19+ Magazine Examples, Templates & Design Ideas in PSD

Reading is a form of learning, even if it means browsing through the gossip column of your favorite magazine. These simple periodicals have become a major part of our everyday lives, keeping us updated on the latest trends and happenings of our time.

The reason why magazines are so popular is because they are designed to satisfy our interests and keep us educated on a topic. Thus, taking the right approach to making a magazine design is vital to its success.

Key Elements of a Magazine

Listed below are the essential elements that every magazine must have.

1. Masthead: This refers to the title of the magazine located at the head of the front or editorial page. You’ll notice how the colors and images of a magazine change from one issue to another, but in many cases, the typeface, font size, and placement of elements remain the same. This is usually done to maintain consistency and familiarity for the magazine’s branding.

2. Headlines: Magazines sold in stores are often sealed in plastic to prevent rips and tears. Considering how most buyers will want to know what’s inside the periodical before making a purchase, readers are provided a preview of its content through compelling headlines on the magazine’s cover.

3. Kicker: In article writing, creating an enticing kicker as your introductory paragraph is essential to reader engagement. This sets the tone for readers to know what they can expect from the magazine’s article, while also giving them a reason to carry on reading.

4. Body: Magazines are not your regular type of publications. Not only do they feed into our curiosity, but they are also meant to educate and entertain readers on the latest news in business, social science, and pop culture, among others. So as the most detailed part of your magazine, they must be well-written and engrossing enough to keep readers interested.

5. Bylines: Behind every successful magazine is a talented team of writers, designers, and editors. Giving credit where credit is due is important to these individuals, so adding bylines under the headline of each article is an absolute must. You can also dedicate a page in your magazine for these acknowledgments.

6. Section Head: This is typically placed at the top of every page to make it easier for readers to find what they are looking for while browsing through your magazine. Font size for this element is usually smaller compared to the rest of your text elements so as not to distract readers from your main content.

7. Quotes: Using quotes from famous personalities or those provided by interviewees can be a great way to convey your story a lot better. You can pair these with photographs or illustrations for a greater visual impact. You can even take a few points from the article to help emphasize your content.

8. Captions: Adding a brief caption to your images will help you explain its relevance to the article. Though this is only applied during certain cases, it may be necessary when talking about products or services discussed in your article. Descriptions may also include names, product prices, and store or event locations, similar to that of a product catalog.

10+ Magazine Templates

Bridal Wedding Magazine

Clothing Magazine Template

Design and Tech Magazine

Business Magazine Template

Digital Photography Magazine

Fashion Magazine

Minimalist Lookbook Magazine

Photographer Magazine

Sports Magazine Template

Square Interior Magazine

9+ Magazine Examples

Alternative Press Magazine

altpress.com

Elle Magazine

elle.com

Entrepreneur Magazine

entrepreneur.com

Glamour Magazine

glamour.com

GQ Magazine

gq.com

Home Design and Living Magazine

homedesignandliving.com.au

Men’s Health UK Magazine

menshealth.co.uk

People Magazine

people.com

Teen Vogue Magazine

teenvogue.com

How to Create a Magazine

Creating a magazine might not be the easiest thing in the world, but it’s definitely something you can accomplish through careful research, a creative hand, and a committed goal. That being said, here’s how you can build a good magazine in three easy steps:

1. Gathering ideas: The first half of the process is often the most difficult. This is why it’s important to have a defined goal before jumping into anything. You need to determine what your magazine is for, who your target readers are, as well as the subtopics to tackle. Your mission statement will serve as a basis for you to make purpose-driven decisions for both the cover and content of your magazine.

2. Creating your content: Once you have figured out what you want to do with your magazine, content creation should be the next item on your to-do list. Start by gathering a team of writers and graphic designers. Be sure to agree on the type of articles to be written and have them consulted with your graphics team to help construct the overall content of your magazine. An effective layout for each page must also be determined beforehand.

3. Proofreading: Always remember to proofread your magazine before moving forward to the final stage. Spelling and grammar errors can leave a huge impact to your periodical. Given how costly it will be to reprint another batch of magazines, the least you can do is to prevent these mistakes from happening by conducting a thorough review of each page.

