New Visual Language
Contents 4. Modernism & Artists.
16. Postmodernism & Artists. 28. Mastheads & Layout. 32. Masthead Sketches. 36. Illustrator Mastheads. 42. Applying Mastheads to Images. 50. Magazine Layouts. 54. Personal Magazine Layouts. 56. Masthead & Cover Image Experiments. 68. Postmodern Type Experiments. 70. More Masthead & Cover Image Experiments. 78. Page Layout Designs.
What is
Modernism? “Helvectica - to look further is in vain.” - Massimo Vignelli The modernist movement began at the start of the 20th century when the idea of technology and mechanization could produce a better society. This utopian belief influenced the submovements such as Constructivism, Dada and Futurism that focus on fragmentation and a scattered appearance which was inspired by industrialism. The style was detected in architecture and literature as well as art. Techniques such as collage, photography and geometric sketches were popular when creating art pieces and graphic design outcomes. Kurt Schwitters followed the modernism style using collage to achieve his abstract effect.
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Use of colour varies in each sub-movement and artist style, majority of graphic pieces included red, neutrals and black and white. This was likely due to printing and cost reasons. Majority of design used the Helvetica font during the Modernist movement as it was clean cut and simplistic which was what designers wanted in their work. The style was curved and had equal distance between the height of letters such as ‘h’ and ‘p’ to the shorter letters such as ‘a’ and ‘o’. Although some designers, such as Bauhaus, created their own ideal type making their work drastically different to the many designers using Helvetica. Both fonts were bold and striking which made their work stand out in a strong way.
Shape played a big part in this movement, as they are the main focus of designers’ images. Circles, squares and triangles would be repeated in a constructed way that would make the overall image look scattered, giving it a unique style. Artists such as El Lissitzky and Wassily Kandinsky used this style of design in their work. Some artists used the repetition of geometric shapes in a more grid-like style such as Piet Mondrian who’s work is most well detected by his use of bright primary colours paired with the block grid lines through the page. The overall style of Modernism was sterile and dominant due to the ideals at that time.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/02/bauhaus-ninety-years-of-inspiration/ http://www.designishistory.com/images/lissitzky/BeatTheWhites.jpg
Josef Muller Brockmann And The Grid System Brockmann is an Swiss artist who is mostly known for his graphic design and use of the grid system in the Modernism period. His influences consist of De Stijl, constructivism and Bauhaus which all contain the grid style structure Brockmann uses. He has taught arts and crafts in Switzerland but is most known for his structured posters. These posters are first put together through an outlined construction of boxes, indicating where elements will be placed and the composition focusing on making type, shape and space mathematically equal. This artist has created his work using different techniques such as linocut, letterpress and photography which has been thoroughly though out to create the right proportions for the poster. Josef Muller Brockmann uses the grid system as a solution to the design problems that occur, the grids subdivide the page into a title, shape and text which are all proportionately spaced and angled in a way that is visually satisfying. Correct proportion is achieved when the space around the page between the elements are equal distance and the geometry of the piece is measured with a compass and/or set square. When looking at his work, I notice the type he uses is bold and prominent, it is the first element that is noticed in some pieces due to the scale of the title compared the other details. In other works the image or geometric shape is the main focus as I feel it depends on the message he is conveying, some ways the message could be transferred through word and some in image.
His use of colour varies which implies he uses colour depending on mood and meaning of the poster. Overall Brockmann’s style is very obviously in the Modernist era due to his structure and limited flow in his work, shapes are bold and demanding which fits with the ideaology of the movement itself.
http://ilovetypography.com/2013/01/12/a-firm-turn-toward-theobjective-josef-muller-brockmann-1948-1981/ http://www.noupe.com/design/josef-muller-brockmann-principalof-the-swiss-school.html
Bauhaus Bauhaus was a school in Germany that was active from 1919 to 1933, founded by Walter Groupious, the school consisted of people such as Wassily Kandinsky, Josef Albers and Max Bill. The school created it’s own movement and style due to its unique way of teaching, learning and exploring. The Bauhaus movement came after World War 1 following the Russian revolution and focused on constructivism and neo classicism. Bauhaus impacted art and architecture globally, for example, the USA created their own school Black Mountain College which followed the same rules of learning and experimentation. Both institutions focused on making no distinction between form and function. The use of type was mainly to communicate in an expressively artistic way, in 1925 the Bauhaus font was introduced focusing on a san serif style that was bold and unique. The outcomes of graphic design in Bauhaus was heavily influenced on the constructivism movement of placing objects in an unconventional order, though still used grid systems to achieve this design. The style varied slightly with each artist but overall shapes were bold and angled in a logically random order and geometrically abstract in position. Colours used are limited to primary colours and neutral shades although red is prominent in most posters, this may be due to cost reasons or to convey a mood of dominance which modernism had a tendency to convey. Overall the Bauhaus school became a movement due to its unique ideas that impacted the world which makes it a major part in the Modernism movement.
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg. com/237x/e2/07/30/e20730fdbcf3866c1ebcaaa824a69e08.jpg http://99designs.com/designerblog/2013/08/15/know-yourdesign-history-the-bauhausmovement/ http://www.citrinitas.com/history_ of_viscom/images/avantgarde/ bauhaus-graphicdesign.html http://www.moma.org/ collection/browse_results. php?object_id=70099
El Lissitzky and Avant Garde The Avant Garde began in France by Claude Henri de Saint Simon, the word in French means an advanced guard which is a military term that applied well for the groups ideas. They also used this word as a metaphor for cultural change. The art the group created communicated the ideas of politics, philosophy, history and more.
