Most of you reading this are aware by now that the March/April issue of Cloth Paper Scissors features a major design change. We teased it in the January/February issue, with a glimpse of the new logo, but the rest we kept under wraps because we love a surprise.
We hope you love the new look. And, since some of you have been asking us how a magazine redesign happens, we thought we’d share a condensed version of the process. Here, in a nutshell, is the process:
Design with a purpose: Before we even start looking at new fonts, much thought, research, and planning goes into coming up with a new layout—the design has to show off the content without competing with it, reflect what the magazine is about, and enhance the experience for the reader. The best magazines marry content and design seamlessly, so as you read it you’re drawn into the artwork, photos, articles, and columns, becoming immersed in the experience. A magazine should have its own identity, just like people.
We know you love mixed-media art, so we wanted the magazine to offer more of what you appreciate: color, texture, pattern, and evidence that something was made by hand. We not only create and edit magazines, we’re avid magazine readers ourselves, so we also approach design as a reader—what would we want to see?
Doing our homework: It’s not enough to say, “Let’s make the magazine more colorful.” We put weeks of work into researching a wide variety of topics. Anita Cook, the talented Cloth Paper Scissors designer, explains the process:
“Several things are taken into consideration: the goal of the new design, who the audience is, current design trends, and the aesthetic atmosphere of the moment. Our research included studying the demographic, looking at the competition both for content and visuals, and examining trends in fonts, color, and design.”
Putting it all together: To start to create a feeling and an identity for the new look, nothing beats a Pinterest board. Boards are a great way to share and translate ideas and get a clearer picture of the design.
The first step toward the new look is creating and choosing the logo. Anita put together several, and a winner was chosen based on a number of factors, such as the overall design, obviously, as well as the readability and balance of the words.
Once that was done Anita took all the information we compiled and was off and running, designing layouts for the various sections of the magazines, such as the columns, articles, and regular features. The ones that were ultimately chosen are the ones you see in the March/April issue. We always strive to bring you the best of mixed-media art, and now that is accompanied by what we think is a beautiful setting.
We’re eager to know what you think of the new look, and also what you’d like to see in the magazine. We create each issue for you, so don’t hesitate to let us know.
Don’t have the new issue yet? You can get the print issue here, and the digital issue here. Better yet, subscribe and don’t miss an issue!