Magazines and books you'll love reading
0.1 / What it's about
Good design makes content readable.
Editorial design shows you how to design publications: magazines, newspapers, books, reports, and digital articles. You will learn how to use grids, typography, imagery, hierarchy, and pacing so that readers enjoy navigating through content.
The course has a practical structure, guiding you all the way from the format to the finished edition. Running throughout as an ongoing example is Mia, who designs the Basel city magazine 'Quer' with a small editorial team. The round button with the light bulb on the cards shows three examples each time: best practice, okay, and inadequate.
Key questions of the course:
QUESTION 1
How do I build a grid that creates order while allowing for flexibility?
QUESTION 2
Which font size and line length are easy to read?
QUESTION 3
How do I guide the reader's eye using headlines, leads, and subheadings?
QUESTION 4
How do I plan an issue with rhythm from start to finish?
Course framework:
TARGET AUDIENCE
Creators
Students and career starters in graphic and media design who want to create publications.
SCOPE
8 × 90 mins
Plus final project; each module can also be used individually.
Format
Practical
Short presentations, interactive tools and practical exercises using a real magazine issue.
REFERENCE
Cross-references
0.2 / Learning Objectives
What you will be able to do after the course.
After the course, you will be able to:
01
choose a suitable format for the content, readership and frequency of publication
02
set up and calculate a type area with columns and a baseline grid
03
Define the base font, line length, and line spacing with clear justification, and typeset them cleanly
04
Design pages with a clear hierarchy and plan an issue using a flat plan
05
produce a publication with style sheets for print and screen
0.3 / Course content
All modules and sections at a glance.
Eight modules, each with a core question and a tool. Click on a module or jump straight to a section.
MODULE 01
What makes a good publication, and who are you designing it for?
MODULE 02
How does a grid give a publication order and rhythm?
MODULE 03
How do you turn text into a page that is effortless and enjoyable to read?
MODULE 04
How do image and text tell more together than each on its own?
MODULE 05
How do you guide readers step by step into an article?
MODULE 06
How do individual pages become an issue filled with suspense and rhythm?
MODULE 07
How does a cover stand out at the newsagent and as a thumbnail online?
MODULE 08
How do you publish a publication efficiently and accessibly in print and online?
0.4 / Procedure per module
Each module follows the same structure.
The rhythm stays the same, the content changes:
01
Introduction (10 mins)
A key question and a look at real publications open up the topic.
02
Input (20 mins)
Fundamentals and application with maps and examples from 'Quer'.
03
Tool (15 mins)
You can try out what you've learned straight away in the interactive tool.
04
Exercise (35 mins)
You design part of your own edition of "Quer".
05
Reflection (10 mins)
You compare the results and record your takeaways.
In each section, you will find a bold key takeaway with a lightning icon, an exercise behind the blue button, a read-aloud function, and on many cards, examples behind the lightbulb. The exercises build on one another and come together at the end to form your final project.
0.5 / Certificate of achievement
A dedicated edition of 'Quer'.
Final project: You will design a 16-page issue of 'Quer' complete with a cover, flat plan, style sheets, and a digital article page. The exercises from the modules will serve as your building blocks.
01
Concept & flat plan
Define the format, target audience, and page order for all 16 pages.
02
Grids & Style Sheets
Define the type area, baseline grid, and all paragraph and character styles.
03
Content pages
Design pages with images, hierarchy, and clean microtypography, and export them as PDFs.
04
Cover
Front page with masthead, cover image and cover lines, tested as a thumbnail.
05
Digital article page
Implement an article responsively and accessibly for screen viewing.
Evaluation criteria: consistent grid, good legibility, clear hierarchy, engaging narrative, recognisable cover, clean style templates, and an accessible digital implementation.
0.6 / Literature and Sources
Books that take you further.
• Bringhurst, R. (1992): The Elements of Typographic Style
• Caldwell, C. & Zappaterra, Y. (2014): Editorial Design. Digital and Print
• Forssman, F. & de Jong, R. (2002): Detailtypografie
• Hochuli, J. (1987): Detail in Typography
• Lupton, E. (2004): Thinking with Type
• Müller-Brockmann, J. (1981): Grid Systems in Graphic Design
• Samara, T. (2002): Making and Breaking the Grid
• Willberg, H. P. & Forssman, F. (1997): Lesetypografie
Please note: many titles have been published in multiple editions and languages; the dates indicate the first edition.