He created propaganda works that communicated unfiltered political messages such as “Beat the white with the red edge” (Fig 1) in 1919 which touches on the civil war in Russia, the red represents the communists and the white represents the crowd that opposed the Bolshvek revolution, the red triangle is shown slicing into the white circle implying the reds will beat the opposition. Lissitzky excelled in typography, architecture, design and paintings. He used photo montage techniques and created abstract geometric paintings he labelled ‘Prouns’, these piece s conveyed elements of suprematism and special details.
Fig 1. Beat the reds with the white edge
El Lissitzky is a Russian artist who was labelled as one of the important figures in the Avant Garde, an experimental and innovative group that pushed the boundaries in politics, culture and art. This artist influenced major movements such as Bauhaus and Constructivism.
El Lissitsky was diagnosed with tuberculosis later on in life which made creating his paintings harder to finish successfully, this infection eventually overcame Lissitzky in 1941. His work constists of de-constructed geometric shapes that are arranged in a series that looks unusual but also it seems it makes perfect sense to arrange them in that way. His use of colour in his work is varied in different collections, some are neutral or black and white and others such as the ‘Prouns’ are displayed with a mix of neutrals, grayscale with a pop of vibrant colour that brings character to the work. Lissitzky shows his spacial awareness when composing each element of the image as the pieces don’t look cluttered, they are conveyed as de-constructed.
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/el-lissitzky-1519 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Lissitzky http://www.designishistory.com/images/lissitzky/BeatTheWhites.jpg
Max Miedinger and Helvetica Miedinger is a typeface designer from Switzerland who was the man behind the popular font, Helvetica. The type was created in 1960 with the input of Edouard Hoffmann when they decided to create a modern version of Akzidenz Grotesk, it was immediately global as designers felt it was ideal for the style needed. Some believe it’s the space between the letters that make the font so clear and understandable, it is also able to vary in conveying messages, it works for positive, negative and all emotions as the type is plain and malleable. The diversity of the font is show when it’s inverted as the shape is still similar to how it would be in black which shows the space around the
letters were as well thought out as the letter itself. The equal sturdiness between space and letter is what makes the typeface look powerful and strong to the audience. Helvetica has been re-styled many times since such as Arial due its insane popularity. A tall x-height is what makes it easily readable and variations of the font have been created such as Helvetica Light, Narrow, Flair and Textbook which all contain extra details or a lighter weight. The weight of the curves and angles in the letters are equal and orderly which makes the overall words clear to the eye. The overall type is very rounded as
when studied it’s possible the shapes have come from circles that have been sliced to create the letter. Other graphic designers have varied opinions on the typeface, artists inspired by modernism liked the font as it was neutral and clean-cut which meant the audience focused on the image and the word helps convey the message once the image has been studied. However artists inspired by post modernism may feel it is very plain and emotionless as it doesn’t create the feelings in the words.
http://www.identifont.com/show?16O http://netdna.webdesignerdepot.com/uploads/helvetica/subway.jpg http://www.davidairey.com/images/signage/nyc-subway-helvetica.jpg http://idsgn.org/images/design-discussions-paul-shaw-and-the-nyc-subway/standard-helvetica2.jpg
Armin Hoffman Hofmann was a swiss graphic designer who taught arts and crafts for majority of his life, he showed his students new techniques of overcoming design problems and his own style was labelled as ‘Swiss Style’. He produced work in the form of books, stage sets, signs, logos and was most well-known for his posters. His work used the grid system and focused on essential components to create his pieces. His sense of structure and space was strong due to his minimal outcomes looking powerful and showing how less is more. Layouts of his work was asymmetric with the addition of text in a san serif font, usually Helvetica. Techniques used by Armin Hofmann were photo montage and phototypesetting, these are identified in his posters due to the fragmented feel the art pieces display. Colour in his work was used wisely and limited to necessity, most of the artist’s work contains a splash of vibrant red in the monotone design. When observing Hofmann’s work, I feel he is inspired by abstract art, constructivism and elements of Dada are noticeable in some pieces due to the flow of abstract images. Type is minimal and clear but made sure is not the focus of the piece, instead the image is what first captures the attention of the audience. The use of shape varies in the artist’s work as it isn’t as simple to define as other artists’ pieces can be, in some pieces geometric shapes are visible where as in others shape is more abstract giving the audience visual mysteries to be solved. This work fits with Modernism due to the typefaces, used of grid systems and the overall minimalistic yet
powerful appearance that all modernist style has.
http://www.designishistory.com/1940/armin-hofmann/ http://www.aiga.org/medalist-arminhofmann
What is
Post Modernism? Post Modernism is a late 20th century movement that evolved in the mid 1960’s to respond to the Modernism movement, as many artists did not want to follow the rules the past movement had laid out. They abandoned the idea of the grid system and chose a new, more free style of creating work. After rejecting the modernists’ obsession with progress and challenging it they came out with a new design that inspired new artists through to the 90’s.
