Parts of the Magazine

a) Cover (Q-Group)
This is the first page of your magazine, so in some ways, it's the most important. It's
never too early to start thinking of what might be a good photo for the cover. Most
magazines use an image relating to a long feature within the magazine.

Example:


b) Table of Contents (M-Group)
After many pages of advertisements, the table of contents serves as a quick
breakdown of how the magazine is organized. It is especially helpful when a reader is
intrigued by the cover and wants to read more, to flip to the contents and easily find the
article they were looking for. Otherwise, it's a sad fact that many people don't really use
them. BUT, that just means that it can be a springboard for fun and innovative designs that
you can't get away with on the rest of the magazine. The table of contents is generally 1-2
spreads.

Example:

c) Contributors/Writer Biography Pages (M-Group)
Generally 1 spread, this page serves to tell your audience about the writers. It can
include long entries about writer's backgrounds, or short thematical entries that only relate
to content specific to the magazine. Regardless, this page gives credit to the writers.

Example:


d) Letter from the Editor(s) (M-Group)
This letter is in most magazines as a message from the editor about that specific
issue. It is generally one page and includes an image relating to the message or of the
editor(s).

Example:

e) Feature Stories (M-Story) (Q-Design)
These stories are long reads, generally 1-2 spreads. The writer has researched and
interviewed to tell a factual story about a person, place, event, idea, or issue. Features are
not opinion-driven and are quote and detail oriented. The actual body copy of a feature
generally begins on page 2 of the layout, due to the artistic design of most feature spreads.
Each student will be responsible for a feature story and its design.

Example:


f) Advertisements (Extra Credit)
Ads are a major part of any magazine, but we don't have enough class time to design
all of them. If your group would like to include advertisements for extra credit (1 ad per six
weeks per student), then plan for those in your ladder. Ads are generally 1 single page, but
some can take up a whole spread.

Example: