The best examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts

3 headline examples of magazine-style web page layouts (and why they still work in 2024)

Let’s start with three core archetypes you’ll see again and again in the best examples of magazine-style web page layouts online. These are the backbone examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts you can adapt almost anywhere.

1. The Feature Story Layout

This is the web version of a glossy cover story. Think giant hero image or bold color block, oversized headline, and a subhead that feels like a teaser on a magazine cover.

A strong example of this is the New York Times “Longform” features. Their big visual hero, centered headline, and generous white space echo print magazine covers, but the layout still flexes nicely on phones. The page often opens with an immersive image, then shifts into a single wide column with carefully spaced pull quotes and section breaks.

Why it works:

• The hero section behaves like a magazine cover: it sells the story emotionally before you’ve read a word.
• The body text is calm and readable, so the drama stays in the visuals and typography.
• Scroll feels intentional: every section feels like turning a page instead of endlessly sliding down a wall of text.

If you’re building your own example of a feature-style magazine layout, try pairing:

• One dominant visual at the top (photo, illustration, or bold color field)
• A headline that spans almost the full width
• A narrow, centered reading column beneath for the main article

2. The Grid-Heavy Editorial Homepage

This layout is the web cousin of a magazine’s table of contents mixed with a front-of-book section. Multiple stories, multiple entry points, and a grid that feels structured but not boring.

Look at The Guardian’s homepage or The Atlantic’s features section. These are real examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts in the wild: multiple columns on desktop, clear hierarchy of stories, and strong typography to separate headlines, decks, and categories.

Patterns you’ll notice:

• One or two main feature stories at the top, spanning multiple columns
• Smaller tiles beneath, sometimes alternating image-heavy and text-heavy blocks
• Clear visual rhythm: big, medium, small; image, text, image

This kind of layout is perfect when you have lots of stories, blog posts, or product narratives you want visitors to explore rather than just scroll past.

3. The Scroll-Based Story Chapter Layout

Instead of flipping pages, you scroll through “chapters.” Each section feels like a spread in a magazine: new background, new visual, new layout treatment.

A great example of this style is National Geographic’s digital features. As you scroll, you move from full-bleed photos to text-on-color blocks to side-by-side layouts that feel like distinct spreads.

This is one of the best examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts for:

• Brand storytelling
• Case studies
• Campaign landing pages

To build your own version:

• Treat each section like a separate spread with its own layout
• Keep typography consistent so the whole page still feels like one “issue”
• Use background color or subtle dividers to mark the shift from one chapter to the next

More real examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts in 2024–2025

Now let’s go beyond the big media brands. The most interesting examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts right now are happening in brand sites and portfolios that borrow editorial tricks without pretending to be newspapers.

Brand storytelling that feels like a mini magazine

Modern brands increasingly design their “About” or “Story” pages like editorial features. Instead of corporate boilerplate, you get a narrative with sections, quotes, and imagery that feels curated.

Patagonia’s storytelling pages (like their environmental or activism content) are a strong example of this. You’ll often see:

• A bold opening spread with a mission-driven headline
• Human-centered photography arranged like a magazine photo essay
• Sidebars or pull quotes that break up the reading experience

This is a good example of how magazine-style web page layouts can support trust and credibility. People process stories, not bullet lists. Research from Harvard’s Digital Design Lab and other academic UX programs (for instance, design and UX discussions at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design) often highlight how narrative structure and scannable sections improve engagement and comprehension.

Product storytelling as editorial content

E‑commerce is also flirting with editorial design. Instead of a plain grid of products, you’ll see magazine-style collections and lookbooks.

Consider fashion or lifestyle brands that launch seasonal collections with long, scrollable editorial layouts: big hero images, styled photography, and text that reads more like a feature article than a sales page. The layout might:

• Introduce a “theme” for the collection at the top (like a magazine cover story)
• Move into a mix of full-width images and two-column text blocks
• Showcase products inside editorial shots, with subtle calls to action

These real examples of magazine-style web page layouts blur the line between shopping and reading—a trend that’s only getting stronger as brands compete for attention.

Creative portfolios with editorial flair

Designers, photographers, and studios are also big fans of magazine-style layouts. Instead of simple thumbnail grids, you’ll see:

• Asymmetrical grids that feel like magazine spreads
• Large headlines introducing each project like a feature story
• Case studies broken into “chapters” with different layouts per section

This is where you can really experiment. One example of a smart editorial-style portfolio layout:

• Hero section: bold name and tagline, like the masthead of a magazine
• Project index: a staggered grid of case studies with varied tile sizes
• Project pages: each case study treated like a longform article with images, captions, and pull quotes

The layout doesn’t just show work—it tells the story behind it, which is exactly what magazine-style design is good at.

