In a recent blog, we covered the topic of editorial design. Both the terms editorial design and publication graphic design are used interchangeably by some. Probably because there are minuscule differences between the two as they both deal with the design and layout of printed publications.
In the blog on editorial design, we provide tips to follow in your designs along with a few examples. So in today’s blog, we’re not going to go into great detail about what publication design is.
Rather, this blog is dedicated to looking at some inspiring ideas for publication graphic design from the top unlimited graphic design companies out there.
Let’s get to it.
This is a magazine design created by Design Pickle. And by the looks of it and the title we can understand it’s fitness and gym related.
Why this publication design works so well is that it looks cohesive. What do we mean by that? The designers have clearly followed a brand guide and that to a T.
The magazine features images that mostly follow a monochromatic theme showcasing the importance of how even the images need to relate to one another in harmony. That’s a very important part of publication graphic design.
The orange is an excellent choice of color that acts as an accent color throughout the visible parts of the magazine. It works well in contrast to the monochrome theme of the magazine.
Shifting our focus to the layout design of the visible pages, you can tell that the designers have understood how the images are a huge part of what makes this magazine worthy. So the textual content is kept from appearing larger than normal.
Conclusively, the various parts of the magazine work well together, making it a good example of how you should engage in publication graphic design.
This next publication design is done by KIMP. Here what we want to highlight is the cover page design.
In publication graphic design, the cover page, whether it’s for a book, a magazine, a catalog, or even a menu for that matter is quite important. Not to sound like a cliché but often people do judge books by their cover. It gives them a glimpse into what the internal contents hold for them.
Similarly, KIMP’s design instills confidence in readers that they can expect a quality publication.
The above design should be commended because it uses a familiar illustration of Benjamin Franklin and customizes it to a bespoke style. The pencil or charcoal sketch-like effect that extends to the rest of the cover design is excellent. It gives the cover a sort of depth.
What other things we particularly like about this publication’s graphic design are the pop of color used in the title and the font combinations. The color of the font is lively against the white and grey backdrop and the dots on the sketch give it a novel artistic flair.
The mix of fonts works so well showing how important it is to choose the right font combinations.
But most of all to have a design work for both print and digital mediums as shown above is a top goal when it comes to publication design.
Overall, this is a great idea of what good publication graphic design looks like.
Who said audit reports have to be boring? This next publication graphic design example by ManyPixels is sure to keep the board meeting interesting.
This here is an audit report that steps out of the usual design norms inherent in such publication design. The designers at ManyPixel have put together a report that bursts with color probably using the company’s brand colors.
They’ve used color to create blocks that segregate various elements, a practice that most designers working on publication graphic design utilize to show a change in information and establish a visual hierarchy.
It should also be noted and commended that even with such bright colors, the designers keep it from looking whimsical. They still maintain a professional look by using the right kinds of fonts and layouts that balance color usage.
It’s a good example of publication graphic design on how you can extend a creative line even to something as ordinary as an audit report.
If you’re in the process of creating a series of books, then this next example of a publication design by Penji will inspire you.
The example featured above is of a collection of short story books. What stands out here are the spine designs for the different books.
The colors are quite different but you can see that the designers at Penji have followed a pattern. Each spine has gradient colors that run down to create a unique look for each book. We think the colors are inspired by the hues of the sky – an excellent place for gradient inspiration.
The author’s name appears in the same spot, something you should expect from a book design for a series. And the same 2 fonts are used on the spine for the title but are mixed up in terms of order to emphasize the required words.
We think that this is a good example of publication graphic design that shows you how to be unique yet cohesive when you’re creating book designs for a collection.
This next publication design is a magazine done by the designers at Delesign.
There are several things to note down here in this design.
Firstly, the designers have followed a theme here. The ocean, the white foam, and crisp pages, and the saturated ocean blue color are a recurring theme across the pages of this magazine.
While there are many ways to go about when creating a travel magazine like this, it’s interesting that they’ve gone in the most perfect direction that further accentuates the blissful and serene quality of the locations featured.
It also should be noted that the designers differentiate the layouts in all the visible pages showing what unique designs mean to them.
The use of relevant high-quality images further adds to the value of this publication design. And we have to commend the designer’s selection of fonts. Some designers choose script fonts for ocean-based travel publications but here the designers have used a serif font. It makes the tone of the publication slightly luxurious.
Bottom line, the publication graphic design practices incorporated in this magazine are an inspiration to those working in travel and hospitality magazines.
When it comes to publication graphic design practicality takes on an important role. Your design wouldn’t work if the final product isn’t practical for the specific industry or subject matter.
This next example by Kapa99 is a good booklet design that exemplifies this. The above is a workbook design.
First of all the cover page appropriately focuses the author. The cover page of the workbook maintains a professional look appropriate for the context.
What’s most important with workbook publication design is the inside pages. Here’s where practicality matters the most. By the looks of it the layout of this book looks just right.
The designers have also used the same font combination on the cover page design on the subheadings of the inside pages as well. This is a good example of how you can maintain cohesion even in publication graphic design projects of this nature.
These are great pointers to help navigate your design direction if you’re looking for inspiration for similar projects.
Now is a great opportunity to remind you that publication graphic design doesn’t just encompass magazines, books, and newspapers. Flyers and brochures also fall in the category of publication design. Hence, the inclusion of this brochure into this list.
This is a design created by Graphically. What we love about this design is that it encompasses the essence of the brand and its unique visual cues.
The designers have perfectly blended the brand colors in a visually pleasing manner. The supporting images on each page are a great addition to the overall design. For a pet shop to successfully advertise itself, showcasing pets is the best route. And the designers have understood this assignment perfectly.
We also love how the headers of all the pages have the same cute illustrations. It helps bring the entire brochure design together. And on the other hand, the illustrations help make designs memorable.
These creative tips in this brochure design are surely inspiring if you’re working on this type of publication graphic design.
This next design is a flyer design done by Greenpixel. It’s an inspiring publication graphic design. Because it will teach you some important design lessons on grabbing your audience’s attention when designing flyers.
Firstly, the use of color is just perfect from a design perspective. If you look closely, you can see that each element appears clearly because of the use of effective color contrast.
Secondly, the flyer design uses a very familiar element, the Poké Ball – an item that’s used to catch and store Pokémon as shown in the anime cartoon of the same name. The main text is also a subtle reference to the cartoon’s slogan “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”. It’s tweaked to be relevant to the subject matter of the flyer.
While the text alone sounds witty, the idea is further solidified by the use of the Poké Ball and the phone with the LinkedIn icon.
Using familiar ideas and supporting them with familiar images that are not clichés is an excellent way to grab your audience. They’d pick up the flyer out of sheer curiosity and intrigue.
So put this into practice and get creative. There could be so many amazing ways you can reach your audience when you apply this kind of direction to your publication graphic design projects.
Publication design provides an excellent opportunity to showcase your brand’s creativity. Whether through a digital medium or printed, good publication design helps foster a feeling of trust in your readers, users, potential customers, and clients. Stats also back this up by showing that 87% of consumers’ purchasing decisions rely on a brand’s design game.
As we conclude, we want to say with confidence that these unlimited graphic design companies are a great way to get your publication graphic design projects done. The quality of the examples surely spoke for themselves.
A bonus of using these companies is that they’re not limited to just publication graphic design. Most of these companies offer more than 100+ design services with some even offering video editing and motion graphics.
There’s also a blog that covers all the benefits you get from these unlimited design companies.
Further, you check out pricing and plans for each company from the FlatFee site.
