Posts in category: BHG Stylebook

Updated 9/10/25 for current BHG branding and UPC info.

Designers are required to include spine information along with their cover layout documents. Place this information in correct position centered along the left-hand side of the cover. Spine type should be set as follows:

1. If using: Better Homes & Gardens® (10 pt. New Times Roman PS Bold); registered mark 8 pt. Symbol, option-R.
2. Title of magazine (13 pt. New Times Roman PS Bold, ALL CAPS).
3. ® or ™ as needed after title.
4. Issue designation, such as Spring, Summer, Fall (10 pt. New Times Roman PS Bold)

Example:
Better Homes & Gardens® Cottage Style™ Fall 2025
Other cover elements:

1. UPC artwork, which includes cover prices. At minimum, there is one UPC containing both U.S. and Canada prices. There also could be UPC art for a price test and/or a polybag. All UPC artwork can be found in Assets.
2. Color bars on top and bottom of UPC art; the color to use matches the off-sale month and is specified in the SIM pub plan database as Merchandising Assignment.
   –The top color bar contains the display until date (see SIM pub plan database) in 7 pt. type.
   –The bottom color bar contains the pocket assignment (see SIM pub plan database).
3. Subscription titles only: Issue number
4. URL (optional)
5. If a reprint, on print covers add a burst calling that out.
   –For a title of the same name with no cover changes and reprinted in the same year: Second Printing
   –For a title of the same name reprinted in another year: Back by Popular Demand: Second Printing of XXXX 20XX
   –For a title reprinted with a new name within four years of the original issue: Previously Published as XXXXX.
   –No cover blurb is needed for a title reprinted with a new name that is more than 4 years old or a title that has new/updated content in excess of 20% of the book.
   –Titles with 30% new content: Updated Edition
   –ON REPRINT DIGITAL COVERS: no burst; use simplified “xx printing” near issue designation. (added 12/10/21)

Digital covers:

1. Do not need a spine.
2. Do not need UPC art, merchandising color bars, off-sale date, or pocket designation.
3. Do need issue designation, such as Spring, Summer, Fall
4. A URL is encouraged
5. Should be created for all titles including reprints so one is always available if needed. Do not use a reprint burst; instead, use simplified “xx printing” text by the issue designation. (updated 12/10/21)

For cover routing guidance, see Routing Through Legal.

Sell lines
For designers

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Emily Anderson (formerly Cook)
Sara Anderson
Barbara Blossom Ashmun
Linda Askey
Debra Lee Baldwin
Amber Dawn Barz
Carrie Bebris
Jennifer Berno DeCleene
Lori Blachford
Mara Boo
David Bradley
LuAnn Brandsen (added 10/10/22)
Susan Breen
Jessica Brinkert Holtam
Randy Brown
Virginia Campbell
Kim Catanzarite
Maria V. Charbonneaux (formerly Schwamman)
Jill Connors
Gina Covina
Chris Curless
Glenn R. DiNella
Tere Stouffer Drenth
Linnea Due
Beth Dunlop
Kathy Roth Eastman
Sarah Egge
Allison Engel
Sally Finder
Amy Flurry
Kate Carter Frederick
Judith Stern Friedman
Jody Garlock
Krissy Gasbarre
Debra Solberg Gibson
Yvette Gonzales
Wendy Gray
Bob Gulla
Sarah Halverson (updated 11/20/20)
Catherine Hamrick
Amanda Harling
Jodi Harris (formerly Mensing) (confirmed 1/12/18)
Carolyn Harrison
Andria Hayday
George Hendrix
Miranda Hitti
Christine Hofmann-Bourque
Virginia Houston
Shannon Howard
Megan Hughes (updated 6/20/17)
Kimberly Isburg (formerly Voster)
Kelly Ryan Kegans (added 7/31/25)
Todd Keith
Jo Kellum
Jim Kemp
Kristine Kennedy
Roseann Meehan Kermes
Heidi Tyline King
Susan Kleinman
Kathie Kull
Meredith Ladik
Bill LaHay
Amy Leibrock
Michelle Leise
Fani Lemken
Melissa Manning
Candace Ord Manroe
Julie A. Martens
Jennifer Block Martin
Laura C. Martin
Lisa Martin
Sarah Maxwell
Meleah Maynard
Irene McCormick
Linzee Kull McCray
Jill Abeloe Mead
Nancy Richman Milligan
Kimber Mitchell
Linda Montet
Wini Moranville
Renee Freemon Mulvihill
Rhoda J. Murphy
Jean Schissel Norman
Sharon L. Novotne
Jennifer Komar Olivarez
Penelope O’Sullivan
Heidi Palkovic
Cynthia Pearson
Barbara Pleasant
Pamela Porter
Patricia Prijatel
Debra Prinzing
Louise Ritchhart
Kelly Roberson
Marty Ross
Nancy A. Ruhling
Katie Rynard (formerly Stuhler)
Kay Sanders
Donna Sapolin
Elizabeth Grace Saunders
Rebecca Sawyer-Fay
Lynne Meredith Schreiber
Jilann Severson
Michelle Tibodeau Sillman
Molly Reid Sinnett
Steve Slack
Pat Sloan
Linda Joan Smith
Madaline Sparks
Heather Starr
Nan Sterman
Shelley Stewart
Berit Thorkelson
Jessica Tolliver
Kim Waller
Jan Soults Walker
Michael Walsh
Dan Weeks
Karen Weir-Jimerson
Judy West
Claire Whitcomb
Ann Whitman
Jennifer Wilson
Sarah Wolf (use/see Sarah Halverson)
Joanne Wolfe
Shaila Wunderlich (formerly Williams)
Kaelin Zawilinski (formerly Tripp)

