Improve your professional portfolio with Magazine Design and Production

November 28, 2016

Newspapers. Check.

Web. Check.

Broadcast. Check.

What’s left? Magazines!

The School of Communication’s Magazine Design and Production (COMM 328-201) course is a great opportunity for students to learn about the fundamentals of putting together a magazine from inception to publication. The course gives students real-life experience in designing and producing a magazine with supporting online content and interactivity. The course has two objectives: to design MOSAIC Magazine, and the creation of an original publication of their choosing that students must pitch and design mock-ups for as part of a final project.

Magazine Design and Production is a great course for students who are interested in visual communications. It offers lessons in areas that students may not be exposed to in other courses like: audience & distribution; break of book; and interactive publication design. It also provides an opportunity for students to grow professionally as they have to apply for jobs on the magazine, pitch their product, and can use their final work as part of their personal portfolios for future internships and jobs.

Senior Tyler Holmes was a photographer for Mosaic Magazine.

“If students have an interest in visuals and design, this course will help them determine how to take photos along with graphics and deliver the same information as paragraphs full of text,” Holmes said.. When it comes to visuals vs. words today, visuals prevail - and that's what will give students an advantage in finding success after graduation.” 

While teaching the course Prof. Jessica Brown has noticed the realization among students on how important it is to address publication mission and audience when designing content.

The Spring 2017 course will be an especially unique experience for students as it will offer them an opportunity to design MOSAIC around the SoC’s social justice theme: GUN VIOLENCE. The social justice theme is a new initiative launched by the SOC, which gives faculty, students and organizations a chance to work together on a single topic to advance knowledge around an issue important to locally, nationally, and globally.

“Taking this course was a great way to learn how a team comes together in order to create a cohesive design that elevates the message of the product being published - in this case, Mosaic,” Holmes said. It also was an excellent experience to find out how to effectively take AND deliver criticism to other students in order to learn how to build a stronger product.

The design-heavy course uses Adobe InDesign and Photoshop to help students grow their visual communication skill set. Proficiency with this software is necessary for any student seeking work in the field. The hybrid nature of the course is also a benefit for students as they learn to work as a team toward a singular goal, and how to improve their capacity and efficacy on a solo project.

There are seats remaining in Magazine Design and Production for the Spring 2017 semester for students who want to register for the course. For more of the featured works above see Tyler Holmes Portfolio and Elizabeth Greiwe Portfolio