There is a brief but insightful talk by Jacek Utko on design’s role in newspapers at ted.com. He discusses how his re-designs of Eastern European publications have led to an increase in circulation by typically a third; making several good points along the way. Its definitely worth a watch if you are involved in publications design or production on any level. He talks about making posters, not pages, which had always been my motto since I started designing magazines.
Also, he mentions how important it is to think of a magazine as a whole composition which requires pacing and balance, rather than just dealing with each page individually; something too many people overlook. Whenever I am designing a magazine, the pages get printed out and taped onto a wall in order so that i can adjust and re-arrange design elements until the whole thing flows as one piece. At the very least, designers should think in terms of spreads. I can’t imagine trying to lay out a magazine using single-page templates; the reader is going to perceive it as a whole, so it should be design accordingly.
His final point, following on from the increased circulation of the publications he has art-directed, is that design can have a dramatic impact on a business; designers should be be seen as a great asset and empowered to take more of a lead in decision-making. Couldn’t agree more.