Copy editors
Field editors
Food stylists
Guidelines
Illustrators
Names
Order
Photographers
Producers/Stylists
Style
Writers

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Field editors are always credited with first-use material. Field editors may be credited with pickup materials, but it is not required. In general, credit field editors with pickup materials if a full location if used; do not credit if only a portion of the location is used in a compilation story.

To determine if he/she functioned as a field editor, scout, stylist, and/or producer, see credits: guidelines.

Sarah Alba • San Francisco
Susan Andrews • Kansas City, Kansas
Jorge S. Arango • New York City
Darra Baker • Los Angeles
Mary Baskin • Waco, Texas
Jan Behrs • Portland, Oregon
Jeanne Blackburn • Washington, D.C.
Bonnie Blodgett • Minneapolis/St. Paul
Cynthia Bogart • New York City/Providence, Rhode Island
Bonnie Broten • Minneapolis/St. Paul
Betty Campbell • Victoria, British Columbia
D. J. Carey • Westport, Connecticut
Diane Carroll • Dallas
Andrea Nordstrom Caughey • Davidson, North Carolina/San Diego (Nordstrom added 11/22/22; Sam S. confirmed with Andrea)
Megan Chaffin • Chicago
Lisa Cicotte • Minneapolis/St. Paul
Kimberly Clarke (preferred for credits over married name Kimberly Clarke Armatis) • New Orleans
Stephanie Davis • Tampa
Lois de Vries • Lafayette, New Jersey
Eileen Deymier • Baltimore
Diane DiPiero • Cleveland
Susan Stiles Dowell • Baltimore
Anna Forkum • Nashville
Susan Fox • Houston
Claudia Franklin (is now Claudia Karafotas) • Tucson
Estelle Bond Guralnick • Boston
Chandra Hammond • Chicago
Betsy Harris • Indianapolis
Deborah Hastings • Birmingham, Alabama
Helen Heitkamp • San Francisco
Saxon Henry • New York City
Elizabeth Betts Hickman • Nashville
Carla Breer Howard • San Francisco
Love Albrecht Howard • Boston
Shannon Howard • St. Louis
Laura Hull • Los Angeles
Linda Humphrey • Seattle
Nancy Ingram • Tulsa
Rosemary James • New Orleans
Louis Joyner • Charleston, South Carolina
Claudia Karafotas (was Claudia Franklin) • Tucson
Kelly Ryan Kegans • Minnesota (added 7/31/25)
Peggy Keonjian • Portland, Oregon
Colleen Kochannek • Tampa
Maryalice Koehne • Milwaukee
Stacy Kunstel • Jaffrey Center, New Hampshire
Katie Leporte • Des Moines
Karin Lidbeck-Brent • Woodbury, Connecticut
Heather Lobdell • San Francisco
Christina J. Macbride • Washington, D.C.
Bonnie Maharam • New York City
Hillary Maharam • Boston
Trish Maharam • Seattle
Kathleen Mahoney • New York City
Amy Muzzy Malin • Dallas
Elaine Markoutsas • Chicago
Sally Mauer • Chicago/Sarasota, Florida
Lynn McBride • Charleston, South Carolina
Cathy Still McGowin • Birmingham, Alabama
Erin Milgram • San Francisco/Miami
Sandra L. Mohlmann • Charleston, South Carolina/Savannah
Susanna Showers Moldawer • Houston
Anna Molvik • New Paltz, New York
Joetta Moulden • Houston
Lisa Mowry • Atlanta
Barbara Mundall • Eugene, Oregon
Eleanor Lynn Nesmith • Pensacola, Florida (updated 4/8/16 per JBH)
Barbara Nielsen • Baton Rouge
Bill Nolan • Des Moines
Nancy Oates • Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Mindy Pantiel • Denver
Heidi Pearson • Minneapolis/St. Paul
Betty Lou Phillips • Dallas
Darlene Polachic • Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Michael Rainey • Beaufort, South Carolina
Karen Reinecke • San Diego
Shirley Remes • Chicago
Kathy Renwald • Hamilton, Ontario
Stephanie Rommel • Owensboro, Kentucky
Eleanor Roper • Atlanta (updated 7/9/14)
Gisela Rose • Chicago
Hilary Rose • Chicago
Marty Ross • Kansas City, Missouri
Margaret Zainey Roux • New Orleans
Elaine St. Louis • Denver
Susan Salomon • Portland, Maine
Tangi Schaapveld • Minneapolis/St. Paul
Lindsay Silcocks • Vancouver, British Columbia
Alecia Stevens • Minneapolis/St. Paul
Janice Stuerzl • Kansas City (Kansas)
Lynda Sutton • Newport, Rhode Island
Donna Talley • Saratoga Springs, New York
Helen Thompson • Austin
Mary Anne Thomson • St. Louis
Robin Tucker • Los Angeles
Lynda Turner • Seattle
Loralee Wenger • Seattle
Helen Yoest • Raleigh
Khristi S. Zimmeth • Detroit/Toronto

