new visual language - RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
- BECKY CLARK
modernism This is a movement that was in the late 19th centuries and early 20th centuries. It is an era that came from the first world war, and many artists and movements where part of it. There was a belief that it could transform society. It was a time of creating new things, and bringing new ideas into the making. They believed that function should always dictate form, and that less is more. It was the era of surrealism, dadaism, cubism, expressionism, impressionism and much more, these were all different ways of visualising the world, and people were blown away by this. They had many rules in their work that they had to stick to, a grid was part of this, it was all about the grid system and simplicity in their work. They stayed away from the decorative side of design and used structure and space. They liked to try new things, but would not break the rules of design. To put some excitement into their work, they would work on a diagonal instead of horizontal and vertical lines. It was affected by cultural, social and economic conditions of life in Western Europe, North America and eventually it reached the World. A modernists work was not complex and their
way of working was simple, not to overcomplicate things. They didn’t like the expressive way of working, or believe that a design was just made for beauty, it was more about the purpose of the design and why they were designing it, the function was a lot more important, they wanted to get information across clearly and quickly so that people understood. They stuck to mainly sans-serif typefaces as these were clean cut and not decorative, they were legible and clear to see. A modernist would not over colour there design and use big bold vibrant colours, as they would stick to a simple colour pallet that was not too over powering because they didn’t want to be too complex. Designs were straight forward in this era and it was all about space, the space was there so that you could focus on the main part of the design. They showed an importance to a design by not overcrowding it and by making the elements on the page clear and structured. A modernists view was all about simplicity. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_ learning/themes/what-is-modern-art http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernism http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/m/modernism/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDCEtnXlA4Y
postmodernism This is a movement that was in the late 20th century. This was the movement that was all about expressive, decorative and complexity, the total opposite to modernism. It was about having no rules and about been free to do what you want, to give the design a freedom, it was more about what the design looked like and it was a meaningless design. It introduced techniques and things that people had never seen done before, it questioned what style really was. Designs were unique, odd, luxurious, colourful and busy. Images would be layered over each other, collages would be created. Designs started to come to life and be looked at in a different way. The rules of modernism had gone and a freedom of design had come into action. This caused mixed reactions but it was the next era to take off in the design world. Techniques would be mixed together and used together in one piece of art, the range of techniques brought a contrast to the design and helped it to work together. Designers believed that you did not have to just stick to just one style and that you could switch from any one of them at any time and if the styles worked
together in one piece then this is what they would do. Designs became striking, noticeable and bold, as more colours were used together making an image stand out grabbing the audiences attention, objects would be visualized in different ways and placed in odd places, causing controversial views. This era cause stirs and mixed reactions from the public as new techniques were tried and brought to the public’s eye. Some works of art were strange and people didn’t understand the meaning, this is what made people talk about it and made the pieces successful, the designs were not to everyone’s tastes. Styles were more busy, the rule of space was left behind, items and images were overlapped and repeated. By using different techniques in one image caused an overcrowded effect in some images. Space was still used, but designs had more personality and a mood was set by the expression through colours and decorative mannerisms.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/p/ postmodernism/
saul bass Saul Bass was a modernist. During his career he was a graphic designer and film maker, he was responsible for producing films, title sequences, film posters and logos. This is some of his work, which are posters for films and non-film posters. You can tell this is a modernist style by the way the posters have been designed, they are very spacious as this was a key rule of modernism, and they don’t overload the image with colour or complication. The images are easy to see and the writing is legible. The posters are very simplistic but effective as they stand out and catch your eye with the bright colours and the one key image used to get your attention. The images all connect to what the words are saying. In these designs it demonstrates that less is more and that function dictates form, because the purpose of these is to advertise and to get people to know about the event or film, and that is what the design is based on. The layout is very neat and you can tell that the grid system has been used as this is a rule of modernism and they stick to the rules of the grid. The designs look exciting like he has experimented with different
techniques but not breaking the rules of modernism, as on the Grand Prix one he has drawn over the type but he has allowed space around the rest of the poster to not complicate the design too much. I think these designs are effective because they are simplistic but they are eye catching, the spacing draws you into focus on the main object of the poster and you take in the message more clearer. The colours all work well together and the colour pallets have been considered for the designs to make them work and contrast with each other to create a successful design, the colours also set the mood of the design which works well for the film posters as you get a feel for the type of film. Overall I like this style of design as the simplicity is nice and it doesn’t over complicate the meaning of the piece. These posters all do what they are suppose to do and advertise their purpose, this is what a successful design should do.
