The first and most basic rule when you first decide to design your magazine, newsletter or brochure is "readability". You may think you have the best and greatest product that anyone has ever heard of, but if 'it ain't written good" and looks like your child's school assignment, you are not going to get your message across. Lets go through a few tips that might just get those creative juices flowing!

Possibly the most important page! The initial impact of your front page will be as important as the products inside. The golden rule for any front page should be 80% image to 20% type. Remember, a picture paints a thousand words. A good clear image will sell the whole magazine. How many times have you stopped and looked at a magazine or brochure because the photo on the front took your eye. If you don't have the right image -find one, it will be worth it, even if you have pay for it. There are numerous photo sites on the web where purchasing an image won't cost the earth. Browse the internet and you will more than likely find sites like www.flickr.com, www.jiunlimited.com, www.shutterstock.com, the list is really endless.

The image to the right is a sample front page. Lets take a closer look.
The rule of 80% image and 20% text works well. What do you look at first. The vast majority of people will automatically look at the photo first, and if they like it, only then will they actually read the text. The image is the main focus point. Then the eye is drawn to "10 tips", 'that dress" and Honeymoon". Keep your points on the front page short and sharp, almost asking the reader to open the magazine and find out more. You dont want to flood the page with text, you want your readers to open it up and find out more inside.

Notice the colours used. Blue and Orange. The blue is used as it combines well with the image sky, while the orange is used sparingly as a warm friendly colour. 2 to 3 colours is more than enough. Don't turn it into a cartoon!

Lets look at colours in more detail. The overall look of your magazine should be constant throughout all pages. Once again, less is better. Choose colours which compliment each other. There is a simple way to do this. Use what the professionals use - a colour wheel. As can be seen from the the image, certain colours will look better together, but what colour so you start with? Notice the front page sample. The starting point was the blue sky. Now look at the colour wheel and find the blue. Directly opposite the blue is the colour which best compliments it - Orange. A good tip in designing pages throughout your magazine is to use the colour in the images on the page. Simply pick the complimenting colour and use it throughout the design eg: headlines, colour grab boxes, borders.

The typefaces or fonts now on the market must number in the hundreds of thousands. Hell, you can even make one yourself if your really wanted to get that original feel in your design, but lets not go overboard. If you have any graphic applications, more than likely you will have enough to choose from. Headlines should be larger to attract initial interest, then use a subhead to draw your reader into the body copy. Once again, less is more, don't have a headline that carry's on, short and sharp is best. Serif or Sans Serif? what you say. Serif font are fonts with the tails on them such as Times, Garamond, San Serif are more block like such as Arial and Helvetica. Headlines are usually san serif, while the body copy works well in Garamond, Times or other serif fonts. You may have to experiment on what works for you, it depends a lot on what your product is. Pick 2 fonts, one headline and one for body copy and stick with the two font throughout your magazine.

It's time to put some of what we have been talking about into practice. You have your images, stories and advertisements ready to assemble. Do up a dummy layout first and place all the advertisements on the bottom or outside edges of the page. The eye is automatically drawn into the pages as the adverts are placed on the outside to have the effect of holding the page together. Nice big images and headline followed by body copy in columns. The body copy should not be less than 9 point in size and no larger than 11 point and always in black. Once again, play around with the body copy, set it left, justify and see what works best for your publication. Open up the leading sometimes gives the pages more air and feels easier to read. Don't overdo it by placing text on top of images or trying to jazz up the editorial. It is just that - editorial, meant to read easily and quickly. Think about a book you have read recently. Page after page of the same typeface and size, but it is so easy to read! Use your image as the design point and compliment its colour into the headline for impact.

 You are getting towards the finished product now. Lets have a look at what you have achieved.
1. Front pages is clear and holds the 80% image - 20% type rule
2. Colours are complimenting each other
3. Typesface are minimal, remember, use 2 to 3 typesface families at the most
4. Your advertisement are holding the editorial into the page. Never put the editorial on the outside and Advertisement on the inside.
5. Each page has the same feel - all headlines are in the same font, and the same size.
6. Spell check, spell check, spell check!!!
7. Get someone to proof read your work, never proof it yourself - you worked on it for hours and you will miss something!

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!
A magazine that is easy to read, is pleasant on the eye and designed well will sell. Remember, don't overdo it, Keep it nice and clean and smart looking, no fancy starburst's and fonts. You dont want a comic.