The use of colour varies but majority of the movements work is bright and colourful, especially in the 60’s and 70’s due to the use of colour appearing in new magazines and in TV. Overall style was vibrant and bold, by using unconventional colours and layering images for a organized cluttered piece. Popular techniques were use of collage and technology, especially further on in the movement.
Focus is on the process and experimentation that falls into a flowing, unconventional final design. Post Modernist style art contains a lot of symbolism and terms in pop culture, as well as using themes within politics and society. Jamie Reid’s work shows this abstract style blending with the politics and pop culture of the 70’s, his use of text doesn’t contain grid structure or a bold printed font that is continuous and simplistic, instead it is bold in a way that involves newspaper cuttings of text.
This style of movement focuses on the fragmented style like the Modernism movement but in a less structured way that makes the two very different in style. Post Modernism ‘breaks the rules’ to achieve its wild, unique appearance and passed boundaries in the use of colour, grid systems and structure.
The complex structure and hidden meanings in Post Modern work seems to give the overall pieces a personal touch and a puzzle for an audience to solve. This less readable, more personal style is due to the randomness of focus images on the pages, which brings an element of secretiveness.
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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/be/Eight_Elvises.jpg http://www.artnet.com/artists/andy-warhol/chanel-a-qIPf-rSrEqyiiSldk8Rymg2
Andy Warhol Warhol was an American artist who was considered a head figure in the Pop Art movement. He was inspired by celebrity culture and advertising. He graduated with a fine arts degree and focused on techniques such as drawing, painting, silkscreen, print, film and music. He owned his own studio ‘The Factory’ which was a cultural hotspot where other artists came to join Warhol and created work, the studio was more tightly controlled after 1968 when the artist was shot in an attempted murder. Once Warhol found his feet in the advertising industry he focused on creating mass-produced images, he used silkscreen to achieve this for popular pieces such as Campbell’s soup and Marylin Monroe. His piece ‘Eight Elvises’ is one of the most valuable paintings to date when it sold for $100 million in 2008. Andy Warhol’s work is from the post-modernism movement due to the composition and context of
his work. The images are static with no social context. For example his ‘Diamond Dust’ shoes are focusing on fashion rather than practicality and promote the shoe as a glamorous item that is wanted rather than an item that is needed. Colour in Warhol’s work is bright and loud to get the attention of the audience for advertising purposes. Images of people are highly saturated and images of objects are in unusual colours compared to how they are usually seen.
http://www.sfmoma.org/images/artwork/large/98.563_01_b02.jpg http://www.artnet.com/artists/andy-warhol/shoes-with-diamond-dust-257-a-E7Nv9wCNYkmOiKpHg9eRzw2
Jenny Holzer Jenny Holzer is an American conceptual artist who also used instillation art to convey her thoughts and messages that can be labelled as protest art. She was part of the feminist artist group alongside Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, Sarah Charlesworth and Louise Lawler. Holzer creates her work in large scale electronical billboards, L.E.D signs, bronze plaques, stone benches and branding attire such as t-shirt and stickers. Her most popular type of work is her projections that are displayed on man-made architecture such as buildings, steps and bridges as well as natural textures such as mountain sides, the sea and waterfalls.
The artist’s work is minimalistic in colour as she uses grayscale or neutral colour. When her projections are photographed she takes them in black and white in a grunge style, this may be to convey the mood of her words and also to imply power as the contrast is strong and dominant. When looking at her L.E.D work the lights contrast from the black background which conveys the same feel in a more subtle way as the media is known for having a strong contrast which makes it less noticeable to the audience.
This artists uses a mix of technology and language to convey her message, this may be because in the 80’s, 90’s and even now modern technology such as computers are a new interest to the audience and becoming a more major part of all our lives each day. Language in her work uses juxtapositions and shock tactics to gain the audience’s attention and time thinking about the words displayed on the large scale surface. Holzer’s work is part of the postmodernism movement as the overall pieces are hyperreal due to the fact the messages are on technology or projected on a surface and not engraved, they are not really there as light creates the work and once that is taken away the instillation is no longer there. The words only convey an emotion when read as the type is plain and unemotional.
http://projects.jennyholzer.com/projections/rome-1998/gallery#7
David Carson
“Why not?” - David Carson Carson is an American graphic designer who is well known for his experimental typography and experimental layouts in magazines. Before he created work for a mass of brands Carson created a surf magazine ‘Beach Culture’ which explored grunge type and photography bringing a southern California boho vibe to the work. He also art directed magazines such as “Transworld Skateboarding” and “Transworld Snowboarding’ as well as the most famous Ray Gun Magazine, an alternative music and lifestyle culture magazine that gave the audience atmosphere and emotion through visual language and unconventional designs that create feeling.
When creating spreads for Ray Gun, Carson took a lot of bold solutions to design problems, for example when deciding what font to use for a rather boring interview he chose dingbats, a typeface that is predominately icons instead of letters. These spreads had no grid format that was idolized in the modernism movement, all individual pages were different in layout and design to fit with the mood of the interview or article. His work is experimental and intuitive as he creates expression through style, he wanted to create atmosphere to make the audience feel was the interviewee or article was trying to communicate.