modernist
http://www.saulbassposterarchive.com/ gallery/film-posters/ http://www.saulbassposterarchive.com/ gallery/non-film-posters/
jan tschichold Jan Tschichold was a typical modernist. He was a book designer and he also worked with typography. His designs were very structured and he stuck to the rules of the modernism design era. He worked using the grid system to make his work aligned and functional. The designs are simplistic and work with space to ensure there is no overcrowding or unwanted elements to the design. He used proportions to set up the pages for his book design, this was a grid that he used for his book designs to stick to and to be able to complete an effective design. His work is neat and he uses shapes to make up his designs. He works on horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines to ensure formality in his work. Modernists used diagonals to create some excitement in their work, but they would always stick to the grid. The designs had to be legible and clear to get the information across, it was about how to convey information across successfully to the audience. The colours in his design are very basic, he sticks to a colour pallet and doesn’t use more than 4 colours in any of these designs, to ensure it’s not to much for the eye to take in.
He designed penguin books, the covers where simple as they are made up out of rectangles, block colours and typography, this is a design that can be easily done, sticking to the rules of modernism, but it is effective as it is legible. I personally think that his designs are too basic, they lack visual elements, they don’t put you in and make you adore the design because there is nothing different or exciting about them. They don’t look creative and interesting as they are too structured. However I believe the designs are successful in the fact they are easy to understand and use space in a good way, I like that they are not overcrowded. Overall I think that these designs are fit for purpose but lack excitement due to the bland colours and structure.
modernist
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2008/dec/05/design http://static.guim.co.uk/ sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/12/5/1228485780619/Gallery-Tschichold-Casano-001.jpg http://retinart.net/wp-content/uploads/ media/images/jan-tschichold/21.jpg http://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2008/dec/05/design http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Tschichold#Design
armin hofmann Armin Hofmann is a modernist designer and a Swiss graphic designer, his designs included, poster design, typography and logotypes. He also worked using the grid system to give order and style to is work. Using space is a big part of modernist designs, they did not like overcrowding their designs, it was all about form and function, and the less is more rule of design. He uses a lot of black and white in his designs, which makes them bold and stand out. There is a lot of space demonstrated in these designs which draws you to the main part and focus of the design it’s self because it allows you to see the focus of the design more clearly. The typefaces he uses are sans-serif as this is a modernist typeface as they didn’t believe in the decorative side of typography and like the simplicity and legibility of this typeface, it was fit for purpose. He used photography which was a new thing for modernists, but they used it in a way that displays there design clearly, and was not complicating their design. It looks modern as you can tell it is structured and very clean to look at. It shows me how space in a design is very important to use.
I liked these designs as I think they are effective and the simplicity makes them pleasing to the eye. They are still very visual even though they are a modernist design, because they use photography, colour, and type well. The layouts are neat and flow, all the elements on the page work well together to created a professional design. Overall I think these designs are well demonstrated and even though they are simple they work well due to the techniques used.
