ESPN the Mag is produced fortnightly and mailed out to a subscriber base of just over two million. The publication positions itself as the catalyst for the very next sports conversation through “unparalleled access to athletes and opinion-forming storytelling”. Its main audience is young men who are or looking to or already highly engaged to sport. These are typically sports fans who want more in-depth stories than what’s offered on TV. The magazine measures 10 x 12 inches full page and 20 x 12 inches full spread. The design needs to match the visual excitement of watching sports, so the larger size allows for more eye-popping imagines and slightly bigger point size. Bold graphics, sharp edges and red/black/white color scheme help the readers stay engaged and entertained.
The head and bottom margin both measure 1 inch. The inside gutter margin is 7/8 inch and outside gutter margin measures ¾ inch. There are two text columns on this page. The inside text column measures 1.5 inches and the outside side bar column width is 1 inch. The column gutter width measures ¼ inch.
The magazine’s story mix consists of a main feature combined with timely news and interviews. There is usually one pull quote and one photo used per story, sometimes 2 or 3.
The use of white space surrounding the feature photo is very noticeable. The inch of white space on each side of the graphic centers our attention on the basketball and separates both columns. Thus, this use of white space establishes good, clear hierarchy.
