Composition and layout

Member lesson

Editorial spreads

Lesson 24 of 27 in Composition and layout.

Anatomy of a Magazine Layout Part 1 - 15 Terms and Definitions · Yes I'm a Designer
Lesson

The unit of a magazine or a book is the spread, not the page, because that is what a reader actually sees. Designing pages one at a time produces publications where facing pages argue with each other.

12 columns · 8px gutterspans 5spans 6
A twelve-column grid with gutters, and a block spanning five columns.
Over-the-shoulder view of a woman on a sofa reading a magazine spread where a lake photograph crosses the fold towards a dark headline block and columns of text.
A reader holds a magazine open, and one photograph runs across both pages to a single bold headline. Readers see facing pages together, so design them as one.
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Members answer these 2 questions and keep the ticket for this lesson. Every lesson has one.

  1. Question 1, locked

    Which of these words means this? “Two facing pages, read as one surface.”

    • Spread
    • Baseline grid
    • Shelf view
    • Asymmetrical balance
  2. Question 2, locked

    Which of these words means this? “The rhythm of dense and open spreads through a publication.”

    • Entry point
    • Interruption
    • International Typographic Style
    • Pacing

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