2 Magazine

How did SUFFIX design the website for 2 Magazine?

2 Magazine is a lifestyle magazine with varied content, from art and restaurants and culture through to interviews with interesting people across different fields. The original print publication had a distinctive identity in the layout and structure of each issue. When the magazine moved to digital, the challenge was how to keep the website carrying that print identity while still letting readers reach the content easily and enjoy reading in digital form. SUFFIX started by studying the structure and layout of the original print publication in detail, before designing a website that brings print sensibility together with on-screen reading experience.

Bringing print structure into web design and playing with typography

What sets 2 Magazine apart from typical online magazines is content layout that is not a single repeating format, but varied and distinctive, much like reading a print magazine. SUFFIX brought the layout structure from print issues into the website design, so each article has its own presentation that fits the nature of the content. For typography, SUFFIX designed playful typography across article headlines, key sentences, and words that need emphasis in each story. Type is not just a medium for the message. It becomes part of the design that creates mood and a distinctive style for 2 Magazine on digital screens.

Designing the CMS together with the editorial team

An online magazine carries a significantly much larger volume of text and images than a typical website. The content management system has to support the editorial team’s workflow, which includes long-form text, large numbers of images, and varied layouts in each article, while still keeping the process organized, efficient, and easy to manage. SUFFIX designed the content management system through practical testing with writers and the editorial team at 2 Magazine, to make sure the system supports the team's real workflow, from writing articles, laying out images, and playing with typography, through to publishing. Testing with real users shaped a system that fits the specific needs of an online magazine, not just a typical CMS designed for ordinary websites.