Careers / Jobs / Positions in Magazine Publishing

[acester]

Hi last night I realised something,

I couldn't sleep and grabbed my paper pad and attempted to draw..I cannot draw even though there is some serious talent on both sides of my family. I sat there for a while thinking when my thoughts came to magazines (vogue inparticular) and I got to work at doing a draft copy of a vogue. I really enjoyed it I did the cover,content and even the advertisements.

I'm not sure whether it was good but I realised...that maybe because I love it so much I could have a career it in. Like designing the layout, cover, the photographs and stories.

I know there are many careers that include these kinds of things. Could you please tell me some off them. So perhaps I know where to start.

 

[acester]

im young but it must feel great to know what you want to do in life

 

[mouko]

I currently work for a magazine. Planet Magazine. I'm an in-house illustrator.

Some of the positions the my mag and most mags have are

editor - design wise, they're the ones that communicates with the art director in regards of the look of the magazine and makes final decisions on things like cover..etc

art director - someone who basically oversees how everything is designed. Layouts, images, illustrations, text, covers..and tells those working under him/her how something should look.

Then you have all those designers. Most are just plopped as Designers. Taking care of things like layout, covers, images...etc. They're the ones doing all the nitty gritty. Except at my mag our art director does the design as well, since we're a startup. She has 2 interns that help her though.

Basically if you're interested in design aspects of a magazine, its best to look into getting a degree in graphic design. Programs you'll want to know are Adobe In-design, photoshop and illustrator. Then look to score a job at a startup magazine and put in your dues and work your way up the ladder

 

[acester]

wow thankyou so much, so graphic design huh?

On my laptop I have Adobe Photoshop 2.0. I remember going into the mac store with my dad recently and checking out all the amazing programs you could get for that kind of thing, I guess I really am interested ( wow I feel so great to have found an interest).

Mmm out of those jobs..I seriously have no idea I want them like mixed all up into one. Art director sounds good though.

Thankyou so much

btw your magazine looks really cool, Though some of the articles aren't for my age etc. I always find i am very attracted to that kind of...layout, design(argh now i can't think fo a wordlol: silly me.

 

[Lena]

that's great cover design, congrats mouko

lose no time, go for it acester

 

[softgrey]

the person who designed the layout of the magazine i worked for was basically the creative director(sometimes called 'art director at other magazines)...and then we had an editorial director who worked on the articles...

the creative director would design the cover and some other stuff and had a staff of three people in the 'art dept' who would work on the rest of the magazine...'

as far as i know...they did everything on photoshop...
as fashion director...i would have to go and work with them on the layout of my pages and guide them in terms of any re-touching that needed to be done and to make sure everything was accurate...

good luck-
graphic design seems like the right choice for you...
and get an internship as early as possible...

 

[acester]

oo thanks guys

 

[cerfas]

Hm, on a related note, I am looking for an internship this summer, preferably one that is paid or with some kind of compensation. I want(need!) something creative, although the possibilities of that are probably limited. Does anyone have leads? I will be in NYC.

 

[Xone]

i think gen art(they have a mag too) and surface have internships...take a look at their websites....

 

[zrzava]

What is "market work" and what does a Market Editor do?

I see this phrase "market work" come up all the time in relation to work at fashion mags in NYC. We must call it something different here in Prague.

What is it?

What does a Market Editor's job entail?

Thanks!
-z

 

[Stylebites]

The Market Editor deals with sourcing product for the "shopping" sections of a magazine, or am I mistaken?

 

[Tiffy]

I worked as an intern under a market editor and she basically would be given a broad theme for a shoot or layout such as nautical and then would look through lookbooks and call designer's for anything that was nautical that might remotely work for the shoot from that respective season and have it brought to the magazine. Then the fashion editors would pick specifically what they wanted for the shoot.

 

[Stylebites]

Thanks for the info Tiffy! In smaller markets titles don't have anyone doing market work--the fashion editor or stylist has to do it all herself. You can see the difference in continuity between a magazine from London and one from further east immediately.

 

[criticsdarling]

I too interned for a market editor, she was in focus of all American and London designers, while the fashion director did the other european.

 

[Deleted member 49693]

The difference between a magazine stylist and an editor.