Typography is a main component in David Carson’s work, letters are sometimes displayed in a fragmented order in either digital type or grunge print style depending on what mood the artist wants to communicate. Colour is used in the same way as when conveying melancholy tone, red would be the prominent colour, symbolism also conveys emotion such as a downward smile for a spread on an article involving hospitals. Carson doesn’t seem to used extremely bright colours like artists from the pop art movement would use,instead colour is fairly neutral unless the brightness is needed to stand out to the audience more than the rest of the design.
http://www.designboom.com/design/interview-with-graphic-designer-david-carson-09-22-2013/ https://firatgunalva312.files.wordpress. com/2010/12/raygun4.jpg
Jamie Reid English artist Jamie Reid is a graphic designer who was best known for his punk rock de-collage style especially in work with the Sex Pistols album and singles such as God Save the Queen, Pretty Vacant and more. Reid developed this randsom-note style when designing for a co-founded magazine Suburban Press, which focused on anti-war art and issues. He was also part of the situationist movement and anti-war movement. Reid’s work isn’t structured by the grid system like the modernism movement was, but layout has still been carefully thought out, for example in ‘City of culture my arse’ the words have been composed to fit the photographed image itself showing a comical piece with more impact than straight text. He uses text as the focal point of his pieces, done by cutting out letters from newpapers, to convey his political messages.
His de-collage style and way of composing the overall piece in a fragmented way is what makes his work look punk as it’s not abiding by the rules. Backgrounds are textured which contributes to the grunge style that is portrayed in Jamie Reid’s work, image is noticeable and then text creates the context that shows the audience what message is being conveyed. This artist also works in layers in an analogue technique of collage, this way of working gives Reid’s work an authentic feel in his style and pieces overall.
Colour is used in some pieces but not in all, this is likely because the grayscale pieces convey a mellower, less vibrant tone. His overall explorations in colour are relatively neutral, especially in the 60’s and 70’s, as his text is what is the focal point of his work there isn’t a need for loud, bold colour which is seen in the modernism movement quite often.
http://www.opus-art.com/artwork-zoomer-3950#picture http://www.artrepublic.com/attachments/image/87/29087/29087_600x250_c.png http://www.tate.org.uk/art/images/work/T/T12/T12836_10.jpg http://www.artnet.com/artists/jamie-reid/
Lawrence Weiner Lawrence Weiner is a conceptual and typographic American artist who prefers to call himself a sculptor as his work is a specific object that has no specific form. His pieces are describe as part of the minimalist and abstract expressionism movements, they have no hierarchy and are not intended to oppose any other artists work as what he does is unique and relatively personal but with an audience in mind. As this artist was interested in civil rights his work advertises a change in culture and reads inquisitive and thought-provoking messages to stick into a reader’s mind. He grew up in the Bronx where graffiti and wall art was around him often, this was one of his inspirations when creating his own self-taught work. His pieces are displayed in a variety of forms, such as on walls, windows, in books, posters, graffiti, spoken
word audio and video and more. As Weiner was creating typographical art he invented new fonts to suit the text he was designing. When creating this type of work size of the font would be considered, which would depend on the canvas he was applying the text, also the texture of the canvas would be a major point to consider as he would have to choose a medium that would hold to the texture. Also layout would be considered as this is a component all designers ponder on no matter what the canvas may be. Lawrence Weiner’s art has a minimal look as the focus is the text and the texture of the wall, window or whatever texture is part of the piece. Colour is simplistic as the text is usually all one colour which may be black, blue or red. The style of the type
varies in each project, some maybe a bold sans serif font in a simple black where as some contain a box around the text for the audience to zoom their vision to the sentence. One piece of his work is white text on a white background with block red and black in the space between giving a contrast between both elements. Overall Weiner’s work is in the post modernism movement as his ideas have expanded out of the studio into public surroundings and in galleries his sculptures over take the room in an elegant overgrown way.
http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/4212 http://prod-images.exhibit-e.com/www_mariangoodman_com/9d636f56. jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Weiner#/media/File:WeinerText. JPG http://media.guggenheim.org/content/collections/panza_conservation_ initiative/weiner-924193_singularforms-490.jpg
Mastheads & Masthead Layout
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This moodboard is inspiration for my own masthead design and layout of the masthead design. These designs incorporate details of modernism, Postmodernism and a blend of the two. I chose a variety of images so I can explore my masthead in a variation of styles relating to both movements and contemporary designs.
https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/526991593871060805/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471048442248039555/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/463378249132958303/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/369154500677535257/ http://non-format.com/the-sanahunt-times http://non-format.com/varoom-issues-1-5
https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/367184175843089102/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/536209899355398148/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/43699058860846981/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/317503842454713769/ https://snowskoolnews.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/whitelines_new.jpg http://magazines.famousfix.com/tpx_4383477/esquire-magazine-spain-march-2010/ http://www.modernmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/cropped-Modern-logo-black1.jpg http://www.creativetourist.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Modernist-magazine-472x264.jpg
Masthead Sketches
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Experimenting with masthead design in a sketchbook beforehand is a quicker way to churn out all initial ideas before creating cleaner designs via Illustrator, and that is what I did here.
Illustrator Mastheads
NN NN
NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE NEW VISUAL LANGUAGE These logos create the letters NVL within them, it’s a simple technique that displays the letters in a unique way. The black and white designs are effective due to placement of black, I feel the ‘V’ being black works better as the attention goes towards it first. This logo with the magazine title under is most effective as
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it brings content to the logo. The logo in the primary colours has a Bauhaus style that was intentionally created, this is less successful but if my magazine takes a modernist approach the design would fit well.
