Art Direction and Editorial Design (Abrams Studio) [Paperback]

Yolanda Zappaterra (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007 | Series: Abrams Studio

Thousands of magazines, newspapers, and journals are launched every year, but only a handful survive. What gives these few newcomers their staying power: content? branding? design?

Art Direction and Editorial Design is an accessible and comprehensive guide to visual journalism—the design of magazines and newspapers, both in their print and online forms. Illustrated with case studies, examples, practical exercises, and tips, the book explains the fundamentals of editorial design and layout. It provides an overview of current editorial design practices and explains how design and production for publications is organized while also tackling broad issues that can often make or break careers in the field.

Subjects covered include branding, how to create layouts, handling copy and images, design and production skills, and trends in the field. Included are interviews with and profiles of such leading influential figures as Neville Brody, Tyler Brûlée, David Carson, Felix Dennis, Fernando Gutiérrez, and Eamonn McCabe, as well as examples of work by M.F. Agha, Alexey Brodovitch, Willy Fleckhaus, Henry Wolf, Cipe Pineles, and Fabien Baron.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Yolanda Zappaterra is a writer and designer. She has written four books on design—most recently on the timely subject of ethical design—and is a regular contributor to Design Week and Grafik. She also writes for Time Out magazine. She is currently an associate lecturer at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London, where she teaches in the graphic design school.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810993775
• ISBN-13: 978-0810993778
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The do's (and a few don'ts) of regular interval publishing, September 30, 2008

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Art Direction and Editorial Design (Abrams Studio) (Paperback)

There's an interesting magazine spread reproduced on page sixty of this fascinating book, it arrows only the typographic items like: folio, headlines, byline, body copy, credits, running heads, panel/sidebar copy, intro/second deck text, stand-first, pull quotes, captions/cutlines. Not arrowed are photos, illustrations, cartoons, graphics and other visual elements. I thought it was interesting because it sort of sums up the many items that publication designers work with all the time. Publications seem separate from other areas of print communication because of their regular appearance and they have a dedicated staff handling words and images. Because of this team effort it is not really practical to teach the subject in design college. The best learning curve is to join the editorial department of a title.

The book is essentially concerned with the look of publications and I thought it was impressively thorough in its coverage. Most of the illustration spreads feature magazines but newspapers are considered as well, including their supplements. The five chapters really do cover everything you'll see in a weekly or monthly, explained by text and comprehensive captions. The pages are broken up by some interesting magazine profiles and some dummy pages to further explain editorial concepts: how grids shape design, changing impact with headlines and photos. The back pages feature work from well known magazine designers from the last few decades, a glossary and index.

The book's production is as impressive as the contents, printed on glossy paper in 200 screen with a layout that is easy to follow considering the large amount of information. If I have a criticism it is that most of the illustrations come from publications that are aimed at a design receptive readership. It would have been useful, I think, to have included some publications where design is not so obvious: down-market celebrity magazines or titles for children (like the brilliant Sesame Street Magazine) or trade weeklies. All these need designers to be just as creative as those on many of the titles that have spreads in 'Editorial design'

I think it's worth pointing out that this is not a 'how to do magazine layouts' book but a detailed look at the nuts and bolts of what makes up the visual side of a publications editorial.

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good idea book, October 26, 2009

By 

Bill J. Stokes "Photographer" (Springfield, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Art Direction and Editorial Design (Abrams Studio) (Paperback)

What I like most about the book is the diversity of ideas presented. Many of which I would never have created on my own. It is out the box thinking at its best. You might not use any of the ideas but the theories behind the ideas will take you far from where you would have gone without reading it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good solid introduction to editorial design, October 11, 2011

By 

brakai295 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Art Direction and Editorial Design (Abrams Studio) (Paperback)

I'm new to editorial design (coming from a web background) so this book was one of the first ones I read about designing magazines and other print media. The information is very well written and researched and I learned quite a bit about the industry. The images and examples are ok, but could be updated with more recent and better quality examples.