modernist
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg. com/236x/06/ed/7b/06ed7bb2b82b4c7fe3970bee32fd178a.jpg http://www.designersjournal.net/ wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Armin-Hofmann-posters-2.jpg http://www.designersjournal.net/ wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Armin-Hofmann-posters-6.jpg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/10/5a/7d/105a7d4e9d948aabfce4b147138d6c3b.jpg http://www.citrinitas.com/history_of_viscom/images/modernism/armin-hofmann-1960.jpg http://www.designishistory.com/1940/ armin-hofmann/
joost schmidt Also another graphic designer who designed work in the modernism period and was a modernist himself was Joost Schmidt. He did typography, was a teacher and a master at the Bauhaus. His work was very structured as you can see from the examples I have collected, everything fit together perfectly almost like it was planned out. It has all been done by using the grid system as it is very neat and aligned, he will of used the horizontal, vertical and diagonal grid lines to structure his designs and get a perfect finish. They are all very basic and lack colour, none of them stand out and are very vibrant, you can tell that the function dictated form, as it is all about how it works and gives across information rather than the colours and the appearance of the design, the appearance will of been taken into consideration after. The map image is very complex but has been done in a simplistic way so that it is easy to understand this is an effective design as people can then retrieve the information and make sense of it. The designs lack a decorative feel as the modernism period was all about the information and not overcomplicating the design they
liked simplicity and less is more. With these designs the space is a big part and he has not included designs and decorative things that are not needed to fill a space. The space creates a lead for the eyes to follow to the main elements of the page, it allows the objects that are on the page to stand out more and have the lime light. The colours are boring and very business like, the designs lack vibrancy and creativity, this is a negative about the designs, and they are very bland and plain. Personally I don’t think these designs as they do not stand out and would not catch the eye. However the simplicity works well and the structure of how they have been put together makes them a successful piece.
modernist
http://www.moma.org/collection/artist. php?artist_id=5230
josef muller brockmann Josef Muller Brockmann was a Swiss graphic designer, he was known for typography, shapes, colours and his simplistic designs. His designs were fun and playful but he still stuck to the rules of modernism, he used space, grid system and simplicity in his work to create an effective design. These are some examples of his work, they are all very eye catching and stand out, they all use space to make you focus on the main part of the design and to keep the design simple and clean. In his designs there is a lot of use of shapes, that he changes the size of and repeats them in the design, he uses the same shape so that the design doesn’t get over complicated, and simply uses type to work along side, this is simple but effective as it builds up a design made out of two elements. The grid systems allows him to line everything up on his designs to create an effective and neat design, so the everything is in proportion and works well together. The typography he uses is bold and sans-serif, it is none decorative and is simplistic making it legible which means you can read it faster and understand it better, making the design
more effective. The less is more theme is also coming through on these designs. He has used colours effectively to get the audiences attention and to make his designs stand out, also to set the mood, and to contrast them together to make things clearer to see, this is what makes his designs effective because they are vibrant and work well together as a colour pallet. The designs are bold and statements, due to the playful diagonals, the statement colours, and chunky typography. Overall I think these designs are effective and work well as they do their job and advertise well because they are eye catching and stay in your mind, also they are not over complicated and the simplicity makes the design clear to understand.
modernist
http://www.designishistory.com/1940/ joseph-mueller-brockmann/ https://wordsandeggs.files.wordpress. com/2010/02/joseph-muller-brockman-olma-cow-poster.jpg http://www.aisleone.net/wp-content/ uploads/2010/04/josef-muller-brockmann-stadttheater.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_ M端ller-Brockmann
key terms form
function
swiss
utopia
bauhaus
constructivism
Form is the way in which something looks, it’s appearance (for example, colour, size, shape).
This is the way in which something works and operates. The purpose activity for the item.
Swiss is a design style that uses the grid system, and focusses on clean designs. It’s a typography style that uses mainly sans-serif fonts as it focusses of legibility, neat typefaces, and objectivity. The typefaces and designs were very structured and simplistic, this was in the modernism period as they liked to stick to the rules of design.
This is an imagined place or state of things where people think everything is perfect. In the modernism period they believed that human condition could be healed by design. This is when they started to try out new things but not taking it too far and still staying within the rules of the modernism design. They believed that design could help the world and make it a better place. New techniques could change the way the world worked.
Bauhaus was an art school. This was known for its famous approach to design that it taught and publicised. It was a school in Germany and combine crafts and fine arts. This was very popular in the modernist era and was very influential. It influenced, art, graphic design, architecture, interior design, industrial design and typography.
