If you’re thinking about getting a new publication off the ground, you’ve probably already spent some time hashing out what it might look like. But therein lies the rub: conceptualizing a design and executing it are different skills entirely.
And if you lack the latter (or if you have the design skills but are pressed for time), creating a magazine layout can be difficult at best. That’s why so many turn to templates to get the job done, or at least to get started.
But even templates can be costly. Many offer a ton of extra features, but you don’t really need all that when it comes to editorial work. Instead, you need a template that looks how you want it to look and fulfills the layout functions you need to deliver your content in the best way possible.
And thankfully for that, there are many free magazines and editorial layout templates for Adobe InDesign available. We’ve put together a nice long collection of free options, so you don’t have to waste time scouring the web. Just make sure to read the licenses for each template before getting started. Now, have at it!
Learn InDesign:
The Free Minimal Magazine InDesign Template is an ideal choice if your magazine will be photo-heavy. I can easily see it being used for fashion or travel publications, thanks to its two page and one and half-page photographic spreads.
It consists of 24 pages, has automatic numbering, and is super easy to customize.
The InDesign Magazine Template offers a stylish way to present your editorial content to your target audience. The overall look of this template is best described as professional, and it could be used for a variety of industries, from corporate magazines to niche publications.
It includes 26 pages, free fonts, paragraph styles, and it is print-ready. This way, once your design is completed, it can be exported and off the presses.
The D-Ziner Free Magazine InDesign Template is an absolute stunner. This template includes a mixture of layouts that can be arranged to create a sense of unpredictability in your design.
With a variety of included graphical elements, text boxes, and paragraph styles, this template can appeal to tech enthusiasts and those who favor bold design choices.
It’s all in the name, here. The Food Magazine InDesign Template is a beautiful selection for food publications or anything to do with the culinary arts.
It comes with 13 pages, each with unique and eye-catching layouts, and includes all the fonts and photos you see in the preview in the actual download. It’s fully printable in standard US magazine (but can be resized should the need arise).
If you want to keep the look of your magazine simple, the Minimal and Modern template offers a 50-page layout that can be customized with images, graphics, and text as you see fit.
It’s an excellent choice for fashion spreads, design magazines, or even publications that feature human-interest stories. It’s printable in A4, and US Letter sizes and includes paragraph and character styles.
The Free Magazine InDesign Template can be used for any style of publication but shines for the financial planning sector.
The layouts include support for a text-heavy publication with plenty of photographic backgrounds and statistic callouts to keep readers engaged and informed. It’s available for personal and commercial use.
The Stunning Photography Magazine Template for InDesign has a modern and elegant design that can be adapted for showcasing any sort of photography you’d like. It could also be used for a lifestyle or travel magazine.
It comes with paragraph and character styles, a cover page, a table of contents, five page layouts, and an overall aesthetic that will appeal to many budding editorial creators.
This Modern Fashion Magazine template offers bold layouts and really puts your photography on display. We’re talking full-page spreads that featured edge-to-edge photographs, a fully editable design, and a landscape layout that’s certain to make your publication stand out from the rest.
The Colorful Shop Brochure Layout has a multitude of uses, and it looks lovely while doing it. This template features bold colors that will readily stand out on the magazine rack. The color scheme is comprised of gradients that make for a sunset-esque appearance.
This template is fully editable, is in CMYK, and is sized at A4 and US Letter sizes. Once you’re finished designing, just click print. Easy as that!
The Stylish Food Magazine Template for InDesign is an easy-to-edit offering that offers a slightly more editorial style to the food magazine concept.
It includes automatic page numbering, bold and graphical layouts, and type styles that make the process of putting together a magazine centered around food a snap.
The Bernard Fashion InDesign Magazine Template includes 24 page designs, which ensures your magazine’s layout will provide fresh and exciting perspectives on every page.
You can set custom colors, use the included paragraph styles and free fonts, and print your magazine easily in either A4 or US Letter sizes. It’s a solid choice for fashion publications as well as architectural or artistic endeavors.
The Simple Magazine Cover Template makes quite the impression at first glance. It features full-page photography, bold headers, and is a force to be reckoned with for business publications.
You can customize the color swatches, fonts, images, and text. Plus, the article headings are highlighted and colorful, allowing your best content to stand out. Though this template is just for a cover, it could really make a strong case for cracking open your magazine.
As its name suggests, the Multi-Purpose Magazine Template offers 26 unique pages that can be customized to suit any industry, profession, or area of focus.
It can be custom-tailored for any kind of publication. Thanks to automatic page numbering, free fonts, paragraphs, character styles, and fully-customizable graphics and text, this magazine template is a strong choice if you’re unsure about the focus of your publication at the outset.
Here’s another free magazine cover template designed to pique potential readers’ interest.
