“Designers need to make things simpler.” That’s the call-out from Russell Clark, whom we asked for advice for designers of digital magazines. He came up with these 10 design hints when creating great digital magazines:

1. Simplicity.
   It’s the key to good digital magazine design. Keep your design clean and simple. Don’t try and put too much on a page. Overcrowding of text icons and unnecessary lines/patterns may seem like a good idea in theory, but can make for a more confusing reader experience.
2. Keep font size bold and large.
   Everyone who sees your title will do so under different circumstances; different-sized monitors, different color settings, and different resolutions. The environment in which people view your digital magazines will never be constant. You cannot accommodate everyone, but you can make it more accessible for most, by ensuring text is easier to read.
3. Make things obvious.
   Don’t be afraid to point things out; use calls-to-action like “CLICK HERE” or “CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO”. It may be a bit ugly on the page, but it works. This venue isn’t like a standard website; readers aren’t always familiar with the way digital magazines work. You will receive better click rates if you use eye-catching calls-to-action.
4. Use video.
   Print magazines don’t have video; it’s one of the major differentiating factors. If you can produce good-quality video, then it’s worth the investment. Original video content, done well, can help to vastly increase a title’s readership.
   If original content isn’t available, use YouTube or press release video content. You can have trailers, music videos, even entire movies–it all works. Just give people something they can’t get in print–something that will keep them engaged and wanting to come back.
5. Keep it small.
   Most digital magazines have too many pages. Twenty pages is enough for a custom-made digital magazine. If you want to have a strong reading experience that flows well and consistently keeps the reader’s interest, 20 pages of layered content with video is a suitable amount.
6. Keep word counts to a minimum.
   Statistics from successful digital magazines show that readers don’t always like to read long articles in this format. An average of 100-150 words per article is plenty of text, especially once you have accounted for headlines, intro and any video or pop-up content. Don’t overload the reader with a 1,000-word article as you would do in a print title; it’s just not as easy to read.
7. Have an eye-catching front cover.
   Covers have lost their appeal in recent years; on the newsstand in print magazines, covers just don’t seem to stand out anymore. However, digital magazines can introduce animation and video to a cover to really capture the reader’s imagination. People pick up magazines because they want to see what is inside; they want to see what the cover hints at. Digital magazines are the same because they make people want to turn the page. Thus, make sure your title has a desirable front cover that makes the most from this platform.
8. Understand your audience.
   A large percentage of your audience will read your digital magazine while at work, often sitting at their desk while eating their lunch. It may be wise to stay away from pictures that are not safe for a work environment. In addition, unexpected sounds and loud auto-roll videos can also put people off when looking at your digital magazine.
9. Bandwidth.
   Broadband Internet speeds are not as fast as we would hope, and many people are still on basic connection packages. If you’re producing digital magazines, keep in mind that people don’t want to be waiting for pages to load. Keep file sizes low, and subsequently load times.
10. Editorial change.
    It is relatively easy to produce digital magazines, but major change is still needed. We need to change the way we write, design, manage, market and distribute content:

• Editors have to choose content more carefully; what works as a written article may not translate well into video or an interactive game, for instance.
• Writers need to learn that writing video scripts is different from writing an editorial article. They may also have to learn presentation techniques.
• Designers need to make things simpler. Intricate illustrations and fonts won’t work very well in digital magazines. Thin lines have a tendency to disappear, and tiny fonts get lost too easily. Take advantage of bright monitors; stay away from greys, beige and browns like a print magazine, and use brighter, more screen-friendly colors. Bring the pages to life!
• Communication is more important than ever. Designers, writers, editors, video makers and Flash developers all need to talk to each other for the first time in a magazine environment. Discuss ideas from the start and be mindful of each other’s limitations and talents. Only that way will a team evolve into a quick and efficient magazine-making machine!

Russell Clark is Editor of MagDesigner.net and an advocate of digital magazines.