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Learn the key conventions of magazine and newspaper design, from front covers to house style.
A magazine front cover is designed to attract buyers and establish the publication's identity. Key features include the masthead (the title of the publication, usually in large text at the top), the masthead image (the main image, often of a person), the skyline (short text teasing stories, often across the top) and sell lines (text promoting specific articles inside). Cover furniture, such as the price, issue date and barcode, also appears on most covers.
A contents page lists the articles inside a magazine along with their page numbers, helping readers navigate the issue. Contents pages often include a selection of images from featured articles and repeat elements of the house style, such as fonts and colours, to maintain a consistent identity across the publication.
A double-page spread is a feature article laid out across two facing pages, designed as a single visual and textual layout. These often include a large main image, a headline, body text arranged in columns, and sometimes a pull quote — a piece of text taken from the article and enlarged to draw the reader's attention.
Newspaper front pages often use a banner headline, a large and attention-grabbing headline designed to summarise or tease the main story. A byline credits the journalist who wrote the article, while a standfirst is a short summary paragraph introducing the story beneath the headline. Captions describe images, usually placed directly beneath them.
House style is the consistent use of language, layout, fonts, and colour schemes across every issue of a publication. House style helps build a recognisable brand identity, so regular readers can identify the publication at a glance and know what tone and type of content to expect.