This influence many parts of modern architecture and design. It was a style that assorted mechanical objects and combined them into abstract mobile structural forms. This was part of the modernism period.
futurism
de stijl
cubism
dada
This was an art movement and also a social movement in the early 20th century. It was all about speed and technology, also objects such as the car, aeroplane, and industrial city. It’s an avant-garde movement. This was also a period in the modernism era.
This means “The style” in Dutch. It was a Dutch art movement. It was a simplistic style and an abstraction in which they could provide the idea of utopia. It was an idea of harmony and order. The style was made up out of primary colours and geometric forms. This is a style that has a big influence on Graphic design.
This is an avant-garde art movement that was in the early 20th century. It was part of the modernism period. It revolutionized European painting and sculpture, it also inspired other movements in architecture, music and literature. This was considered one of the most influential movements of modernism.
Dadaism is also another art movement in the modernism period. Another avant-garde movement in the early 20th century. In this period techniques such as collage, assemblage, photo montage and readymades were used to create design pieces.
http://www.designishistory.com/home/ swiss/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Typographic_Style http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/m/modernism/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(art) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurism http://www.designishistory.com/1920/ de-stijl/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dada
robert rauschenberg Robert Rauschenberg was an American painter and Graphic Designer, he worked with sculpture, paintings, photography and printmaking. This is some of his work. He worked in the post-modernism and pop-art movement. His designs are very wacky and odd as when you look at them you don’t really know what there purpose is, what they are for or if they are suppose to be advertising something or just there to be a piece of art. These are all work of arts, sculptures and paintings, also collages. The colours are very vibrant and in your face, he uses a lot of different colours all on one design, the designs are busy to look at, and not many of them use space. However the sculptures use space as the main focus is the sculpture it’s self, they are unique and strange, this is why people had problems with this movement as they didn’t understand the meaning of the designs. Because the designs were odd it made them stand out and you remember them, this would get the artist noticed, and the work of art known, it was a good way to advertise as the designs were original and edgy. Personally I like the bicycle sculpture as it is
colourful and is decorative, it has had thought put into it with the way it lights up on a night and reflects into the water giving the design a personality and life, the reflection makes it more realistic and thoughtful. The painting of the bikes makes it look creative and bold as how it would look at night time in the dark. It shows how he experimented with different techniques and how it was effective to try new things. How colour makes a design stand out and creates a mood and vibe to the work, it creates excitement, happiness, in some cases anger, how colour can be used in a whole other way to make the designs successful. This was a time for cutting edge design, his designs were successful because they were remembered and were different to anything else, they were bold and caught the attention of the public, that is what a successful design should do.
postmodernist
http://theroadtosustainability.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/robert-rauschenbergs-riding-bikes.html http://www.artnet.com/artists/robert-rauschenberg/4
david carson David Carson is a postmodernist and works in this style of design. His designs are very busy and quirky as they use a lot of colours, and overlap the elements on the page. He uses a mixture of techniques such as collage, photography, typography, hand drawn and digital to bring his designs together and make them work. By the examples I have gathered you can see that he uses a range of these techniques in one image and mixes them all together. Mixing techniques together was a popular technique in the post-modernism era as it was a new freedom of design and there were no rules, everything could be included in one design as long as they worked well together in the eye of the designer, in this case it did according to Carson. His advertisement pieces are bold and expressive making them more noticeable for the public to see, they are striking which makes them recognisable and stay in your mind, once you have seen the design you associate it to that brand which makes it a successful advertisement as it is holding your attention and making its self known. These designs are all about being
unique and odd, so that it takes longer for you to understand, this way you take more time concentrating on the design trying to work it out, more time for the design to work it’s way into your head. The designs are interesting to look at as they are almost like puzzles that you have to put together to work out. I prefer the bottom two designs to the top as they are more spacious but still use decorative typography and clean photography, these designs are easier to understand and look more pleasing because they look more professional. The designs at the top of the page are too overcrowded in my opinion and too busy for the eye, they don’t look professional or well thought out, to me they look rushed and childish however they hold your attention. Overall I do like most of Carson’s ways of working as it is vibrant and exciting, his pieces stand out and hold your attention, they are successful works of art that do their job well because of their mixed techniques and expressive, decorative ways, the designs have a personality which helps target an audience.