Copy editors
Field editors
Food stylists
Guidelines
Illustrators
Names
Order
Photographers/Stylists
Producers
Style
Writers

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Symbols, with the following exceptions, are not used in text. (updated 9.18.19)
This will be several dollars cheaper.
Do you have 35 cents?
The interest rate is 12 percent.
It rests at a 45-degree angle.

Exceptions:
Quilting how-to content.
BH&G does use symbols on the Better opener page and occasionally elsewhere for space. (added 2/11/21)

The percent symbol can be used in digital content and in print food ingredients lists and method
[e.g., 50%-less-sodium beef broth, microwave on 50% power (medium)]. (updated 9.18.19)

Product numbers and paintbrush sizes: Use the # symbol.
The hutch (#B4617) is only available online.
Use a #2 liner brush to finish the treatment.

Specific dollar amounts.
The cost is $20.

Temperatures: Use the degree symbol (option-shift-8) and the abbreviation for Fahrenheit (with no space between). For temperatures below 0°F, use a minus sign (hyphen), not an en dash.
The plant is hardy to at least 10°F.
The plant is hardy to at least -5°F.

Symbols are acceptable for tables, charts, and notations on drawings, but use them consistently throughout.
” (inch, inches)
‘ (foot, feet)
° (degree, degrees)
% (percent)
$ (dollar, dollars)
¢ (cent, cents—except with decimals)

Use lowercase X in all measurements for Food, Home, Garden, and Holiday copy. (updated 7/16/25)

Use symbols, such as ampersands, in company names that use them. Leave space around an ampersand separating words, but not around one separating initials.
It’s manufactured by Smith & Co.
It’s manufactured by B&R Designs.

Abbreviate number (No.) in text material when it precedes a figure.
Use a skein of No. 6 yarn for the project. (not #6)

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Spell out common units of measure in narrative copy.
Cut it into 23-inch squares.
The package contains 14 ounces.
The table stands 26 inches high. (the 26-inch-high table)
The room measures 160 square feet.

Spell out lengthy units of measure on first use, and follow them with their abbreviations in parentheses.
Use abbreviations in subsequent references.
The capacity of each size is measured in cubic feet per minute (cfm). A 5×9-foot bath would need at least a 48-cfm fan.
They said their power company charges too much per kilowatt-hour (kwh). The charge is 7 cents per kwh.

BH&G uses symbols in product descriptions in sections for shopping, get the look, etc.  (added 2/11/21)

EXCEPTION:
Always use mph and rpm when preceded by figures.

Spell out measurements in materials lists.
2-millimeter bead
One 10-inch string
BH&G tends to use abbreviation for metric measures, especially in the Better section and when space is tight. (added 2/11/21)

Do not use a comma in phrases such as:
2 feet 6 inches

Hyphenate a measurement used as an adjective.
The 5-foot-7-inch sofa

In measurements, use linear foot not lineal foot.

