Magazine designers
We design magazines, periodicals and journals that people actually read.
We take magazines from concept to creation with effective magazine design services for all types of magazines and periodicals.
Whether you have a large or small readership, applying creative, stylish designs to your magazine layouts helps captivate your audience, keeps things exciting, and engages your readers.
Toast’s graphic designers have worked on a wide range of magazines, helping increase readership and advertising revenue. We work with small and large organisations, helping to modernise and inject some style into publications.
Project management is one of the most important aspects of a magazine design project.
There are two main ways that magazine projects generally progress.
The first is where our clients collate everything for the publication and then supply it all in one go. The second is where content comes over as and when it’s ready.
We’re happy to work either way on magazine design projects. Still, communication is critical, so we use Basecamp to manage our magazine projects as it acts as a repository for all content, and we can set to-do lists, deadlines and schedules.
As the print deadline approaches, there are always a few articles to chase and overdue advert artwork; making use of Basecamps messages and, most importantly, the to-do items means that everyone involved in the project knows exactly where everything is.
Making sure your magazine is a success.
Planning and putting together a magazine is a large task, so the last thing you need is to be let down on the creative.
Our experience in designing publications helps the editors and editorial teams ensure the project’s design stage goes smoothly.
We’ll work with you across every stage of the project – from initial flat plans to collating copy and images. Our graphic design team has the experience you need to create incredible creativity and fully understand the magazine design process.
Who we design magazines for.
Publisher-led magazines
We design magazines for publishers who need consistency, clarity and impact. Whether consumer or trade, layouts support strong editorial while accommodating advertising.
We create flexible grid systems and clear hierarchy to ensure readability across all content types. The result is a magazine that looks sharp, reads well and performs issue after issue.
Corporate magazines
Corporate magazines are designed to communicate clearly with clients, stakeholders and teams. We combine structured layouts with strong visuals to present content in an engaging way.
Built around your brand, these publications balance storytelling with clarity and are easy to produce consistently over time.
Charity and not-for-profit magazines
Charity magazines need to engage emotionally while communicating impact. We design them to bring real stories to life with clear, accessible layouts.
Balancing storytelling with structure, we create publications that connect with readers and support your wider goals.
Membership and association magazines
Membership magazines serve a defined audience with mixed content. We design them to be structured, consistent and easy to navigate.
Flexible layouts support everything from updates to features, creating a reliable publication that works issue after issue.
Educational and institutional publications
Educational publications need to feel credible yet accessible. We design clear, structured layouts that handle a wide range of content.
The result is a professional magazine that communicates effectively without feeling heavy or overly formal.
Reports designed as magazines
We design reports using magazine-style layouts to make complex information easier to read.
Clear hierarchy, strong structure and effective data presentation help communicate key messages while maintaining a professional feel.
Customer and lifestyle magazines
Customer magazines are designed to build brand engagement through content. We create editorial-style layouts with strong imagery and clear structure.
The result is a publication that feels engaging, considered and aligned with your brand.
Digital-first magazines
Digital magazines are designed specifically for screen. We create clear, accessible layouts that work across devices.
The result is a publication that is easy to read, navigate and integrate into your wider digital content strategy.
Exceptional creative & art direction.
Having a trusted process is one thing, but if your magazine lacks professional graphic design, it won’t be in print for long.
Our designers can work on a per-spread basis, designing each article as the content comes over, or we can help you to plan the look and feel of your magazine design before the first issue.
Creating a style guide specifically for your publication creates a clear guide to the layout, from grids to colours and fonts.
Suppose your business has an existing visual identity guide. In that case, we can work with that, too, ensuring everything is on brand and works with the rest of your marketing and promotional collateral.
Our team has the magazine design experience your publication needs.
We’re well versed in managing the creative aspects of a magazine project effectively as it moves through the design, layout, proofing and amendments stages.
Magazine design projects can be unique as the page plan can change as the project progresses, with articles reduced or extended and additional adverts that need to be accommodated.
Every magazine project is unique, and editors usually have their preferred method of working, so we are flexible in how we work with clients.
We have the technical know-how and artwork magazines perfectly for production.
Every magazine we design and put together is done in Adobe InDesign, and we do things properly.
Heading, paragraph and character styles are used to manage the design, and table styles are used to manage the layout.
We also extensively use grids and develop layout styles for each publication we work on. These grids ensure a consistent layout across the entire magazine, meaning the design work is carried through over subsequent issues.
All artwork is supplied press-ready in the correct format for your output, whether print or digital.
Magazine design FAQs
What experience do our magazine designers have?
We’ve worked on many magazines, including staff publications, membership magazines and commercial projects.
From 48pp to over 120pp in size, we have experience in working on smaller and larger projects.
What design software do our magazine designers use?
Everything is done in Adobe InDesign, the industry standard for page layout.
All our projects are technically proficient, using styles, grids and templates within InDesign to ensure that the first and subsequent publications are spot-on.
Can we create custom illustrations, graphics and infographics?
Yes, we do this as standard for the projects that we work on, but items like these are usually quoted separately as they can take time to produce and get right for your publication.
What is the typical turnaround time?
Every magazine is different, so there’s no easy answer to this question.
Planning in advance and giving us notice on when the project needs to go to press means we can plan this efficiently.
What’s the revision process?
We share initial designs and layouts for comment via Adobe Share so you can mark up comments for us to action.
Some clients prefer a hard copy to mark up, and others use Adobe Acrobat to send comments digitally.
We have experience in all of these, so it’s a case of whatever works best for you!
Will the artwork be press-ready?
Prepping a document for artwork is a crucial stage of the project.
We can work directly with your printer or commission our own to ensure that all the files are arworked correctly for the final production, whether a physical print or a digital version.
Do we do digital magazines?
Yes. These are becoming more prevalent, and we can create an interactive PDF or hosted interactive version of your magazine if printing is not an option for you.
Every project we work on is designed to be press-ready, so if you do decide to print the magazine, it’s all ready to go.
Do we artwork adverts for your publication?
We can, but what’s better is to educate your advertisers about the format you require adverts to be delivered.
For some clients, we also offer an advert design service to create adverts for inclusion in your publication.
Do we proofread and edit copy?
We have an in-house copywriter that can help with writing, editing and proofreading the content of your magazine.
If you’d like us to research and write articles, we can help.
Proofing the copy is part of the project, so we’ll give this a full once-over before producing the final artwork.
