I’m certain that all print designers dream to have such a powerful tool as a gallery. Galleries changed a magazine’s structure and make it possible to place more pictures and more information without overloading pages and without forcing readers to see all pictures.
Readers can choose to see all pictures in a gallery or selectively tap to a preview images. Designers’ main task is to choose the most suitable type of a gallery for the particular pictures.
7 Types of Galleries:
Thumbnails. The most popular buttons’ type. Thumbnails give an idea of all pictures and a reader can tap the only ones he likes.
Transparent thumbnails
Faces
Icons. Often icons are used if pictures consist of many small details and thumbnails don’t give an idea of original pictures. Icons also can be used if there are understandable symbols.
Numbers. Use numbers if buttons signify values, dates, charts, steps or as a alternative to thumbnails and icons. Look at Audi magazine screencast, it’s a good example of using numbers because neither thumbnails nor icons are informative in this case.
Text. Often a few words can describe better than a picture.
Galleries with multiple choice. Better Homes and Gardens made the best gallery, they combined 3 galleries into one with multiple choice and created unique feature for their magazine.
Tip. There’s no need to place all thumbnails on a screen, use a scrollable frame to slide through them.
Check my other posts about interactive features and have a look at the Navigation Pages:
Designing an Interactive Magazine. Icons Designing an Interactive Magazine. Multimedia Designing an Interactive Magazine. Scrollable Frames Designing an Interactive Magazine. Pagination Designing an Interactive Magazine. Slideshows Designing an Interactive Magazine. Pop-ups