Key layout patterns that show up in the best examples

All these examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts share a few recurring patterns. You can remix these into your own designs without copying any single site.

Strong typographic hierarchy

Editorial layouts live or die on typography. In the best examples, you’ll usually see:

• A clear, oversized headline style for feature stories
• Smaller but still bold styles for subheads and section titles
• A body text style that’s comfortable for long reading (think 16–20px on desktop)

Research into readability and digital reading behavior from organizations like the National Institutes of Health and universities often emphasizes clarity, hierarchy, and contrast—principles that map directly to magazine-style web design even though they’re discussed in different contexts.

Modular, flexible grids

Magazine-style web page layouts lean heavily on grids, but they’re not rigid. You’ll see:

• Multi-column layouts on desktop collapsing into a clean single column on mobile
• Tiles that change size to emphasize some stories over others
• Occasional full-width “break” sections that reset the rhythm

Instead of designing one static layout, think in modules. Each module is like a mini spread: image left, text right; or stacked text with image; or full-bleed quote. Then you sequence these modules like pages in a magazine.

Visual rhythm and pacing

Good magazine layouts never let your eye get bored. The same goes for the best examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts.

You might see a sequence like this:

• Big hero image + headline
• Narrow text column with a pull quote
• Two-column section with text and image
• Full-width color block with a short statement
• Gallery-style strip of smaller images

The content could be simple, but the pacing makes it feel like a guided tour instead of a data dump.

Designing your own examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts

Let’s say you want your next project to sit comfortably next to the best examples, not look like a sad blog in a trench coat pretending to be a magazine. Here’s how to design your own versions without overcomplicating things.

Start with a “feature” structure

Even if your site has multiple pages, design at least one page—usually your homepage or a key landing page—as a feature story.

Structure it like this:

• Opening spread: hero section with a bold headline, subhead, and one striking visual
• Context section: a short, scannable intro in a narrow text column
• Supporting sections: 3–5 “chapters,” each with its own layout variation
• Closing: a strong call to action or summary, styled like a final editorial note

This gives you a working example of a magazine-style layout you can reuse for other pages.

Use content types like a magazine editor

Magazine editors think in content types: feature, column, review, Q&A, photo essay, sidebar. You can do the same on the web.

Examples include:

• Feature article modules for deep dives
• Short “blurb” modules for news or updates
• Quote or testimonial blocks styled like pull quotes
• Data or stat callouts styled like sidebars

Mixing these keeps the layout visually interesting but still organized.

Respect readability as much as aesthetics

Magazine-style design is tempting because it looks dramatic, but the best examples never sacrifice readability. Longform content online benefits from clear line length, contrast, and spacing. Guidance from health and accessibility resources like Health.gov and Mayo Clinic often highlights readability and clear information hierarchy for patient education pages—principles that translate nicely to any content-heavy layout.

So while you’re playing with grids and type, keep asking:

• Can someone read this comfortably on a laptop at arm’s length?
• Does the mobile layout feel like a clean, modern article instead of a crushed desktop view?
• Are headings doing real work, or just taking up space?

FAQ: Magazine-style web page layouts

Q: What are some real examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts I can study?
A: Look at longform features from major news outlets, storytelling pages from purpose-driven brands, and editorial-style portfolios from design studios. Focus on how they use bold hero sections, modular grids, and chapter-like sections rather than copying their exact visuals.

Q: How is a magazine-style layout different from a regular blog layout?
A: A regular blog often uses a simple list of posts with minimal hierarchy. Magazine-style layouts emphasize story hierarchy, visual rhythm, and a sense of “issue” or curation. You’ll see varied tile sizes, strong typography, and sections that feel like spreads instead of identical rows.

Q: Can I use a magazine-style layout for a small business site?
A: Absolutely. Even a small site can benefit from an editorial-style homepage or About page. Treat your origin story, customer success stories, or product narratives like feature articles, and use magazine-style sections to make them feel more engaging.

Q: What’s one easy example of a magazine-style tweak I can add today?
A: Turn a plain wall of text into a feature-style article: add a bold, oversized headline, a short subhead, a centered narrow text column, and at least one pull quote or highlighted stat. You’ll be surprised how quickly it starts to feel like an editorial layout.

Q: Do magazine-style web layouts work well on mobile?
A: Yes, if they’re built with responsive grids and modular sections. On mobile, most examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts collapse gracefully into a single column while preserving hierarchy through typography, spacing, and section breaks.

If you treat your site like an ongoing digital “issue” instead of a pile of pages, you’ll start to see layout opportunities everywhere. That’s when the best examples of 3 creative examples of magazine-style web page layouts stop being just inspiration—and start becoming your baseline.