4. Publishing your magazine: Most magazines designate special sections for banner ads and other similar advertisements. So if you’re looking for partners, advertisers, and sponsors for your publication, be sure to secure these spaces during pre-production. Furthermore, if you’re creating a digital magazine, make sure to publish your periodical in the right file format to make it easier for readers to access on their mobile device.

5. Distributing your magazine: Apart from creating an electronic magazine for your online audience, searching for new ways to widen your reach is essential for your business to thrive. You can try looking for distributors who cater the same demographic, or begin offering special promos to monthly subscribers. Some companies even include discount vouchers in their magazine as a treat from one of their leading advertisers.

Tips to Making an Engaging Magazine

Now that we’ve covered the basics of developing a good magazine, let’s see how you can enhance the overall written and graphic content of the magazine with the help of these techniques:

• Use a template: It’s always a good idea to use the same template for all your upcoming issues. Until you decide to give your brand a makeover, using a template ensures your magazine remains consistent in terms of style and appeal across every publication. This will help establish a sense of familiarity for readers to recognize your magazine from a rack full of periodicals.
• Aim for a unique design: Even if you are using a general layout, it wouldn’t hurt to switch it up a little with the help of a few distinctive elements. It doesn’t have to be anything too dramatic, as long as it stays true to your brand’s identity.
• Prioritize readability: Function over form—this is something that every designer should learn by heart. Keep in mind that a magazine functions as a reading material to communicate a specific message to an audience. A cluttered layout along with articles filled with complex statements and fancy words won’t do you any favors. This will only complicate things for the reader, making it hard for them to grasp what you are trying to convey.
• Keep it organized: Notice how magazines are divided into several sections and subcategories? This is done to highlight pieces of information and to separate articles according to specific interests. Like the chapters of a book, the highlighted articles are then specified in the magazine’s table of contents for reference.
• Be wary of color selection and application: Colors can either break or make your magazine. Say for example, using something bold and daring might make your text elements difficult to read. Some colors might be too distracting as well. It’s best to choose contrasting colors for your layout to help emphasize other elements on each page.

Types of Magazines

Most of the magazines you encounter in grocery stores and coffee shops are categorized by publishers as popular periodicals. They usually have a wider readership compared to other published books and journals, along with a profit-oriented purpose through its vast circulation and advertising space. Diving deeper into the subject, let’s have a look at the two general types of magazines:

1. General Interest: General interest magazines are made to cater the needs of an entire population. This is aimed toward an educated yet non-specialized audience in which no background knowledge or expertise in the field is assumed. Here, articles are contributed by journalists, freelance writers, or staff writers. However, there are many cases where the author’s credentials, sources, and others citations are not provided.

Some popular examples of general interest magazines include National Geographic and The Economist.

2. Special Interest: Popular magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Cosmopolitan, and Vogue are almost exclusively made for entertainment purposes only. Topics covered by the magazine are usually directed toward a targeted group of readers with a common set of interests. This includes a wide variety of genres such as sports, business, fashion, beauty, music, and lifestyle.

Magazine Sizes

Here are some of the most common magazine sizes:

• Standard size (8.5 × 11 inches): This is a suitable choice for entertainment magazines and company magazines because of its economical page size for featuring blown-up images and lengthy articles..
• Digest size (5.5 × 8.5 inches): If you’re familiar with Reader’s Digest, you’ll notice how the magazine is only half of the standard size. This makes it convenient to carry around and display on top of coffee tables inside corporate offices.
• A4 size: Though this might not be a publisher’s first choice due to its high printing costs, there are a few companies that still produce magazines of this size, specifically those on the visuals and details of a subject. Architecture magazines and real estate magazines are common examples of such.

Magazine FAQs

What is the purpose of a magazine?

Apart from providing audiences with key information about a topic, magazines also allow advertisers to share details about their products to readers. This is typically based on a targeted demographic where, for instance, cosmetics are introduced to readers of a women’s magazine, while health supplements and gym memberships are advertised to readers of a fitness journal.

What is the importance of a magazine?

A lot of people read magazines for different reasons. Not only are they a source of entertainment, but they can also be very informative to help broaden one’s knowledge about a topic. Whether it’s politics, celebrity gossip, or even good housekeeping, there is a wide array of magazines available in the market to help satisfy a reader’s interest.

And there you have it! Publish awesome magazines for your company today with the help of these design ideas and templates.