DFID Global School Partnership magazine project overview

The DFID Global School Partnerships (DGSP) magazine is a primary source of information for the global schools programme. Every issue is crammed full of success stories, information on best practice and snippets. Our job is to squeeze it into a 18pp magazine, print it and get it to the distributors.

What happened:

Once we tackled the first issue, it was clear that DFID Global School Partnerships had a lot to say, and not enough space to say it in! We designed a flexible grid that could accommodate large areas of text without making it daunting. Most of the imagery was actually taken in the projects and contributions came from all over the globe.

Why it was good:

Magazine design requires a specific set of skills, it's not just about cramming it all in and hoping for the best. The reader has got to want to read the articles. They have to be engaging, exciting and relevant.

The grid system needs to be able to accommodate that article that stretches to three pages as well as the little news item that only warrants a few lines. Using the styles we set out, the magazine has become a streamlined design and production process, the result, in our opinion is a magazine that is worthy of the programme.

What happened next:

We have produced a number of issues, all different and yet all the same. It has become a major tool in communicating with the programmes 'members' and every issue just get better and better.