postmodernist
http://www.davidcarsondesign.com
andy warhol Andy Warhol is a pop-artist and designer he also is a post-modernist. He used very vibrant colours, collage, popart, silk-screening, repetitive images, photography, sculpture and painting in his work and to create his designs. He mixed techniques to get to his final piece as this is what a postmodernist would do whilst designing, there was no rules, and they would not stick to one technique, it was all about experimenting, trying new things, and creating unique, noticeable pieces of art. The pop-art work Warhol did caused a lot of mixed reviews, people didn’t often get his work, his pieces were very controversial. Pop-art was quirky and uses vibrant colour to make a portrait of someone, it wasn’t life like colours and how original portraits used to be done, this was a new take on art produced by silkscreen paintings. His art was striking and wacky, bold styles that stood out and made themselves known, it became a very popular movement. He is a post-modernist as he used colourful images, tried new techniques, mixed techniques together, and experimented in the art world which made him very successful and his art
work was too. The pieces are recognisable and you can tell they are done by Warhol as this is his style. These pieces are successful because they have personality, they are decorative, expressive, in the way that they are colourful and set the mood, his paintings are joyful and they are boisterous, they give a place excitement. The colours contrast making them more effective, the brighter the colours the more they stand out, getting peoples attention. By making a piece of art noticeable it is an effective way of indulging the audiences attention and making them remember your work this is also a good way to advertise as it stands out against other brands. According to Andy Warhol... “How can you say one style is better than another? You ought to be able to be an Abstract Expressionist next week, or a Pop artist, or a realist, without feeling you’ve given up something.. I think that would be so great, to be able to change styles. And I think that’s what’s is going to happen, that’s going to be the whole new scene.” This shows how he wanted to change the design world and make it so you can use different styles
together, he was into being different, and breaking rules then making new ones. People like Warhol had a big impact on the design world as they made new movements and was not afraid to try new styles. The pieces of art he created were fun and ambitious, breaking down boundaries and showing the world new ways and techniques of working. He worked with many famous people and created silk-screens of their faces, a new way of doing a portrait and visualising. People wanted to work with him because he was different and his work stood out, this is how their brand became recognisable because of his unique styling. I personally like his way of working as I think it was successful and is a clever way to advertise and make your work stand out by using striking colours and doing different takes on styles that already exist. Overall his work was exciting and created new ways of advertising and working in the art world.
postmodernist
http://www.artnet.com/artists/andy-warhol/artworks/14 http://ibay.li/images/P/marylin_250.jpg http://k24.kn3.net/2C36B87BC.jpg http://www.theartstory.org/artist-warhol-andy.htm
sagmeister & walsh Stefan Sagmeister is a postmodernist and these are some of his work and collaborations with Jessica Walsh. They are graphic designers, advertisers, typographers, print designers, and packaging designers. Their work is very colourful and very unorthodox. They do things in a more imaginative way and in ways that stand out, that are different, ways that will stick in your mind and get them recognised. Their advertising is unique and gets the brand across effectively as they are lively and bold, using striking images and colours, mainly images that will turn heads. This is effective advertising as it is getting the brand noticed quickly and successfully. The Sagmeister lecture poster which he calved type into his body had mixed reviews this was a piece of art that caused stirs, and people were not happy about, but it was a way of getting noticed and it is one of the things he is recognised for, in this case it was a successful way to advertise because people took notice and lots of people had something to say about it. He tried a new technique and people had not seen much like this before, it was a new way
of getting his lecture across and he was willing to be bold and take a risk for his design work, this was an odd way to advertise but a whole different way of creating a typography poster. Sagmeister and Walsh’s designs are decorative and have a personality, they represent a mood they are trying to set when advertising and in their art pieces. The “be bold” typeface is a prime example as the image is bold and expressive, the colour is vibrant and attracts attention, the image is playing on the word, like an onomatopoeia. They’ve created new styles of working and experimented, they do designs off paper which makes them more noticeable, and fresh. Overall I like their way of working as I think it is clever and is a great way of advertising because it is striking and sticks in your head, by getting mixed reviews they are getting talked about and the brands are getting recognised as well as the designers, this is an effective way of working.
