Call me old school, but one of the best ways to plan content for a new issue is on paper. I start with a blank flatplan and a pencil, working out roughly how many pages I want to give to each feature, where the ads might sit and how I want the magazine to flow (I’ll do a post on how to make your magazine flow another day… as that’s a BIG topic in itself). Then, when I’ve a rough idea of what content will go where, I transfer my scribbles to a digital flatplan that I’ve created in Indesign. I’ll then update this digital flatplan with screenshots of designed pages as I watch the issue take shape. Seeing those little grey boxes fill with colourful layouts is certainly one of the reasons I love my job.
“Every project starts with a blank printed flatplan and a pencil – then I start to map out content, moving things until I’m happy”
During my time as deputy editor on Ideal Home, flatplanning – like photography – went digital. From printing out each version of the flatplan (and trust me, sometimes you’d get to version 10 or 11 before you’d got the ads best placed) and leaving on people’s desks, we now had the technology to produce a flatplan online and share via email – revolutinary, I know!
Yet lurking at the bottom of my proofing tray, you’d always find a secret stash of A3 printed blank flatplans. In fact, when I left TI-Media I brought a few (okay more than a few!) with me.
So, I hope you find this download handy. It’s your very own blank flatplan PDF, which you can print out and use to plan your issue. Pencil and rubber to the ready…