While we here at Clockpunk Studios are particularly proud of the launch of Congress Magazine, thanks to the involvement of Editrix and Clockpunk collaborator Molly Tanzer, Congress was by no means our first magazine rodeo. In fact, we’ve designed the websites–and done other back-end work–for a number of major magazines across a variety of different genres. Here are a few of the other magazines that we’ve worked on, and that we’re very proud of:
- Lightspeed – We’re very happy to have worked with editor John Joseph Adams on several magazines, including his magazine of science fiction and fantasy Lightspeed, two-time Hugo Award winner for Best Semiprozine.
- Nightmare – We also worked with John on Nightmare Magazine, which publishes some of the best in short horror fiction, along with nonfiction and essays, including their recurring column on all things horror, “The H Word.”
- The Dark – Can’t get enough horror fiction? Neither can we. That’s why we also worked on the website for the online horror magazine The Dark.
- Flash Fiction Online – Bite-size fiction requires a slightly different approach, and so did designing the website for premier flash fiction mag Flash Fiction Online!
- Uncanny – Prior to the launch of Congress, the latest magazine project that we worked on was the 2016 Hugo finalist Uncanny Magazine, publisher of “intricate, experimental stories and poems with verve and imagination.”
When it comes to designing the website for a magazine like Congress, Lightspeed, The Dark, or any of our other magazine clients, the first consideration that we have is readability. After all, this is a website that people are going to be coming to every few weeks or months for new content, and we want to make sure that they can get that content as easily as possible. Whether that means making the stories easy on the eyes on a screen, making it a snap to snag ebook copies of individual issues, or providing other options for consuming stories, including audio podcasts.
The next thing, of course, is to make it easy for readers to come back. After all, most magazines don’t want their readers to pick up just one issue or read just one story. They want to get dedicated readers who return to their magazine time and again. That’s where subscription services and newsletters come in extremely handy, and all of our magazine clients have access to tools that can help make it easy for readers to come back for more.
A magazine has different needs and faces different challenges when it comes to website design than, say, an author website or the website of an editor or publisher. But they serve a similar demographic, and, as with any website, they are well-served by knowing their audience and finding the best ways available to engage with them. At Clockpunk Studios, when we design a magazine website–or any other kind–we try to keep those needs at the forefront of our mind, which is why we like to think that our websites are some of the best in the business.