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New LANGUAGE Visual NN EW NNLanguage EW The masthead ideas focus on the simple geometric shapes used in Bauhaus’ work, the ‘V’ is within the triangle and a square is incorporated into the ‘L’. the f i r s t has a red background to attract a reader to the masthead, and understand what the magazine is about through the style rather than words. The black is more formal and the primary colours are further influenced by Bauhaus.
ISUAL ISUAL
This masthead design to read but also visually is structured with full interesting. The second words and all on one involves a splash of red line, I feel this design to bring interest to the would spread across NEW VISUAL LANGUAGEdesign, adding colour the top of the magazine could either work as cover in a classic way. the colour could change The first has a mix of to compliment the front fonts to make it clear cover image or it could
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clash. T h e third i s similar to the top with all text in Braggadocio, t h e smaller t e x t i s harder to read which is why I experimented with a clearer typeface .
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By adding the name of the magazine under the masthead logo the reader understands what the magazine is as well as understanding what the initials stand for. My first design is plain and focuses on the simplistic layout of the logo, the second I added a box to contain the lettering for formality and ease when placing on the cover. The primary colour design is again inspired by Bauhaus but with this design I feel it makes the masthead less formal and more childish. The final on has added red that I feel doesn’t work too well for the look I was going for.
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New Visual Language
These mastheads are simplistic and easy to create, I decided to create something plain due to the phrase by modernist Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe “less is more”. The first and second designs are the words in Helvetica with a box to contain the type, I added colour to the first which I feel is more int e r e s t i n g than the other. The third is from previous designs yet I added the full text to see if it communicated the magazine title better although by doing this it creates an awkward shape to work with, especially when working with the grid system.
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I experimented with stretching type and varying letter size, I came up with this design of having the ‘visual’ stretch and larger than the other words as I feel it’s the key word in the title. The first I added a box around the design to contain it making it easier when working with the grid systems.
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The second is the original typeface design which works well on its own. The third I added colour but I feel the reed border doesn’t work as well as the black. The final is a mix of coloured text that adds focus more on the word ‘visual’, I feel this works as it’s simpler than the third design but still has a pop of colour.
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Hoffman Style & Applying Mastheads
The cover design is inspired by an Armin Hoffman piece, I added a pop of red as the full black shapes wasn’t quite exciting enough; the colour also compliments the red in the masthead. When exploring layout I looked at spaces within the design that the masthead could fit. I feel both fit well with the design but I prefer the first as it corresponds with the way the English language reads.
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These pairings of masthead and cover image are varied in success, I feel the first works well but breaks the grid system which is important in this modernism style., although a blend of postmodern and modernism in my magazine could work well if thought out carefully. The second is less complimenting than the first but still works as a layout design, the third feels it juts out a small touch and doesn’t complement as well as others have.
T h i s d e s i g n came from a Mimmo Rotella inspired piece I created in my City In Flux project, I used the abstract collage to create angular shapes that seem vaguely like a distorted cityscape, still responding to
Hoffman. This design turned out more successful than I anticipated, I feel adding colour could make a more detailed design which I could do when developing this design.
I was exploring layout of a couple of mastheads here, on the first page I used a simple logo with the simple design to see how they fit together and how the overall design would look when being so simple. The first fits well but blends in too much with the cover design the masthead is difficult to notice, this would be a quirky touch in an issue 5 but as a first issue I feel it’s important for the masthead to be immediately noticed. The second doesn’t blend well due to the square logo and the angular shapes, the third works well and would attract the attention of a buyer as does the fourth layout.
On the next page, the masthead is bolder and is still noticeable within the cover design therefore this quirky touch would work better with this masthead. The second design would work when the magazine cover has more content, a background and possibly added colour.
These layouts involve colour which bring vibrancy to the simplistic design. The first is contained in the image that works well as it’s bold enough to not get hidden within the angular shapes. The second would work well in more context, if there was a background it would tie the two together. The third seems the most successful as the layout of the masthead and the size attaches them together in a aesthetically pleasing way.
In these design layouts the masthead and the shapes are abstract which may intrigue a reader and entice them into buying it. The first design fits well in a way, the second is too small to read and the third would be more successful with context. Personally I don’t like the layout of the masthead as the vertical style in harder to work with, I think I should explore this masthead in a vertical layout to see how it works. Also I could make this masthead much larger to cover the image partly.
Magazine Layout
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http://cdn.inspirationhut.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Magazine-Layout-Inspiration-1.jpg http://non-format.com/category/print-and-editorial https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/542754192566007037/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/224828206367673733/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/401946335468042361/
https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/382031980860432212/ https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/180073685073242359/ http://non-format.com
These two moodboards are inspiration for magazine layout; all have been inspired by modernism, post modernism or contemporary design. I have yet to discover which movement style I prefer to work with in my own magazine, so a variety of inspiration will help me decide.
Magazine Layouts
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Masthead Experiments: Postmodern Style
Once creating some modernist style masthead designs on illustrator I decided to use another technique of creating type from analogue media in the studio, such as paint and marker pen. The effects that appeared when using brushes gave a look that is associated with the postmodern style, the strokes appear free and random. The first design is an erratic, f lo win g p ie c e t h a t attracts the eye due to the way it flows from one letter to the next. The second design is more structured in the single letter forms as they have been carefully picked from magazines to create Jamie Reid style typography.