Hey, I sent an email to Marie Claire and asked about what both a magazine stylist and an editor involve and the difference and recieved this email back:

Thanks for your e-mail and interest in Marie Claire. Fashion editors are
responsible for what you see on the pages of magazines. However, it takes
many different people in various positions to make it happen. There are
generally two types of fashion editors: market editors and stylists. The
market editors are those who are responsible for attending shows, reviewing
the looks of the season, and then requesting the clothes and accessories
from the designers. Next, the stylists take over and choose what they
like, and decide how they want to put pieces together. Stylists then
accompany the photographers to shoot the looks that they have put together.
This constitutes a fashion shoot which is what you eventually see in the
magazine. There are also assistant editors and associate editors who help
the market editors and stylists. I hope this gives you a better
understanding of the responsibilities of fashion editors here at Marie
Claire. Thanks again for your interest. Good luck with everything.

Hope this gives others a better understanding....

 

[prosperk]

It's a good summary but the reality is that the stylists usually end up having to get the clothes and accessories from the designers and houses because the fashion editors of magazines are usually too busy to do this and often haven't the budget for an assistant. Many fashion editors have been stylists. Some editors-in-chief have also come from a styling background. In other words, for those of you interested in a career in fashion media, styling is quite a good way to start because of the contacts you make with designers, houses, photographers (and their assistants who are usually tomorrow's photographers) and all the people, like hairstylists, and makeup artists, who make a fashion story happen. You also learn how magazines function - or not, as the case may be. Additionally, you make good contacts with peripheral people including all kinds of agents. Plus, importantly, you learn the politics of the game. If you're good at the politics, baby, you don't even need any talent...

Of course, you could try becoming a fashion editor via the journalism and writing side of things. Again, as the content of many fashion glossies proves, you don't necessarily need skill or talent as a journalist. All you have to do to get your free handbags, shoes and other goodies from the fashion houses is ensure that their press releases get published in the magazine. No need even to edit them because they're all written by fashion journalists trying to earn enough extra money to pay the rent and eat.

If this seems unduly cynical, it isn't meant to be. Just felt that an injection of reality wouldn't go amiss...

PK

 

[sanita13]

The Meaning of the Titles from Glamour Magazine Masthead

Hello everyone,
I am doing a huge project for my fashion class. Can someone help me please, I would like to know what does these titles actually do and what do they contribute to the magazine:
Fashion Market Director
Booking Director
Senior Fashion Editor
Accessories Director
Editor at Large
Senior Fashion Editor, Accessories
Fashion Market Editor
Market Editor
Senior Credits Editor
Associate Sitting Editor
Associate Booking-Production Editor
I pulled these titles from Glamour Magazine Masthead (the fashion section).
I had emailed few of the editors but didn't recieve any responses. This would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot.

 

[softgrey]

did you try looking at the already existing threads we have here....?
some of it has already been explained in great detail...

 

[Atrium]

Magazine Covers/Layouts - Graphic Design

I did a search for this topic and couldn't find a thread. I hope this hasn't already been discussed. But, anywho, on to the question.

I'm extremely interested in designing magazine covers and layouts.
I was just wondering if perhaps Graphic Designers are infact the ones who decide on the magazine covers and layouts? Can anyone please help me out. I would greatly appreciate it.

Any tips/help on starting out would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

 

[Luxx]

Atrium, there is a little bit of info mentioned in the Anatomy of a Magazine Cover article on just how a magazine layout is created. It appears to be a collaborative effort but graphic designers are certainly a part of that :

LAYING OUT THE COVER
Within a week, contact sheets from the photographer arrive at the magazine. Film is picked by the art and photo departments and the editor in chief. A print order is made and the retouching and color correcting process begins, which can take up to two weeks. Most magazines and photographers use Box Studios in New York. Simultaneously, an editor in chief and other editors at the magazine generate cover lines, while the art department uses scans from the original contact sheets to mock up versions of the cover. While stars often ask for photo approval, it’s rarely ever granted. However, many celebrities and models are able to see polaroids during the shoot and can make objections if something looks off to them then.

I think the final say on the overall look of the magazine is decided on by the top editors though.