a visual framework from the ground up.
- Establish logo treatments (if needed), typography systems, color schemes and layout standards.
- Create a publication identity that feels cohesive and timeless.
Strategic design considerations can evolve based on what content will be included in a magazine, how previous editions were received and what the long-term vision is for your organization. Our editorial team forms a content strategy that can be repurposed across channels and works in tandem with the design team to ensure every element is aligned.
YCM has a long history of working with diverse clients, from industry associations and chambers of commerce to travel organizations and retail businesses.
How is magazine design different from other forms of graphic design?
There are several things to keep in mind when designing a publication versus other types of media. Magazines must have easy-to-follow information architecture, and each section or story must feel cohesive to the whole while standing on its own.
Information architecture includes things like a table of contents and page numbers for clear navigation.
Typographical hierarchy is a more subtle function of information architecture. Structural shifts in size and style of headlines, subheadings, pull quotes, captions, body text and other page elements direct readers’ eyes and guide them through the story. With many magazines now released in print and digital format, additionalfunctionality is added artfully through embeds and links, creating an immersive reading experience.
Strategic magazine design balances storytelling and readability while ensuring each spread feels intentional, authentic and premium.
What are the benefits of working with YCM?
Yankee Publishing has been publishing magazines for more than 90 years, and through YCM, we bring that same dedication and talent to your custom projects. Our design team has decades of experience working on print and digital media.
Creative Services Director Jodie Hall has worked with the company for about 30 years, starting as a freelancer with the NH Business Review. Over time, as our company has evolved, she now oversees the production ofmultiple publications of our own media brands and the magazines of our custom publishing clients. She is supported by a team that includes Art Director John Goodwin, and graphic designers Christian Seyster, Nicole Huot and Robin Saling, all of whom have extensive design backgrounds.
You know that your projects will be treated with the care and skill that have made magazines like New Hampshire Magazine, New Hampshire Home, New Hampshire Bride and NH Business Review enduring publications.
A partnership with proven results
While early conversations and a strategic magazine design plan form the foundation of the process, your opinions are heard throughout.
When launching a new publication, our team will provide layout concepts and themes for your review. At this time, you can review and refine typography, imagery and every little detail, so that there are no surprises.
In addition to review by our internal team of proofreaders and editors, you will receive at least two rounds of full magazine drafts for approval. By the time your project heads to print, it will be exceptional.
Each magazine is developed with care and strategic magazine design to emphasize originality, authenticity and a high-end feel.
If you’re ready to create a publication that reflects your organization at its best, meet with our team to learn how our experienced designers and editors can guide the process.