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To get the effect of the other Reid inspired design I traced the shapes on the letters and filled them in with marker, choosing what contrast should appear where. The last on the page is similar to the first in the energetic way it’s been accomplished, the style appears rebellious compared to the structured modernist style. My favourite of this page is the marker pen Reid style type as it contains elements of modernism as well as postmodern qualities, black and white make the type ordered yet the mix of styles brings back the uniqueness postmodernism has.
Layout Experiments: Postmodern Style
These are layouts of positions that the type could be displayed on the page.
Here are edits of my Jamie Reid style type, I changed the h u e to a r e d with a black background to emphasis a colour pop and created a couple of variations of text layout. I repeated this step in blue for a variety in colour. I prefer the central aligned text as the space around the text is equal and more balanced. To further develop this layout I can then add a cover image to see how the text corresponds with a busier background. The Reid style contains a rough texture that can be associated with postmodernism but also appears readable to a viewer.
Cover Page Experiments Background & image
These styles h a v e b e e n inspired b y postmodernism due to the activeness on the page, the image was also inspired by Mimmo Rotella who created pieces with the theme of de-constructivism in mind. To some layouts, I added my Arminn Hofmann style piece in red line detail to the foreground in order to pinpoint a focus for the reader. To keep within this red theme that is popular in the modernist movement, I made the type in these layouts red. The type is a line drawing of the Reid inspired lettering, the mix of all the styles
blend in an expressive overall design on the page. In the Overall style the viewer notices the process within the final outcome which is imp o rt a n t i n t h e postmodern thesis.
This page focuses on the exploration of colour in different ways, I looked at the colour design of type for the masthead as well as the image. I was definite that the type should contain red to begin as it compliments the image and relates to modernism as they used mainly primary colours in their work as function was more important than form in this movement. The first image on the right page contains elements of a ‘glitch’ style, I achieved this by adding an extra layer of certain sections that were then adjusted slightly to the right for an incomplete look that’s thought provoking to the reader.
The second across from the first has a changed hue to blue, another primary colour popular in the Modernist movement, the colour is bright and the focus changes to the bright line piece before the collage behind. The third mixes all primary colours in an attempt to blend the Modern and Post Modern but I feel this creates a piece that is too busy for a viewer as it seems very hard to focus on one part at a time. The last piece simplifies my design slightly to placing boxes that are plain and cleans up the overall design, although t h e layout o f the masthead doesn’t seem to blend as well with the image as much as other creations.
These two pieces are much more simplified, adding the red box to reveal a peek of the collage works much better in te rms o f creating a focus for the viewer. This design appears more contemporary which would stand o u t a g a i n s t o th e r magazines as many find the future and futuristic qualities appealing. The bottom has the Hoffmann style line drawing added behind the box, I feel this is unnecessary as it doesn’t add to the piece and is almost unnoticeable as the red box takes the focus away from the l i n e . I f e e l there is potential in this design as bringing a contemporary feel into the magazine would be more interesting to the audience.
More Postmodern Style type As I am more inspired by Postmodernism, my ideas began travelling towards adding this movement in doses such as type and image to a contem por ar y/ modernist magazine in terms of layout and special awareness. I began exploring even more with experimental type consider ing line, kerning and using media such as ink and bir o as both are unpredictable when creating tone and splatter effects. The idea of not having some control with these mediums seemed to fit with the ideas of postmodernism therefore I felt it was very appropriate.
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Even though I liked most of these I decided which could wor k as a str ong m asthead, which is why I further developed one of my line styled type (top right) into illustrator as the design could be resized without any affect on the quality.
Armin Hoffman Cover Experiments
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This text piece was then transferred into discovering what d e s i g n s suit it best, I blended my Hoffmann style and collage piece together for a less busy c o v e r. T h e d e s ig n blends both modern and postmodern whilst still managing to appear contemporary and clean. These images are experiments of composition of type and small adjustments to the design. When comparing the designs in terms of text layout, I feel the large scale type looks more effective and mysterious due to the way it appears abstract the larger it is. Adjusting the type vertical adds to this abstract effect. In terms of the small image adjustments I feel lighter is more effective a s t h e n t h e t y p e is bolder and stands out to the reader. I feel the added text detracts from the more simple way of displaying image and text therefore to improve I will focus on the text layout of the less important information.
For this first outcome, I blended recent designs to create one mesh of all elements. Immediately I noticed this was too much for one design and a couple of the element weren’t needed. But I like the professional feel of the grid-like ‘NVL’ design more than the sketchy postmodern feel at this moment, therefore I would take away that from this piece. I also feel the translucent box behind text gives the type more structure and will consider this option in other designs. The second outcome is more calm and simple then the first which helps the reader focus on the important information, although the multiplied type doesn’t work for what I am going for as the masthead needs to be bold and noticeable for the first magazine issue.
