Hyphenation is a necessary evil in magazine publishing. Breaking a word across two lines of text creates a less comfortable reading experience, especially when using wide text columns. But refusing to break any words often results in attention-getting rags or, in the case of justified text, huge rivers of white in your text columns. If you’re using rag text in your magazine layout, be sure to take the following steps to minimize disruptions to the reader’s progress: Don’t hyp

Be sure to accommodate all three reading styles in your content. Demographically speaking, all people read magazines in the same way. Irrespective of age, profession, or location, all readers respond to good design and compelling content with interest and appreciation. But when seeking ways to capture those readers’ attentions in the first place, magazine publishers must grapple with three distinct reading styles: Readers. These are the easy ones. Readers consume your publica

Good departments invite your readers to return. Departments form the backbone of any strong magazine. These are the signposts that readers will return to, issue after issue. The feature well is a gamble. Your audience might engage with some of your stories; they might not. But the departments need to offer value with every engagement. They’re the truest expression of your magazine’s identity. As such, they should be named accordingly. Brand your departments with the same care

Newspapers were the source of the modern headline/deck relationship. Why is it called a “headline?” If you don’t know the answer, don’t feel bad. It’s not an exciting tale: Pre-19th century printers referred to the top of a page as its “head.” The “line” component originally referred to what we now would call the “folio,” which was usually found at the “head” of the page (versus any notes, which would be found at the bottom, or “foot” of the page; we think you can see where t

Pacing matters in magazine publishing. We talk a lot about pacing in magazine publishing, but what do we really mean by it? As a publisher, one of your responsibilities is to prioritize your content for your readers. What do you want them to read first? What’s the most important information that they should remember after reading your magazine? How can you entice them to return, issue after issue? Directing them through your publication provides the answers. While few readers