Research Blog - Magazine Anatomy and Design

 

Welcome back to my blog! Today, we'll be continuing with my research blog series, focusing on the anatomy of magazines. This is an important topic to research because it will allow me to understand how magazines are put together and the elements that have to be present to make a successful one.

In order to study the anatomy of magazines, I thought it would be best to focus on deconstructing existing magazines. Below is my deconstruction and analysis.

Cover Page

The image above is my deconstruction of the cover page for a "Noise" magazine. For starters, the masthead can be seen right at the top with big and bold lettering. This instantly lets the audience know what the magazine is about. Another thing that quickly catches the audience's attention is the center image. In this particular example, the image is monotone, highlighting the text and making it easily recognizable from a distance. Following the magazine down, we then see the articles. It is easy to distinguish between the main and supporting articles because of the separated layout that they have. Additionally, the different colored fonts guide your eyes to the important information.

Mixed in with the major and eye catching details, we can also spot smaller elements that contribute to this cover. For example, important information about the magazine is kept near the masthead, including the issue number, release date, and magazine type. A pull quote is also included to build interest in the reader.

Double Page Spread

the image above is the deconstruction that I did on a double page spread. For starters, the article title is highly stylized and even stretches across both pages. Additionally, the main image for the article takes up the entire left side of the page, drawing your attention to the model and what they're doing. On the right, drop caps are used to start the article and even to indicate a later subsection of the article. A hook quote is placed in the center of the article with unique font. This attracts your attention to reading it and creates a break from the wordy article.

Some other elements that can be seen are a description of the article at the top, summarizing the article. The pages also have a page gutter to distinguish between the left and right pages. On the bottom, the release date and page number for the article can also be seen.