Thirdly, I created a complete new design which has slight been inspired by a cross of Bauhaus in colour and shape, and Piet Mondrian in the style I added these shapes. This unintentional to begin but could work and links well to my contextual research, as well as a doorway to discover more about Mondrians work. The last outcome is similar to the third with added collage in a subtle form to bring the element of postmodernity which is a personal interest for me. T h e wh it e t y p e c o n t ra s t i n g w i t h the black background works more effective than vice versa as appears less basic to an audience when the usual is inverted. The smaller type and font style appeal more as it looks more contemporary as well as making the reader look closer to find out more due to the size of the font.
Postmodern/Contemporary Blend with Own Type Form Follows Function
Issue 1 April 2015
Here I blended elements of the past designs as well as bringing in new ideas. Using my own typography adds a unique touch as well as a slight abstract feel. The white box in some images make the design clearer to read and the cut out form ties the overall piece together. In others the border is a white and the text is similar to create the same illusion but inverted. I chose images that relate to my projects but still appear abstract such as the texture of walls,
Form Follows Function
Issue 1 April 2015
images that are quirky in colour and layout as well as photography from my city project. The red opacity layer creates a theme for the cover and suits the contemporary style.
Kerning & Leading
When creating my titles for each page I went through the process of balancing the word and letters b y kerning them, adjusting each character left and right to get an even space overall. Before this I also corrected the height of each to create an even look throughout, by adding two straight lines above and below one letter I could correct the rest for structured shape.
Also within both documents I have adjusted the main body text so it is justified in a way that doesn’t have rivers flowing through it, this is to make the overall look of the magazine look structured and put together. I did this by highlighting each line of text and using Alt + the arrow keys to adjust the length of the line without creating the deep gaps in between each word. Overall this makes the document look professional and balanced.
Postmodern/Contemporary Blend with Logo
These outcomes use the same technique as before but with a different more modernist typeface, the type has a grid-like style which is why it seems to relate to the movement. All have a slightly different layout in the small text but the font is the same as it works as a simple, modern type. Each layout of the small type has positives, therefore I feel this decision would be solved once I choose the exact cover design
I feel works best. Also each image is different some working more than others. The first has an abstract feel as I used a photo from my texture shoot in my city project and changed the h u e t o a pink which is the opposite of the grunge colour scheme of a wall, the white box compliments the hues of the background making the design stand out to an audience.
In the second the image is simply a soft texture I have photographed but doesn’t relate to what shall be inside of the magazine therefore I feel this isn’t a winner. The white on red design is bold and attractive t o a view er and th e image is the postmodern collage I have played w i t h thr oughout my experiments, the red h u e over the im a g e cancels out the erratic colour scheme, keeping the focus on the text and masthead.
The last image is the same as the third with a black box for variation, although the colo u r blends better with the image when comparing the white stands out more, creating interest for the audience.
Contents Page Designs When creating these content pages I was inspired by contemporary designs I discovered whilst researching earlier in my project and from my own layout designs. I wanted to keep a theme between the cover and t h e o t h e r p a g es i n a subtle way. In the first layout design I focused on a background possibility that I could add to all my pages for a constant theme throughout, yet I feel this may be too much and could work for just one page. The border is the same design as the cover showing both connect in a very obvious way. Next I created a design with a lot of white space a s I n o t ic e d t h i s w a s popular in contemporary layout design, also conn e c t i n g t o t h e modernist idea of less is more. The contents heading is the same as the masthead to connect the style into a theme, although I feel the red is out of place somehow as nothing else has a hint of red within it. As the type style is the theme I could adjust the title to black and see how it looks in comparison.
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The third is very similar to the second but with added text to balance the image and white space. A light red line across the top and bottom of the page has also been added
to balance the colour around the page due to my previous problem. I feel it works better as it feels more structured with this added extras. The top right has a postmodern vibe due to the odd nature of where it has been placed, the reader views this layout as abstract due the amount o f wh it e s p a c e w h i c h connects to the title font and the image that are both slightly abstract. As the image contains a hint of red it balances the page when using a red font. At the moment I cant detect any true faults in this design. The final contents design is similar to the third yet with a different image I used in the design above. Again the line border has been added at a higher opacity making the colour more intense, this again helps to structure the page but could work without also. Once I decide on the most fitting page I can tweak it further, it may also be a case of creating layouts for other pages and going back and forth to make them fit into a subtle theme.
Modernism Page Designs
Wh e n c re a t in g t h e s e modernism page layouts I was inspired by a series of images, a blend of my own design ideas and secondary images lead me to this contemporary outcome with elements of Modernism and P o s t mo d e rn is m. The typeface has a Postmodern vibe that has been used throughout the magazine for theme and formality. The images of Modernist art has been displayed in a Armin Hoffmann style design I created in my experimentation. I mainly explored with the layout of text, background colour and swapped the image a couple of times for variety. I liked the style of most them but there was small elements to these that could be improved, such as moving the title or preferring the artist work image, which is why I decided on the second as I feel this is the strongest layout.
To improve I will be doing a thorough check of the page and checking over type as well as adjusting any slight problems on the page.
Postmodernism Page Designs
Again for this page I looked at my own designs and secondary images for inspiration. This varied as I began with one idea that formed into another as the second looked more classic and put together than the first. The first design created a problem with creating a clear type is relatively easy to read, the design for the title was more intricate than other pages I had created so far. Overall the design looked good but I was positive I could design something more contemporary to fit with the theme that was beginning to emerge. I made the image smaller and distributed the type around the whole page in a structured way. I then adjusted backgrounds and type to see what fits best where I discovered that balancing the colour scheme around the page worked best.