For Food and Home/Holiday/Garden titles, use a lowercase X to connect numbers in a measurement. (updated 7/16/25) (NOTE: website may still be displaying dimension x in examples. Erika tried and failed to fix.)
5×9-foot room
12×45-inch fabric strip
13x9x2-inch baking pan

There are two ways to make a fraction:
1. Place the cursor where you want to insert a fraction. Navigate to Type/Glyphs. If the required fraction character is available, double-click it to add it to the text box.
2. Highlight the entire measurement that contains the numbers to be changed into a fraction, then navigate to Window/Utilities/Scripts and select “Make Fractions.scpt.” (If this script is not installed on your computer, see a staff copy editor.)
If a designer needs to adjust spacing on the resulting fraction, make a note on the layout for the editor.

See also Numbers.
See also Dimensions, Measurements, and Sizes.

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On Meredith titles with registered trademarks, include ® on covers, spines, mastheads, title pages, and postal ID/copyright statements. Include ™ on all Meredith titles that do not have registered trademarks. In display type, where the ® or ™ is placed at the end of the title is at the discretion of the designer.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100®
100 Ideas® (title of magazine)™
100 Weekend Decorating Ideas®
Allrecipes®
American Patchwork & Quilting®
Beautiful Living Through Faith®
Best of Country Gardens®
Better Homes & Gardens® (magazine) [Not necessary to use a ® in running text. updated 9/26/24]
Better Homes & Gardens® (brand in general; when it’s a specific name, see those that follow or check with the legal department)
Better Homes & Gardens® collection (no italic) (updated 5/17/23)
Better Homes & Gardens® Furniture Collection (no italic)
Better Homes & Gardens® Home Decor Fabrics (no italic)
Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publications® (no italic)
Better Homes & Gardens Test Garden® (no italic)
Better Homes & Gardens® Test Kitchen—use second ® with logo, next to bottom right corner of red plaid
BHG® (no italic) [there is no longer a registered trademark for BH&G – updated 9/26/24] BHG.com [no longer a registered trademark –updated 9/26/24] Big Dreams. Real Budgets.®
Christmas Ideas®
Coastal Living® (added 2/4/21)
Cooking Light® (added 5/17/23)
Cook This Not That®
Country French®
Country French Decorating®
Country Gardens®
Country Home®
Diabetes What to Eat®
Diabetic Living®
Do It Yourself Ideas for Your Home & Garden® (but Do It Yourself™)
Dream Gardens Across America®
Easy Garden Guide®
EAT Easy Family Food®
Eat This Not That®
Eat This, Not That!®
Fine Cooking® (acquired from Taunton Press) (added 2/3/21)
Flea Market Style® (acquired from Athlon) (added 11/8/21)
Forks Over Knives®
Garden, Deck & Landscape®
Garden Doctor. Advice from the Experts.®
Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living®
Halloween Tricks & Treats®
Heart-Healthy Living®
Holiday Baking®
Holiday Cooking®
Holiday Crafts®
Hungry Girl®
ISCRAP, USCRAP®
Kitchen + Bath Ideas®
Kitchen and Bath Ideas® Products Guide™
Living the Country Life®
Living with Quilts®
Magnolia Journal® (added 6/2/23)
Make It Tonight® (acquired from Taunton Press) (added 11/8/21)
Meals by the Plate®
Meredith® (no italic)
MeredithSpecials® (one word, no italic)
Mixing Bowl™ (ital.) magazine; Mixing Bowl® (no ital.) website
Quilt Pink™ (ital.) magazine; Quilt Pink® (no ital.) program
Quilt Sampler®
Renovation Style®
SCRAP-A-FAIRE®
Scrapbooks etc.®
Scrapbooks Etc. Inspirations®
Shape®
Simply Perfect® (title of magazine)™
Southern Living® (added 2/4/21)
Traditional Home® (added 2/3/21)
Window & Wall Ideas®
Zero Belly®

To make these symbols in Word and InDesign:
™ option-2
® option-r

Trademarks
Common trademarks
Meredith trademarks

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In text, reference to any of the following cities is sufficiently clear, in most cases, without the
accompanying designation of state.

