Design considerations for College Magazine

•    Click here for pdf Document
•    Click here for Sample College Magazine

    

    If you are magazine editor and you are searching for guidelines to design and develop a college magazine this is the right place for you. Where to start... what all things to cared...? . Read more and find more...

 

            1.      Formation of editorial board

      

 

     1.       Student Magazine Editor

•          Important person concerned with college magazine
•          He should be aware about all parts of magazine
•          Need a greater capability of co-ordination
•          He should be very well knowledged about pulse of campus
•          Must bear commanding power
•          He must bear greater knowledge in financial management
•          He should bear minimum general knowledge about writers, writings…
•          Must need patience
•          Must bear good managerial skills

    2.       Article Invitation

• We can invite articles in three step extension of the last date for article submission.
•  Specify the type of articles you are inviting in notice (EX: poems, Essays, satires,            movie,article reviews, travelogues, drawing , Photographs...) in posters and electronic publicity means.
• Magazine team can collect articles by conducting programs in campus in relate to magazine which can product into article in future (Ex. Letters writing competition, Essays)
•  Magazine team can also make use of talented students in writing and other activites for article fabrication. (Consider three type of people in editorial board)
• If you are insufficient in article you can find articles by making use of art fest off stage events (Ex: essay competitions, poetry competition etc...).
• Try to receive more articles through Electronic means, which may reduce DTP work stress in English works.
• Always make sure that details of author pinned properly with articles received.
• Always try to obtain informal photographs with a minimum quality 75 dpi resolution for best quality printing. (300 dpi resolution photographs are best)
• Always safely file articles with proper information
• Regularly visit respective peoples for articles.
• We can use both electrical means and pen paper method for article acceptance so we have to form an official email id for magazine and official page in SNS for publishing notices and posters relates to magazine (Ex. cekmagazine@outlook.com , www.facebook.com/CEKMagazine14 )

If you need customized emails and other tools from google in cheap price visit the link: https://goo.gl/n2Or3z

and use referral code: T7KR6T6FVJTAR77 in India it will offer you 20% off for first year.

    3.       Editorial Team

• Simultaneously along with article invitation, the editorial team should form a theme for magazine that can adapt all received articles.
• Conduct Events in relate to theme in campus in order bring attention to magazine. ( Make everyone feel about magazine)
• Theme can be variable until the date you announce a program on its basis.
• Keep a diary to input ideas of editorial./ digital diaries with cloud support is suggested for safe keeping of informations (Ex: Google Keep)
• Later on completion of each work, you can reach a suitable title for magazine.
• Editorial must be assembled once in a week for the analysis of magazine design progress (required regularly after article collection)
• Think about varieties that can be bring to your magazine in cheaper design considerations.
• Editorial must find required articles for magazine or they should be capable to generate.
• All around Co- ordination of magazine.
• Find a good team for interview and good person for interview.
• Frame sharp and good quality  questions before interview session.
• Detail Study about the person who are you going to interview required.
• Try to unveil cover page on college day
• Prepare  financial plan and time plan for magazine (EX: These much work will be complete before this day…)
• Make references with previous College magazines.

   4.       Finance Team

• Roughly, estimate the number of pages that should be included in magazine. For that count separately no: of black and white pages, No: of color pages, No of cover pages.
• Based on fund availability estimate required quality and no: of pages.
• Estimate the extra fund requirements through sponsorship.
• Quality means page GSM, Paper type, paper size (Ex: For A4 Sized Magazine: Min 70 GSM b/w Paper, 100 GSM Color, Dummy ¼, White paper/natural Shade,230 GSM Cover glossy/Mat finish) 

      
           NB: b/w = Black and White

Finance distribution

• Account statements must be regularly update using MS excel or any spreadsheet software is which includes bill date, receipt number, details of transaction.
• It is much better to do English DTP works inside the campus itself
• All transaction must made through vouchers and receipts
• All receipts and vouchers filed with proper data entry in spreadsheet account statements.
• Always make sure to imprint received stamp from in bills & receipts
• Always make transaction through vouchers for small amounts, Keep distribution amounts along with voucher.
• Keep petrol bill/Bus tickets as a proof of your journeys related to magazine. Also take photocopy of bus tickets in a single A4 sheet after a month (Thermal Bill)
• Photocopy of thermal bills must keep along with originals since these bills may get erased after a period
• Initially estimate the printing designing and printing costs that fits capital of investment by suitably selecting no: of pages specially color pages.
• Give primary importance for printing and designing cost. Initially part the required amount for printing & designing from capital of investments. All other expense should limit in accordance. 
• Advances for printing press pay only after the materials taken for printing (try to limit the advance amount 20%)
• Receive an agreement from sponsor if you are receiving the amount after publishing magazine. Try to buy 20% advance of total sum before one month of publishing.
• Always maintain a good relation with sponsor through electronic means (Make them feel that we give great concern to them).
• Always estimate amount 20% higher than the original one. ( which may subject to meet other miscellaneous expenses that often forget to consider)
• It is better choose selected press for magazine printing for poster designing and printing which may subject to substantial reduction in cost.
• Check reliability of agreed amount by college and sponsors.
• Depart college fund initially for printing and designing costs
• Always find reliable source for emergency funding

