Graphic Design That Works

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The way a magazine’s design changes over its life can be a sign of the

times—a reflection of trendy fonts and colors or developments in printing

technology, for example.

But publication insiders know that a magazine’s evolution also reflects

more personal development. The comings and goings of editors, publishers,

and art directors, gradual shifts in audiences’ needs, changing ownership

of publishing companies, and the magazine’s financial growth or decline

have a great impact on how each magazine looks from year to year.

Magazine staffers may look back proudly over the work and love poured

into their publication over its history, whether it’s one year old or 50. But

they also may shake their heads in amazement at how far they’ve come.

Here’s a look at three magazines and how they’ve changed over their lives.

Evolution of a Magazine

above As the magazine encompassed a wider range

of new-age topics and readership grew, layouts be-

came more high concept. On this 1998 cover, a model

poses against a blurred background of moving people.

above Early

Yoga Journal

covers, such as this one in

1988, concentrated on personalities and illustration of

new-age issues rather than yoga itself, a reflection of

the magazine’s editorial mission.

above After a redesign in 2000, yoga once again took

center stage. Photographs of people posed against

plain backgrounds create a natural balance and move-

ment for covers.

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Job:12-84823 Title:RP-Graphic Design That Works (LDW)

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New Age Reader to Slick Consumer Health Magazine

When

Yoga Journal

was launched in 1975, yoga was a

fringe practice in the United States, generally reserved

for the truly spiritual.

A mouthpiece of the California Yoga Teachers Associa-

tion for more than 20 years, the magazine was a modest

affair in its first decade. Pages were black-and-white

and no-frills, laid out in simple grids with little variation

in the placement of headlines, photos, and captions.

Because

Yoga Journal

catered to a specialized audi-

ence with many common interests besides yoga, how-

ever, the magazine’s singular focus unraveled. “The

subject matter strayed far afield,” says editor in chief

Yoga Journal

above Departments and

features were still run-

ning in black and white

in 1990, including the

“Asana” section on begin-

ning yoga poses. Pages

were generally two- or

three-grid layouts with

text wrapped around

boxed photographs.

left above Designs

began to transcend their

usual boundaries. For in-

stance, photographs of

poses in the “Asana” sec-

tion moved out of their

small boxes to help bal-

ance of the department’s

two pages.

left below A constant

throughout

Yoga Jour-

nal’s

changing history,

the “Asana” department

came into its own with

the redesign. Richly col-

orful photographs of

bending, flowing shapes

create effective negative

space, which helps bal-

ance pages.

Kathryn Arnold. “It covered new-age topics of all kinds,

reaching out to a readership of cultural creatives.” As

the magazine’s topics branched out and attracted more

readers, design became more complex. Artists began

taking more liberty with page design, breaking away

from simple columns of text running around photo

boxes and using color.

By 1998, the magazine’s nonprofit owners decided to

sell

Yoga Journal

to a publishing company, and newly

available resources helped the magazine grow. Editors

and designers revisited the publication’s purpose. In

recent years, yoga had become an American

lifestyle—more as exercise than spiritual expression.

It made sense, therefore, that

Yoga Journal

should

once again focus on the topic that started it all. “We

had to make the magazine accessible, editorially and

visually, to attract a broader audience,” says design di-

rector Jonathan Wieder.

The relaunch of

Yoga Journal

in 2000 included a re-

design that accentuated yoga. On the covers, graceful

yoga positions speak for themselves without back-

grounds or novelty fonts. Inside, instructional and in-

spirational photographs drive the book’s simple, natural

flow. Pages changed from glossy to matte for a more

modern look and to better represent photographs.

The pure, serene covers help

Yoga Journal

stand out

against more cluttered faces on the newsstand, which,

along with a new direct-mail marketing campaign and

the nation’s overall obsession with yoga, has driven

readership. Subscriptions rose 50 percent between

1999 and 2000.

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