NORTH AMERICAN CITIES (realphabetized 9/18/24)
Acapulco
Albany
Albuquerque
Anchorage
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Baton Rouge
Beverly Hills
Boise
Boston
Boulder
Brooklyn
Buffalo
Calgary
Cancun
Cape Cod
Charlotte
Chattanooga
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Colorado Springs
Dallas
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
Edmonton
El Paso
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Worth
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Key West
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles (L.A., if abbreviating) (updated 10.8.15)
Louisville
Martha’s Vineyard
Memphis
Mexico City
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Montréal
Nantucket
Nashville
Newark
New Orleans
New York City
Oakland
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Orlando
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Québec
Raleigh
Sacramento
St. Louis
St. Paul
St. Petersburg
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
Santa Barbara
Santa Fe
Savannah
Seattle
Tampa
Toronto
Tucson
Tulsa
Winnipeg
Winston-Salem

WORLD CITIES
Barcelona
Beijing
Berlin
Florence
Geneva
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Milan
Moscow
Paris
Prague
Rome
Singapore
Tokyo
Vatican City
Venice
Vienna

Addresses
State abbreviations
Street Abbreviations
Website addresses
Stand-alone cities

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Buying guides that jump over advertising should include “Continued on” and “Continued from” lines. Put a period at the end of each entry in resources sections unless the contact information is in a stacked format (with one line of address per line).

Use all caps in company names only if the name is an acronym.
For commas in company names, see Punctuation/Commas and company names.

For space considerations, “(see above)” may be used rather than repeating the entire address only within the same story and only within the listing of resources for the same page or spread. For example, list the address at the beginning of resources for “Flights of Fancy” on pages 18–19, and use “(address above)” for subsequent listings on that spread. The address should be repeated when the listing for pages 20–21 of the same story begins.

If there is an e-mail address in a listing, there is no need to preface it with “email.” (added 5.14.14)

Use New York City, not just New York, when listing a company’s location but not a complete address.

For pieces from the Better Homes and Gardens® Furniture Collection, follow this example:

Sideboard Sofa Console Table 818816 from the Better Homes and Gardens® Furniture Collection—produced under license by Universal Furniture International, Inc., 877/804-5535; bhgfurniture.com. (removed # before product number 9/17/14)

No spaces are used around an ampersand (&) linking two or more initials in a company’s name. Spaces are used around an ampersand linking two or more words in a company’s name.

Examples:

Drawer pulls (knife, fork, spoon)—Whitechapel Ltd., P.O. Box 136, 3650 W. Hwy. 22, Wilson, WY 83014; 800/468-5534; whitechapel.com.

Countertop Wilsonart Blackstar Granite—Ralph Wilson Plastics Co., 800 S. General Bruce Dr., Temple, TX 76504.

Armchair—American Home Furnishings; for store locations write P.O. Box 3685, Station D, Albuquerque, NM 87190; or call 505/883-2211; am-home.com.
Note: There is no comma after “locations” and no “to” after “write.” A semicolon following the ZIP code separates the calling information.

Rug—Crate and Barrel; to place an order or to learn store locations, call 800/323-5461.
Note: There IS a comma after “locations” because the preceding phrase is particularly long.

Vase—Macy’s; for store locations call 800/456-2297.

Striped sheer Parthian (Pearl)—Fabricut Inc., 9303 E. 46th St., Tulsa, OK 74145; 918/622-7700; fax: 918/622-7711.

Oak wood flooring C-5031 Walnut from the Natural Reflections collection—Bruce Hardwood Floors, 16803 Dallas Pkwy., Dallas, TX 75248; 800/722-4647; bruce-floor.com.

Bumper pad Guardian Angels, crib sham Sandman, both from Bou-Bou collection—Edward Boutross Linens; 800/395-2400.

BHG exceptions (updated 5/15/24):

BHG products are listed as the company lists them to assist the reader in searching for them on the website. So they may not follow word lists (e.g., flower pot might have to be open). These formal names are capped, but they do not have to include all the words listed on the site for the product (especially for Amazon and Walmart products).

Products from the BHG Walmart line are credited as Better Homes & Gardens® collection or BHG collection.

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Generally, we will credit in the following order:
Writer:
Photographer:
Illustrator:
Producer:
Designer: (and other professionals involved in the story: food stylist, prop stylist)
Architect:
Builder:
Contractor:
Location:
Field editor:

Some variations may exist, depending on the magazine and specific intentions and uses.

Directionals in credits are italicized.

For line-by-line credits:
There is no period at the end of each line or credit (unless needed after an abbreviation).
Photographer: Jon Miller, Hedrich-Blessing
Designer: Catherine Chiesa/Design Pour Vous
Mural artist: Kathleen L. McCann, Savoir Faire Designs, Inc.
Field editors: Sally Mauer and Hilary Rose
For multiple photographers:
Photographers: directional, Name; directional, Name.

The credit style should be consistent throughout an issue.

Copy editors
Field editors
Food stylists
Guidelines
Illustrators
Names
Order
Photographers
Producers/Stylists
Style
Writers

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