Terminology Glossary

Glossary of Magazine Design Terminology

Background - The backing to a magazine cover and the base feature, can be coloured or patterned to add effect.

Barcode - Not just on magazines, this series of black bars and usually numbers on a white background identify the details of the product.

Box-out - A separate headline and sub-headline, isolated in an appropriate location on the cover of a magazine.

Colour - Pretty straightforward, contributes hugely to effect and the way we interpret a magazine cover.

Contents - Usually situated very close to the cover at the beginning of a magazine. Can also be designed similar to the theme of the cover to add effect and realism.

Cover photo - Also known as the main image, usually of a celebrity or group of whom the main article of the particular edition of the magazine is about, and this image usually overlaps the masthead to signify the huge importance of the star of the magazine.

Editorial - In most professional magazines, this is a foreword written by the magazine's editor, whose moment to shine effectively is here throughout their significant importance into the making of the magazine. A columned piece usually accompanied by a caption and a signature.

Font - The style of writing which is very important to the way we interpret a magazine. Many fonts exist, and there will always be a font appropriate to any sort of magazine.

Issue - A particular edition of a magazine. Issues of a magazine are usually numbered and shown on the cover to help collectors know where they stand. Issues are usually released weekly or monthly.

Masthead - The title of a magazine, always at the very top and shows the name of the magazine, usually in its trademark font. Important, but often overlapped by cover images.

Plug - Also known as a star-burst, spot or puff, this is similar to a box-out and is an isolated category of the magazine, which designers ensure stands out on the cover.

Sans serif - A particular font style, where letters of a certain font do not sport ridges on them and will be written more as block letters, without any decoration (serif).

Serif - Opposite to sans serif, this is a font style containing ridges or decoration.

Strap-line - A slogan or tagline which accompanies a sub-headline. Less important than a lot of magazine features but still features well on professional leading magazines.

Tagline - A basic slogan or phrase which usually accompanies a masthead; often the same at all times for a magazine and crucial to maintaining the individual qualities of it.