‘Truly an editorial designer… with an intuitive understanding of the needs of the reader.’
Nicholas Brett, Deputy Managing Director, BBC Magazines
Examples
Principles
How to...
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0049 170 485 0911 /
md@martindixon.com
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Editorial design
Principles
I'm based in Berlin, travel a lot and love my work – designing magazines, newspapers and journals for all kinds of readers.
Here are some valuable things I’ve learned which inform this work.
Design is far too important to be left to designers
David Hepworth, publisher, writer and broadcaster wrote these words in his column for the Guardian newspaper some time ago. They’re very wise.
Every f ***ing cover is special!
The late Felix Dennis, maverick publisher, poet and my first employer shouted this at me after I suggested creating a ‘special’ cover for an anniversary issue of one of his magazines. Ouch! then and Ouch! still.
You can’t drink while you pray but you can pray while you drink
It’s not surprising that the best ideas sometimes occur outside of the work environment, but they do need encouragement. And it’s nice to have a drink too.
Words don’t mean anything these days.
Whether you’re dealing with words or images it’s what you leave out that matters.
Vive l’Évolution!
Revolution is not always what’s needed, simple improvement is often the best option. As a designer you sometimes have to resist your desire to rebel.
Design abhorrs a coincidence.
A designer should never leave anything to chance. Happy accidents are fine but they should be an option not an obligation.
Beauty at the
service of utility.
…and not the other way round. If something is well designed its usefulness will outshine its looks.
Brand, image, content.
The three areas where design matters: how you’re identified, how you’re perceived and how you communicate.
This website was designed and produced by Martin Dixon