postmodernist
http://www.sagmeisterwalsh.com/work/ http://www.cutoutfest.com/wp-content/ uploads/2014/08/saigmeister_01.jpg
ricky swallow Ricky Swallow is a postmodernist sculpture. His designs are very odd, because of their lack of explanation. These designs are more about form than function, he has focussed on the design rather than how it works and if it functions in the correct way. The chair doesn’t look like it would be easy or comfortable to sit on and it is more of a feature piece rather than for actually using it. This is a technique that post-modernists used because there was no rules and it was all about been expressive and decorative. Some of his designs are quirky and they stand out because of their strange designs. These designs are a postmodern take on already existing items, they do not function, and it is all about them standing out and being noticed. It is a new way of working and creating designs that stand out, designs that seem odd to the public but are loved by art connoisseur. These pieces are to be looked at as decorative items. He has used sculpture to create a typeface, and this shows that he experiments with different styles and techniques to create his pieces. Overall I don’t like the odd pieces and how they do not function properly.
postmodernist
http://www.rickyswallow.com/portfolio/ work/index/
“ form
follows function “ - Louis Sullivan
researching magazine layouts
eye magazine Eye magazine is a collectable graphic design magazine that is made for graphic designers, and any one that is interested in graphic design and it’s working. It includes designs and writes about the work and it’s culture. I looked at this magazine to get inspiration for my final outcome which has to be a magazine including my previous briefs. I looked at one of the front covers and some of the inside spreads to get an idea of layout and what is included in a magazine. This magazine is quite spacious and uses structure well, I like the layout as it uses images and text well together. It shows me how I can structure a magazine and use the space well. The front cover is basic and only uses one image and the logo, it is intriguing and grabs your attention as it is mysterious and it makes you want to know what it is talking about, the lack of information makes it look sharp and clean, if you know this magazine you already know what type of information is going to be inside and if not you can’t help but want to look. This is a more modernist take on a design as the design is simplistic, functional, structured and all about proportions. This can
inspire me to keep my design of my magazine clean cut and simple, not to over complicate and overcrowd it with unneeded information. I like the typography based page spread as it is visually pleasing to just see type on it’s own, it shows how you do not always need an image to make up a page and that typography works on it’s own if it is strong enough. This inspires me to try a typography based page in my magazine. Overall I like this magazine as it is simple, bold and structured, it will inspire my ideas and show me how to create a successful magazine.
