Once a month we invite our member magazine publishers and enthusiasts to guest-edit our fortnight email newsletter. The aim is to inspire others with magazine-related content, connect members and build our community so we can learn from each other.
This month our guest editor is publication designer Katie White. You can follow Katie on LinkedIn – remember to connect and say hello!
Tell us about yourself
Hi, I’m Katie, a publication designer with a love of all things layouts. Proudly un-formally trained – I learnt on the job through designing national newspapers which then lead on to magazine design (my true passion). These days, you’ll mostly find me designing reports and other publications for purpose-driven organisations and charities – particularly within the food, care and sustainability sectors. All from the comfort of White Creative home office HQ with Pippa (the world’s greediest lab) by my side!
What’s on your mind?
Right now, I’m juggling a few great projects, including a survey response report for my lovely clients at Carents, who support people caring for elderly parents (a cause close to my heart). I’m also working on a campaign called The School Food Project, creating introductory assets for schools, and designing The Broken Plate 2026 report for The Food Foundation. Their flagship report gets major press coverage and is highly regarded by food campaigners, so getting the design right is absolutely key.
Illustration by Yoko Baum with thanks to Ikon Images. Like what you see? Members receive their first 5 Ikon Images illustration uses for £50 each*
What’s the best article you’ve
read this month?
I mean, what’s not to love about this big beauty, Chewy, and his helpful digging to help his 96-year-old granny, Barbara! A bit of light relief from the rest of the news right now.
Show us an incredible magazine cover
Years ago I was drafted in very last minute by an old colleague from my Scotland on Sunday days, to help design a magazine called W42ST (the usual designer had broken their wrist skateboarding!). Ruth was living in New York and editing this super cool magazine and I jumped (nervously) at the chance to get my hands on it! Each issue, the covers varied wildly, I have no idea how they came up with the ideas for each one. I was flicking back through them on Issuu and picked out this one. I love the colours, the crazy fonts and the unconventional pose of the model.
What’s your top tip for publishers?
From a design perspective, something that keeps coming up when I work on both commercial magazines and reports for purpose-driven organisations, is the need for information to not only inform, but encourage readers to take action, too.
A couple of observations I’ve had:
- Data works harder when it’s paired with story. Strong editorial is a given. What often elevates it is how data, case studies and lived experience are woven together visually, so the message feels human rather than heavy.
- Design can gently guide behaviour. Even small design choices such as prompts, pull-outs, CTAs can make it easier for readers to know what to do next, whether that’s sharing a piece, exploring a campaign or learning more
Every page is an opportunity to support the impact the editorial team or researchers are aiming for. When content and design are aligned around engagement, magazines and reports can do more than inform – they can nudge real-world action. ⚡️
Questions for the community
What subject or issue would you like the International Magazine Centre Members Group to discuss and untangle over on LinkedIn?
My question is: How can you encourage more readers to engage with your publication fully, rather than just engaging via LinkedIn posts/on social media?
Need more of this in your life?
Subscribe to our newsletters here and follow us on social on the links below.