Entering our competition? Louise Holdenhas some tips for designing your magazine.

Last year's overall winner of the Irish Times School Mag Competition, 50:50, which was published by Coláiste Oiriall in Monaghan, caused great excitement around the judging table - before we even opened it. Each A3 page was individually folded, and the stacked squares of folded paper were bound together with ribbon. Totally impractical, but the wow factor made up for it.

Inside, ingenious design prevailed. Printed entirely in pink, black and white, the magazine was pure personality, tempered by impressive discipline. These designers knew from the start how they wanted their mag to look, and they saw it through to the final full stop.

Not all winning mags have to come with ribbons, bells or whistles. Far from it - simplicity was the real beauty of 50:50. And the 2006 winner, Side Show, was designed and printed in black and white. Both winners had the design edge, however, because they kept their looks consistent and chose a style that suited the tone of the content.

Decide on your style at the beginning. That way, your writers, photographers, illustrators and other contributors will know what's required. Carry your design ethos through everything from the title and cover art to page numbering, photography and headline fonts.

On the subject of fonts, think carefully. When faced with a drop-down menu of 100 fonts ranging from Earwig Factory to Planet Benson, it's tempting to splash out. Remember, though: trying to set yourself apart with a funny font from Microsoft Word is rather like trying to express your personality at work by wearing a Simpsons tie. You're probably better off sticking to easy-to-read classics.

Joe Breen, the Irish Times'smanaging editor for production, has some advice for establishing a "house style"."The style of font you use, be it serif, sans serif or a combination of both, will convey a message of sorts to your readers," says Breen. "Type and how it is used are very important subliminal factors in the delivery of information. For instance, note the difference in typography between a popular tabloid newspaper and a quality one, such as the London Times or Independent." "Don't use loads of headline typefaces. Settle on two that are readily available, and stick to them. In addition, grade your page by agreeing on a range of sizes for stories. Be careful with text. Again, decide on the size you want to use and stick to it. The virtue of all this is that your publication will have a consistent and professional look. In addition, within such neat confines it is possible to take the occasional leap into something more visually adventurous."

If you're stuck for ideas, grab a handful of magazines and look at how they approach design. Does their design say something about their content? How does Hot Press compare to Heat? If your magazine was a person, what kind of person would it be? How can you design the mag to express that? The message is that design should not be an afterthought. Your magazine should be a complete product, not just a lot of stuff stapled together. Give it a personality and bring it to life.

• Original photography is a great way to bring a coherent style to your publication. Come back next week for tips on taking pictures. For more about the competition see www.irishtimesschoolmag.ie