http://richardhollis.polimekanos2.com/ wp-content/eye_magazine_01.jpg https://aslicaglar.files.wordpress. com/2011/03/screen-shot-2011-03-01at-1-15-57-pm.png https://m1.behance.net/rendition/modules/1784610/disp/1336281258836020. jpg https://jessicamcghee.files.wordpress. com/2010/02/picture-181.png
COVER LAYOUTS
https://www.pinterest.com/bexannexo/magazine-layouts/
MAGAZINE SPREAD LAYOUTS
https://www.pinterest.com/bexannexo/magazine-layouts/
ELLE MAGAZINE MOODBOARD
GLAMOUR MAGAZINE MOODBOARD
WALLPAPER MAGAZINE MOODBOARD
COMPUTER ARTS MAGAZINE MOODBOARD
magazine layouts & covers Throughout my research I looked into different magazines to look at there cover designs, contents and spread layouts inside to get a feel for what magazines look like an what information and images they use. By looking at the layouts it showed me ways of design I could consider and that could inspire my magazine. I got to see which designs worked and looked professional and clean, how the elements of text and images all worked together as one and flowed throughout the magazine. Different magazines had their own themes, and each magazine had a theme running through to create a flow and make everything look neat and connected even though it was different information you could tell it was designed by the same magazine company. It showed how magazines have a style and they stick to their styles in their magazines, some styles were clean, simplistic and overs were overlapped and crowed to fit more images on a page, it showed how to involve a lot of information but make it look successful. I also got to look at the different colour schemes they used and how the magazines stick to a colour pallet to stop the magazine from looking messy
and too much for the eye to take in. My favourite layout and design out of the magazines I looked at was the Elle magazine as it is creative and fun, the colours are pastels, light and vibrant, this stood out and it’s quirky. I liked the way they had different layouts running through but it still connected to the theme, by the colour pallet. Elle has quirky little vector drawings, blown up big typography, full page images, collage like elements and type based pages, these are all things that can inspire me for my magazine and that I could use. The cover is successful for the Elle magazine because it is vibrant, unique and the images are scattered around to catch your attention, The typography is spread across the page, which is effective because it makes it more of a statement, it seems more important. Overall looking at different magazines was useful as it has influenced me and it has stimulated ideas that I can use for my final outcome. I will use these magazines as examples of how to create a successful layout. These are famous magazines that are successful therefore I can relate to these to create a worthy design.
“ less
is more “
- Mies van der Rohe
the experimentation stage
thumbnails To get a basic layout for my magazine and to come up with different layout ideas I started to create thumbnails and sketches. I did a lot of these to get all my ideas down on paper and to see what layouts would work and what did not. I drew simple shapes such as boxes to represent images and where the text would sit on the magazine page. I did thumbnails for the cover, the contents, and the spreads of the magazines. I did paper based thumbnails first to quickly put my first ideas down and to see which ones I could refine further and maybe make into my final layout idea. After I had created many paper based thumbnails, I brought my ideas onto the computer and mocked them up digitally to look at my preferred layouts, and to get a better view of what they would look like before I add my images and turn them into a final design. This way I could get rid of the ideas that did not work. This process will help as it keeps my designs structured and well thought out, it will help me to plan and keep my ideas flowing. Once I am happy with my final layouts I can finally turn them into my magazine and develop the images and information.
DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD LAYOUTS
DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD LAYOUTS
DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD LAYOUTS
MAGAZINE MOCK-UP
CONTENT LAYOUTS
FRONT COVER LAYOUTS
DIGITAL MOCK-UPS
logo types For my magazine I needed to make a logo type which acts as a repetitive logo throughout all the issues of my magazine, like a title of my magazine brand. I had to create something that the layout would be easy to work around and something that would not take up too much space. I did this by sketching out my ideas first on paper to get any first thoughts out, this helped to quickly get down any ideas I could think of and to see what would work and what would not. I drew as many as I could think of so that I had a big variety of logotypes to view and to see what could work with my magazine style. I looked at all the logotypes I had designed on paper and brought some of the best designs onto the computer to mock up as vectors to see what they looked like as final logos and how they looked digitally. I will then pick my final design and see how it looks with my style of magazine and work from there.
SKETCHED LOGO TYPES
SKETCHED LOGO TYPES
NE W
VIS
UA LL AN GU AG
E
DIGITAL LOGO TYPES
NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE
NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE
NEW
NVL
LANGUAGE
V NL
V NL V NL
V N V L [ ] NL NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE
NL
V
VISUAL
NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE
NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE
NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE
final logo This is my final logo that I have choose for my magazine masthead. I have choose this because it is simple, clean and sharp. It is not too big so therefore will not take up too much space on my front cover and will sit nicely out of the way to give me enough space to be able to work with a design. I have kept the colours to black and white as these are the best colours to work with most colour pallets, and it still stands out and makes its self clear to see. It is a bold logo that makes it’s self known, however it does not distract you from the rest of the design. I have chose Helvetica as the type face because it looks professional and it is legible which makes it easier for people to read it, and see it at a quicker pace. The top part of the text is bold to grab your attention and lead you into the rest of the logo. It is simplistic and spacious but I think it works well with my design theme. Overall I am happy with this logo as it clearly states what it is representing and it demonstrates a bold logotype.
NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE
EXPERIMENTING WITH BODY COPY AND GRID
EXPERIMENTING WITH BODY COPY AND GRID
EXPERIMENTING WITH BODY COPY AND GRID
title fonts
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
- Minion pro, bold, 60 pt.
- Helvetica, bold, 60 pt.
- Arial, bold, 60 pt.
- Times New Roman, bold, 60 pt.
- Calibri, bold, 60 pt.
- Century Gothic, bold, 60 pt.
- Cambria, bold, 60 pt. - Myriad pro, bold, 60 pt.
- Verdana, bold, 60 pt
title fonts
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
- Minion pro, bold, 50 pt.
- Helvetica, bold, 70 pt
- Arial, bold, 56 pt.
- Times New Roman, bold, 68 pt.
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
- Calibri, bold, 64 pt.
- Century Gothic, bold, 56 pt.
- Cambria, bold, 45 pt. - Myriad pro, bold, 65 pt.
- Verdana, bold, 52 pt
image experimentation Throughout designing my magazine I went through a process of selecting images that fit with my layout, and turning them into something more visually pleasing. I did this by turning them into a better image, or using fewer images per page. I used a selection of images from each final brief to sum up my final designs, as I wanted it to look professional and not look overcrowded with all of the elements from my finals. I did this by choosing the images that I thought represented my final briefs the best and then worked with the layout to see how it fit on the page with the text to explain a bit about each. I used text to inform people what the images stand for and to introduce them to the different sections of my magazine. Overall I think the image selection process was helpful as it helped me to eliminate images that did not look right and helped me to get a more professional looking magazine, with a clean, sharp looking layout. My layout is simplistic and this is why I stuck to only a few images per page.
FRONT COVER DESIGNS
FRONT COVER DESIGNS
front cover designs
final cover To create my final cover I went through a process of experimenting with different designs and playing around with the images, and typography I could use to represent my magazine. I wanted my magazine to represent the information inside of it, and connect to it through the imagery I use. I wanted my cover to be striking, bold and colourful so that it stands out and grabs peoples attention like I believe a cover should do. I also wanted it to be simplistic to represent my style of working. At first I tried the covers with my already made up jars that I used for my Earth Artifact, I also tried using the trainer from my City in Flux, but they did not symbolise my original aims of the cover, I felt like something was missing, as they did not stand out and have the wow factor. Finally I thought about smashing one of my Earth Artifact jars to create a striking image. I tried this, I used the jar full of sweet counters and dropped it to allow the glass to smash, my first attempt failed but the second one worked. After I had dropped
it I took a photograph and then I rearranged parts of the glass and sweets to get a better shot, I positioned the camera angles in different ways to see which looked the best. After I brought the images onto the computer and picked the best. Finally I added the information for the front cover which is the, logotype, title, subheading, issue and date. Overall I am happy with the way my front cover looks, as I believe it is a bold cover, and the imagery looks vibrant, making my magazine stand out. This image also symbolises the end of a brief, the smashed glass shows the jars are finished with, and it connects to the information inside.
INNER & BACK COVER IDEAS
I looked at different images, and styles I could use for my back cover and inner cover. I decided I did not need an inner cover as my contents spread across two pages. However I still needed a back cover. I wanted it to connect to the front of my magazine. After I had picked my front cover I decided to stick with the same image for the back but blow it up bigger. I also included a barcode and my logotype.
This was to stay in the theme of my magazine and to make it flow. Because this image is so powerful I wanted to include it on both sides, as it worked for both and looked effective.
the next step. - THE NEXT STAGE WAS EDITING MY MAGAZINE, AND MOVING ONTO LAYING IT ALL OUT, WITH THE BODYCOPY STYLE I SELECTED, AND THE IMAGES I HAVE CHOOSE. I HAVE PUT MY FINAL MAGAZINE TOGETHER AND THEN I HAVE WROTE THE CONTENT TO PUT IN IT.