City in Flux Page Designs
My design for my first page of the city in flux segment was simplistic but intricate due to the process and small quirk within the overall design. I created the overall image and title in Photoshop to get the look of the white box being cut out. I then applied this to my InDesign page and added my text where I also explored layout. I played with the idea of putting a box behind the text so it was clear to read, but once I adjusted the font colour to white it was easy to read anyway. As I shall do with all other pages I will adjust and double check layout and the text to make sure nothing is out of place or misspelled.
This inspiration page was created with a blend of seeing what I’d already created and how I could keep with the theme I had been creating, I decided on this type of layout as it structured my layout in a way that looked simplistic for a piece that had a lot of images. The text underneath the postmodern type gives extra information about the page without overloading the reader. I feel the images speak for themselves due to the way they are laid out. The images are more colourful than other pages I have created but still have a hint of red to balance the colour scheme.
This middle page was dedicated to a double spread of my most successful Bosanko inspired photograph, I wanted this to cover all of the page and margins with this image so the reader is immediately immersed in the photo. I played with the small details around the page that have been a theme throughout my magazine, whether they needed to be on the page this
time or if I could skip them for these two pages. Problems I had with keeping the detail were not due to distraction but because the text was lost within the busy image, therefore I added a band of red opacity across the text for an easy read as well as muting the bright white colour as the information isn’t too important.
Type Transcription Designs
I used the first type transcription page to contrast with the fullness of the first and simply added a coloured, strong letter that I feel was successful and different that looks simple but striking on a page by itself. Pairing the full and the sparse seems to work in my eyes as it looks more intense than blandly distributing the text and image across the page.
When creating my second page for type transcription my first problem was to overcome the amount of images and text I would be adding to this page, I looked at secondary designs as well as my own to see if any layouts would fit for a busy page. I decided on using the images to separate the text for an easy read. I looked at different coloured backgrounds and played with the type layout and colour. I felt the black background let the images stand out from the page which is the first visual I want the audience to see.
The third page dedicated to t y p e t ra n s c rip t io n shows the development of the drawn type to illustrator fonts, the same layout was a p p lie d a s n o t o n ly does it create theme but I knew the design had worked for my past page. To differ the pages slightly I inverted the black illustrator letters to white to make them pop against the black background. For this and the first type page I used white type for the same reas o n a s in v e rt in g the illu s t ra t o r t y p e . Overall I think this look appears contemporary and is within the theme I have created for this magazine.
The fourth type face p a g e i s similar to the second as I used the same technique of contrasting busy and simplistic so the reader doesn’t get confused by so much text. The image of one of my successful le t t e rs is d is p la y e d large and clear so the reader sees all details of the letter. I feel the black and white contrast exaggerates the bold f e e l t h a t is c re a t e d wh e n it is v ie we d .
Earth Artifact Designs
I then created a design for the first earth artifact page which is similar to the city in flux page and inspired by a thumbnail I created as well as a secondary image. I created the box design on Photoshop to achieve the cut out effect. This was then displayed to overlap both pages to pull them together and balance the white space and image. I experimented different ways of displaying the type by adding different coloured boxes behind
the text to make it pop. Although I do prefer the simplicity of the black type and small dotted lines to separate columns and balance out the colour scheme as I have done in other pages. These dotted lines have become part of my theme throughout as it is a subtle way of separating context without distracting from the important in f o rma t io n .
I then began working on my inspiration page for earth artifact, this was first displayed in a similar way to the type transcription but didn’t seem to work as well looking as if there was an essay to read that could put off the reader. So I chose to display the image and text as I did with my images in my city in flux inspiration, this works better as the reader is faced with a layout that doesn’t look a chore to tackle, the design also appears more contemporary in this fashion therefore fitting in with my theme more than my first layout idea. The mix of font colours distributed the colour scheme throughout the page giving it balance visually as well as the four sections helping this feeling of structure.
The next page was designed in a way only two of my development pieces could be displayed, I played with text and slightly with layout but I felt in needed a drastic change to bring the contemporary feel and applying more of my development pieces. I decided on this square shape with columns showing a snippet of my development so the reader gets the primary idea of my intentions and ideas, I also explain this under the large type in red font which keeps the balanced colour scheme. The reader only has to see a small part to the posters as I have displayed my true final piece.
The last page showing my earth artifact project is my final piece that covers the page. I feel if I have created this piece correctly the reader will understand my intentions putting the introduction and this piece together and discovering this iconology is the language I was discussing on creating. I feel I have achieved this in this final design and therefore displaying it larger the reader can notice all the details put into the idea.
My final page is a few links displayed with the same title typography as well as colour scheme, as some images aren’t mine and can be found on the internet. The reader can view where my images were collected from and what I was inspired by within my magazine.
The back cover is less important than the rest of the pages but still relevant. Keeping with the theme I kept it simple repeating the image from the front cover but flipping the image horizontally. I then added a barcode for obvious reasons if the magazine was to be sold on shelves; above this in similar layout as the front cover with the same typeface
I added small pieces of information useful to the read and a price if it was sold on shelves. I think this back cover is successful overall as it is simple enough to not distract from the front cover but matches the t h e me we ll. Wh e n put together it would look professional and structured.