Discussion of magazine column

Magazine layout: focus on the number of columns
Discussion of magazine column

It is very hard to find a magazine that is for reading nowadays. The articles are long and do not get to the point; there are more and more advertisements placed all around the articles that destroy the appetite of the reader. The type becomes much more condense, so that more ads can be put in the magazine. When I look at these magazines, I don’t see why they exist. I feel so bad for the people who do the writing and artwork; their hard work is overwhelming by all these particle, economical factors. I want to be able to read comfortably, and I am sure that I am not the only one.

It would be very hard to talk about the present without discussing the past. What determines a good magazine layout that motivates people to read? In the reader’s point of view, all that matters is the content and a comfortable sense of the layout: the composition of type and image, the number of columns, the length of sentences, the point size, and the space between all these elements. I find that the number of columns is one of the crucial factors to providing that comfortable feeling for reader.

The earliest magazines do not differ much from books. The only difference is that magazines have thin covers. They used a single column or double columns; text occupies almost the whole page and the image is often on the other page or take up a big portion of a page. These characteristics are still present in most of the technical and literary journals. Even though it is pretty hard to find one-column layouts in magazines now, due to the mass production of the magazine industry.

The three-column system is the main form of layout in most magazines now. It carries the idea of asymmetry, and also enables for more text to be put on one page. However, there are problems with this system. First, it is against the people’s native reading habit, which is from left to right, not from the center and to the side. Second, the overly short lines create endless back and forth eye movement. Also, the narrow space between columns lead people across the white space to jump to the next column. The first and second problems seem hopeless. The most common way that a type designer deals with the third problem is to set thin lines to avoid the misread. These problems are clearly present in the page that is without images and has a lot of white space in between columns and around the text. When the point size is too small and the leading between lines is too narrow, the whole chunk of text looks like a monster. How can reading be more enjoyable? From the readers’ point of view, the one-column and two-column structure is much easier and more comfortable to read than the three-column layout. A nice portion of white space and proper line length have to apply to the system. Also, heading, introduction, body text, sub-heads and captions should line up to the left. It saves the readers’ time from jumping back and forth.

There are even four-column layouts used in main articles, which is totally unnecessary and unreasonable. I found some of them in art magazines. Some of them don’t even line up; the text and image are placed on the page without a clear structure. The art and design magazine sometimes is too stylish, and contradicts the basic rules of reading. The three- or four-column system should only be used for sub-information, such as the index or advertisements. In other situations, four columns should be avoided.

I am more impressed by the way that older magazines deal with sub-information than the modern magazines. I don’t know whether people in the past care more about the readers’ acceptance or there is too much information to convey in the modern day; magazines just keep forcing more information onto pages without considering the readers’ desire.

As an editor, you are trying to present the best quality of your magazine and to increase the number of readers. The way to achieve this goal is to choose succinct, high quality writings, well-suited images and simple layouts. Prolix articles occupy too much space and bore the audience. The truth is that the one- or two-column structure is much more cordial to readers, It is not possible for people to look at information without balanced white space and a clean layout; it’s a torture. All the text put on paper is meant to communicate, not decorate. There are more and more magazines that deal too much with images and advertisements, so it becomes hard to realize the purpose of the magazine. There is either no meaningful content, or it’s too hard for people to read the content. The text placed on the pages hurts people’s eyes and does not enrich the reading experience. Dear editors, please take out whatever is unnecessary in your magazines. Less is more, and leave space for readers to breathe and reflect; thought is a virtue. Have you become overwhelmed by the work you have and forgotten what your work actually is? Do you actually have time to read your magazine and feel what the reader feels? Do you miss the joy of reading? I really do.