Editorial design is an artistic activity focused on communication and related to functional, aesthetic and commercial aspects.
Editorial design is the branch of graphic design that specializes in the layout and composition of publications such as books, magazines or newspapers. It includes the realization of the interior and exterior graphics, always from an aesthetic approach linked to the concept that defines each publication and in relation to the printing and reception conditions.
The editorial design structure designed for print media is currently being adapted to new digital news media. As the professor and journalist Juan Yunquera (2015: 133) points out, the two basic dimensions (width by height) have given way to new formulas, where text and images not only coexist, but must be combined with new elements such as audiovisuals and hypertext. The conception and adaptation of design to various supports and formats entails the need for experimentation and innovation practices on the part of design professionals, as well as new knowledge in matters such as digital art or 3D animation.
What is editorial design for?
To understand the function of editorial design, we must start from the notion of paratextuality, referring to the connection of the text with the textual environment, mainly editorial (cover, title, epigraphs, illustrations, prologue, etc.). The typographic and layout variants or arrangement of text and graphics (tables, graphs, illustrations, etc.) on a page have a decisive influence on the way in which a text is presented to the eye, facilitating reading or favoring a certain form of reception of the content that the author wants to propitiate.
In the artistic context, the dialogue between text and image is essential. When a publication is valued as an artistic object, the design broadens its meaning and identity. In this sense, editorial design is an artistic activity and the designer is an author, since his work includes a series of aesthetic issues, as well as commercial ones. The main objective of professionals dedicated to editorial design is to achieve a harmonic unity between text, image and layout that adequately conveys the message of the content, promotes the publication commercially and has an aesthetic value.
The importance of design and editorial layout
The layout consists of arranging a set of elements (text, photographs, diagrams, etc.) in an orderly manner and with a specific intention in a specific space. The layout is linked to the design principles: composition, color and typographic concepts combined in a harmonious way. At the compositional level, the layout concept is linked to the proportions of the page elements, the order given to the visual weights, the hierarchy under which the elements are located (front or back, top or bottom, full color, white and black, dark or highlighted, etc.).
With the revolution of digital technologies, this process will open up to a greater compositional freedom by being able to separate the layout from the physical support (web pages, slideshows, etc.). Currently, the designer must have training in the principles of design to do a good job of layout. Understanding the different communication aspects involved in the order of information elements on a page requires professional knowledge and skills to create a functional, attractive and dynamic proposal.
Indesign: the software par excellence
Indesign is a layout program for editing multipage products with management of output standards for analog products (printing of all types of publications) and also digital (tablets, screens, etc.). This software allows you to easily adapt publications for a wide variety of page sizes, orientations and devices, allowing great control and versatility in the use of images and fonts.
Indesign is the world's leading application for editorial design. They can be made from simple projects such as a flyer in color, black and white, with text, images, etc. to more complex creations such as magazines, books or newspapers. Indesign is the ideal program for working with designs that involve spreads such as diptychs, triptychs, magazines, catalogues, static banners, and printed and digital books.
At the University School of Arts TAI You will be able to delve into editorial design and the management of programs such as Indesign by taking the Diploma in Digital Design and Multimedia Creation, an avant-garde and multidisciplinary program that prepares you to work in the design and digital creation industry at the highest level.
