The short version
- Editorial design is the craft of laying out words and images for reading, as in magazines and newspapers, using a clear structure of kicker, headline, standfirst and body.
- Magazine devices such as kickers, pull quotes, big numbers, columns and issue numbers work on social posts because they tell the reader what kind of content this is at a glance.
- A good editorial post has one typographic system: a small set of sizes, one or two typefaces and a repeated position for each element.
- Carousels behave like magazine spreads, so a cover, a contents list, content pages and a closing page make them easier to follow and more likely to be saved.
- Numbering posts as issues or series turns separate posts into a recognisable publication.
On this page
Editorial design is the craft of arranging words and pictures so people want to read them, the way magazines and newspapers do. On social media it means borrowing magazine devices, like a small kicker above the headline, a pull quote, a big number, a column of text or an issue number, and using them on posts, carousels and stories. Those devices tell someone what a post is in the half second before they decide to stop, and they make a feed look like a publication rather than a stream of adverts.
This guide takes the most useful magazine devices one by one, shows how each translates to a social format, gives you a type scale to start from, and explains how to turn single posts into a series people recognise.
Why editorial design works on social media
Most posts compete on colour and volume. Editorial posts compete on structure. A kicker, a headline and a short standfirst tell the reader the topic, the point and the reason to care, in that order. That is the same order a scrolling eye reads in, which is why editorial layouts feel easy even when they carry a lot of words.
They also look considered. Consistent margins, a repeated position for each element and restrained type read as care, and care reads as trust. If you are new to ranking elements by importance, start with visual hierarchy.
The basic editorial stack on an Instagram post: kicker, headline, standfirst. Three sizes, one typeface family, no boxes.
Magazine devices and how to use them in posts
Every device below has a job in print and the same job in a feed. Use two or three per post, not all of them.
| Device | Its job | How to use it on social |
|---|---|---|
| Kicker | Names the section or topic | Small caps above the headline, the same position on every post |
| Headline | Makes the point | Six to ten words, the largest type on the page |
| Standfirst | Gives the reason to read | One sentence under the headline, about a third of its size |
| Pull quote | Lifts one striking line | A single sentence, large, with the source small beneath |
| Big number | Makes a fact memorable | One figure huge, one line explaining it |
| Columns | Makes long text readable | Two narrow columns on a slide or landscape post |
| Folio and issue number | Places the page in a series | Small text in a corner: No. 12, page 3 of 8 |
| Rule | Separates without boxes | A thin line between kicker and headline, or above a caption |
Pull quotes
A pull quote is the simplest editorial post: one sentence, big, with a small attribution. It works because a quotation feels like a fragment of something longer. Only quote real people and real words, keep it under about twenty words, and set it in one size. Quote post design covers the layout in detail.
Big numbers
Magazines often open a feature with one large figure. On a post, the number is the headline and a single line underneath says what it means. Use real numbers you can stand behind: a date, a count, an issue number or a fact about your own work.
A pull quote: one line, one size, the source small underneath.
A big number: the figure is the headline, one line explains it.
A type scale for editorial posts
Editorial layouts look expensive because they use few sizes with confident jumps between them. Here is a starting scale for a 1080×1350 post. Pair a serif for headlines with a sans-serif for small text, or use one family in two weights; font pairing and serif vs sans serif help you choose.
| Role | Size on 1080×1350 | Style |
|---|---|---|
| Kicker | 24 to 28 px | Sans-serif, capitals, tracked out slightly |
| Headline | 88 to 120 px | Serif or bold sans, tight line height |
| Standfirst | 32 to 40 px | Regular weight, comfortable line height |
| Body in carousels | 30 to 34 px | Short lines, about 35 to 45 characters |
| Folio or caption | 20 to 24 px | Sans-serif, muted colour |
Keep margins wide, at least 64 to 80 px on a 1080 px post, and put the kicker, headline and folio in the same place every time. Repetition is what turns a layout into a house style.
Designing carousels like magazine spreads
A carousel is the closest thing social media has to a magazine. Treat it like a short feature: a cover that sells the story, a contents page, a handful of content pages and a closing page that tells the reader what to do next. Instagram carousel design covers the mechanics of slide order and swipe cues.
Page 1, the cover: the promise, the issue number and the length.
Page 2, the contents: a short list tells the reader the shape of what follows.
- 1
Cover
Kicker with issue number, a headline that makes a promise, and the length, such as eight pages.
- 2
Contents
Three to five short items. Readers swipe further when they know how far they are going.
- 3
Content pages
One idea per page, the same grid on each, with a folio such as 3 of 8 in a corner.
- 4
Pull-out page
Midway, a pull quote or a big number breaks the rhythm and gives a page worth sharing on its own.
- 5
Closing page
One line to remember and one thing to do next, such as save, follow or read the full piece.
Turning single posts into an editorial series
Magazines are recognisable because every issue shares a masthead, a grid and a colour system. Do the same with posts. Give your recurring content a name and a number, keep the kicker and folio in fixed positions, and use one background family across the series so the posts read as a set on your grid and in the feed.
Instagram post 4:5
1080 × 1350
Story 9:16
1080 × 1920
LinkedIn post 1:1
1200 × 1200
Substack header
1456 × 816
Looks like a magazine
- One type system used every time
- Wide, consistent margins
- A kicker and folio in fixed places
- Two or three devices per post
- One background family per series
Looks like a flyer
- A new font for every post
- Words pushed to the edges
- Labels that move around
- Every device on one page
- A different background each time
A soft gradient background suits editorial layouts because it adds depth without the visual noise of a photo. In Gradiently, a Mark carries that background across every page of a series, and copy to sizes lays the same issue out again as a story, a LinkedIn post or a newsletter header. For a stricter grid underneath, read Swiss design.
Questions people ask
What is editorial design?
Editorial design is the layout of words and images for reading, as in magazines, newspapers and books. It relies on a clear structure of kicker, headline, standfirst, body and captions set on a consistent grid.
How do I make Instagram posts look like a magazine?
Use a small kicker above a large headline, add a one-sentence standfirst, keep wide margins and one type system, and put an issue number or folio in the same corner of every post.
What fonts work for editorial social posts?
A serif for headlines paired with a clean sans-serif for kickers and captions is the classic editorial combination. One family in two weights also works and is easier to keep consistent.
What is a kicker in design?
A kicker is the short line of small text above a headline that names the section or topic, such as The journal or Issue 04. It tells the reader what kind of content follows.
How many slides should an editorial carousel have?
Enough to hold one idea per page with a cover, a contents page and a closing page. A short contents list tells readers how many pages to expect, which helps them swipe to the end.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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