The Fashion Magazine Cover Template is a one page download that supports a full-page photograph, multiple content teasers, bright headers, and custom fonts and paragraph styles. Plus, it’s fully print-ready.
The Marketing Booklet Template keeps things simple, but sometimes that’s all you need — especially if you’re just interested in putting out a quick booklet to spread specific information about your business or a given industry.
If you want to launch a sports or fitness magazine, the Sport Magazine InDesign Template is a great choice to consider. It includes 30 pages of custom layouts, three cover layouts, paragraph and character styles, a grid layout, and free fonts that you’re free to use in your finished product.
Best of all, the file is fully editable, and every element is on a separate layer, making for a much easier customization experience.
The Grid Wireframe Editorial Layouts template is a collection of various grid layouts that can be used and adapted for multiple purposes. You can use these wireframes to build a publication from scratch.
This is especially helpful if you have a specific design in mind and are not finding what you need from pre-built templates.
The Santal Magazine Editorial Templates are truly breathtaking. It’s a 76-page template that is perfect for putting together a double-issue or a special, near-book level publication.
It’s in A4, and US Letter sizes, fully print-ready, and includes separate images, text, and graphics layers. It uses free fonts so you can easily replicate the style in the template’s sample pages, and includes multiple paragraph and character styles for true customization.
The Summit Magazine Template is a sure choice for adventure, travel, or outdoor magazines. It has 15 custom pages for putting together a layout that works for your proposed content and is easy to edit thanks to organized layers and unlimited color selection.
It also uses free fonts, is print-ready, and has been designed to immerse readers into the stories you share.
The Archtype Magazine InDesign Template is an excellent choice for architecturally-focused magazines. But it could also easily be used for interior design, fashion, or home magazines.
The layouts offers within this template’s pages can help you tell an in-depth story or even promote items for sale. It has a wide range of flexibility, which is impressive for a free template.
HubSpot is a go-to source for marketing automatically assistance, and in keeping with that theme, they provide free ebook templates for download.
These ebook templates can easily be adapted for magazine publishing and can be used for print and digital publications. The designs are simple, bold, and graphical, which is perfect for conveying business-focused info.
This template is an excellent choice for general interest, fashion, home and garden, art, and many more publications. It’s a multi-purpose template that features a professional yet clean design that is readily adaptable.
Some features include 32-page layouts, three magazine covers, free fonts, automatic page numbering, and a grid or column-based layout.
The Memphis Design-Inspired Magazine Layout offers a somewhat retro look while maintaining a modern edge. This template has 20 pages that you can fully customize by adding your own text and images.
It’s also print-ready in CMYK in A4 or US Letter sizes. The overall 80s look could work well for vintage-inspired magazines, themed corporation publications, or a vintage fashion periodical.
The Blackboard template is a fun choice for a school newsletter or magazine, and it could work for a class newsletter or monthly school booklet.
It comes with ten pages that you can customize, including a front and back cover and a variety of sections. You can also set global colors to make it easier to change the look of your magazine on the fly.
The Free Simple Magazine Template is relatively minimal in its presentation, but the concept mockups provided in the file are incredibly inspiring and emphasize how important the photograph selection is.
This template could be used for a fashion, lifestyle, or travel magazine — though honestly, any type of publication would likely find it useful. It comes with six page layouts and free fonts, so you can get started with customizing it immediately.
Here’s another template that inspires at first glance. It offers plenty of whitespace while still giving you ample room to feature photography and text, as well as quotes and other textual callouts. This template features 20 pages and is printable in A4 and US Letter sizes.
The Free Instruction Book Template might not be technically designed for magazines, but it can be adapted for this purpose.
This would be especially useful for a technology publication that needs to feature step-by-step instructions or tutorials. You could also use it for a corporate booklet or brochure. It’s easy to customize with your own content as well.
The Modern Magazine Cover Template features a single page, but you can use this page to create a custom cover for your magazine. I could see this being useful if you were using another magazine template for the interior pages but found the included cover unsatisfactory.
This cover template includes the photography and fonts featured in the sample, but you can easily swap them out with your own for a truly custom look.
If newspapers are more you’re thing — or you want to create a magazine that has a traditional newspaper look — the Newspaper Template for InDesign is up to the task.
This template comes with six page layouts and features all the elements you’d expect from a newspaper: headlines, spots for photographs, column-aligned text, pull quotes, captions, and spots for ads.
Last on our list is the InDesign Recipe Book Template, which is an excellent choice for cooking, food, culinary, and even art magazines. It’s laid out like a book, but this could be useful if you plan on releasing a special issue of a food magazine, let’s say.
It comes with ten page layouts (including two page spreads), free images, and paragraph styles that make it easy to customize this template for whatever purpose you have in mind.
Can you believe all of these templates are free? This collection of magazine and editorial layout templates covers the gamut of industries and topics, and one is certain to pique your interest. Why not try a couple to see which fits your publication best?