   1.       Photography Team

• Always try to be get informed with programs in college
• Regularly enter the dates of different events.
• Forecast coming events and try to capture almost all with a good quality camera. ISO Level, resolution of image should need to be considered at least 75 DPI resolution for best quality 300 DPI must be maintained.
• All photos relates to different events must be collected from different photographers who cover events will be helpful to sort good quality.
• Periodical sort out of good quality photographs will considerably reduce stress during final designing periods.
• Even after selection, it is better to keep others Photographs.
• Keep these documents in multiple PCs for the security of documents from virus threats.( It’s much better to use cloud storage)

   2.       Publicity & program coordination Team

•          Plan programs in accordance with theme.
•          Always plan cost effective programs.
•          Make rough estimate for program.
•          Make rough plan about its implementation and impact parameter in campus.
•          Timely publicity of events through posters and electronic means.
•          Poster designing
•          Public Relation
•          Invitation
•          Interview Co-ordination, Find out good writers for preface, Message…
•          Sample copies of work should be safely filed( posters, Articles…)

   3.       Article evaluation & Correction Team

• Members this team should be good readers
• They should bear quality of patience
• Always implement four stage evaluation method
• Initially it should be verified by using editorial wing ( girls)
• After suitable correction rewrite articles and obtain DTP (estimated cost 30/ pg malayalam, 20/pg English) Bulk orders reduce cost.
• Final verification should be done on the 3/4 B/w replica of magazine obtained through local printers. Can use college resources if possible
• Final verification must done with help of someone who is not at all knowledgeable about these articles.
• Academic reports must evaluated through respective head of concerned section and get a signature in copy in order to avoid future disputes.

   4.       Art Work & Designing

• It is the most complicated step in magazine design.
• Pages are availed, as a set of 8/4 pages so your total no: of b/w & color, pages should be its multiple separately.
• Reduction of color pages bring will noticeable difference in production cost.
• Most of the magazines are done in dummy ¼ (EX: Viralthumbil)
• Natural shade papers are more preferable ( Readers paper… reduce stress in reading due less light intensity reflection)
• Usually people opt white paper for their magazine ( Bring focus for printed matter)

      a)      Art Works

• Suitable drawings should be done in accordance to work
• Timely drawing works will reduce stress during final work
• If you are doing, designing works with an external support suitably file the drawing in accordance with article and proper information regarding article.
• Always conscious about smudge effect that can be caused to pencil sketches. It is much better to make digital scanned copies of the same.
• It is suggested to depend institutional facilities for such activities( Part of cost reduction)
• Art works should be done with the help of different people will surely bring uniqueness in works.
• It is better to use natural drawings for cover page, which gives more naturality.
• Scanning should be done in minimum 300 DPI resolution.

      b)      Design Work

• A designer need a detailed knowledge in any of these software’s, such as Adobe photoshop, Adobe indesign, Page maker, MS Publisher.
• Detail analyses of page dimensions required.
• After page dimension selection fix the borders to data must be restricted inorder to loss data loss during finishing cut out works of magazine.
• Fresh cut images can be freely flooded to the borders of pages.
• Choose Grey scale format for black & white pages.
• Color pages must done in CMYK format. ( Consider in Poster designing)
• page resolution  300 DPI
• Use images with 300 DPI resolution (75 DPI tolerable)
• If you are using malayalam fonts in photoshop use manorama font to optain special characters like( ­inda­ ണ്ട)
• Always use true type fonts in photoshop (TT) (Ex: ML TT karthika, ML TT Manorama…)
• You can use “character map” prebuilt character pick & drop typing software in windows for typing titles.
• “Varamozhi” software will help you to type malayam in manglish. Using help option in that you can obtain certain special characters.
• If you are using photoshop save document in both PSD and Jpeg format in title of respective work.
• Page arrangement is an important concern in designing whether it belongs to Right /Left page.
• Arrange pages as a set of multiple of 4 / 8. Most preferable 8.
• Use b/w duplicate copy of magazine for page arrangements
• Sometimes the designing team forced fill spaces in pages. It can be filled by using some small poems, short stories, useful quotes etc…
• At most care should be given in selection of fonts ( Readability)
• Test samples of albums must take before final print.
• Regularly visit press for more information in designing
• Design a common header and footer for each pages if you consider.

       Important Parts of College magazine

       1.       Cover page

       2.       Details of publication

       3.       Dedication of Magazine ( Samarpanam)

       4.       Index

       5.       Messages

       6.       Editorial( Principal, Staff editor)

       7.       Editorial( Student Editor)

       8.       Preface ( Avatharika)

       9.       Remembrance (Smarana)

      10.      Articles (Poems, essays, satires, Drawings…)

      11.      Academic Calendar

      12.      Academic event photographs

      13.      Photography pages

      14.      Reports

   

  Click here for pdf Document

If it is possible also publish magazine in digital version

“Dedication to work and passion to bring change, brings a good magazine”

      All the best,

Jithin Mathew

Student editor

Viralthumbil

College of Engineering , Kidangoor
email: jithinmv14@gmail.com

          Dowload our offline digital copy of College Magazine app for your windows PC- Viralthumbil  
          (വിരലത്തുമ്പിൽ)