2 Page Spread #2

This is a spread I did for class for my special edition magazine. I was given the file with the text and was asked to create a quick layout for the text. Since the theme had nothing to do with my magazine, I did not include any photos and just used basic shapes as my elements.

Design Standards Work Sheet

My Design Standards Worksheet contains the proper color pallet for my publication. I have done an extended color study and provided myself with the RBG, CMYK, and PAN tone colors for my logo. I have also provided the correct typography information and how the type will be used. Along with this information, I also gave a brief description of my publication as well as defining my target market.

Publication Examples

The above example is a great example of proper grid ad layout usage. The lines are very clean and there is enough balance here to make it flow very nicely. The use of justified text helps make for very clean lines and it remains easy on the eyes. The color pallet is very subtle, therefore, it is not over the top. The images line up well with the text.

This article has an acceptable use of the grid, but the unjustified text makes it look more on the messy side, which is not always a bad thing. The major issue here is the lack of balance. It is hard to tell here, but the actual article's content is pushed way too close to the bottom. I think this spread would word better if there was more negative space along the bottom as well.

This article also lacks balance. While negative space can be a beautiful element, here this is not the case. It feels that something is missing in the lower right hand corner. For this piece, I would create a grid where there is one column of text on the right and the image on the left. This would display more unity in the article.

Now this is a prime example of an article that is too heavy in content. There is way too much text on this page. I feel that I would either get too bored or lose my place if I were actually reading this. I think this article is visually unappealing. If no images were going to be used, I would still suggest the usage of drop caps or indentation here. Our eyes need a break in between text.

2 Page Spread

This is the 2 page spread for my Special Edition issue of Eco World. All of the elements here are vector art created in Illustrator. I used InDesign to layout the grids and used the text wrap tool to make a text wrap around the branches of the trees. My concern here is that there is too much content for a spread this size.

Special Edition Cover

For this cover I used the same image but I moved some of the text around. I also added the banner "Special Edition" and placed it in the top right hand corner. I also added some text so I had to move some text to the lower right hand side. This special edition contains a story about Earth Day to help celebrate the special day

Week 3

By this point, I am feeling less overwhelmed with the assignments that are due. This week we focused on lab time, working on all of our work so far. This week I focused mainly on the 2 page spread that is due next week for the special edition magazine. I also focused on my design standards worksheet which is very critical for the class. Since I was unable to attend class last week, I was not able to gain any feedback on my assignments, therefore, was unable to make any revisions.

April Issue of Eco World

The April issue is done in full color to represent how the trees and flowers have bloomed in our own environments. I used my own stock image and took it into Photoshop to create the front cover. I kept the text very simple, because this month will also have a "special issue". I was able to keep all the display text one color since there was not too much contrast in the image.
The table of contents is not quite done here. I was playing with the idea of the butterfly for the table of contents as I used elements in the previous issues. I am waiting to get the feedback needed to proceed with this portion of the assignment. I did keep the logo and "in every issue" consistent as I did with the months before.
The back cover is another ad to help promote doing our part to keep our environment safe. I used an image I took myself and felt the tag line worked perfectly for this piece. Since we are unaware of what is ahead of us, we should all do our parts to keep our environment clean.

March Issue of Eco World

For the cover of the March issue, I used another personal photo and took it into Photoshop to manipulate. I did selective color for this image since spring time represents the rebirth of nature. I wanted to add some fresh color to bring us away from the black and white images used previously. I still used white, blue, and green for the display fonts. I kept the logo consistent with the other two issues as far as size and placement is concerned.
For the table of contents, I wanted to keep simple shapes and elements here. I decided to link the cover with the table of contents by making the text fit into simplistic flower pedals. I kept the logo and "in every issue" the same as the first 2 assignments. I think this look is fun and yet easy to read.
The back cover ad is a start of a new campaign. The purpose of the ads are witty little ways to say "reduce, reuse, and recycle". I used my own stock photography and took the images into Photoshop to ad. These ads are meant to be inspirational by showing the beauty of our environment.

Week 2

I was not able to attend class this week, but I still continued to work on my next assignments. During this week I was to create the cover, table of contents, and back cover for the March and April issues of my magazine. During this week, I gained more confidence in my ability to work at a much faster rate than the week before. I think once I had a base design layout figured out, the rest just fell into place.

Feb. issue of Eco World

Once again, I used my own image for this Issue. I found a photo that I took during the winter and decided it was perfect for this issue. After doing the first cover, this one seemed to fall into place much quicker. The challenge I was facing here, was trying to maintain the readability of the text on such a high contrasted background. For this cover, I decided that less text was the best for this design.
For the table of contents, I kept the placement of the logo and "in every issue" elements consistent with the previous issue. I also decided that I liked the element of the vertical colored bar on the right. Like I did with the previous issue, I decided to keep the background images simple while lowering the opacity. The circles are to represent snowballs for the cold winter month. Once again, I wanted nice, clean elements for this page.
The back cover is also a Rubik's Cube goes green campaign ad. I created this image in Photoshop by merging a few elements together to create the completed look. This is the last ad for this campaign, as the spring months will bring in a fresh new campaign.

Jan. Issue of Eco World

For the January issue of Eco World, I picked an image I took and manipulated it in Photoshop to convert it from full color to black and white. I then added the logo and bar code elements. I then decided what "stories" were going to be featured in my magazine and decided to use white, blue, and green for the display font on the front cover.
For the table of contents, I decided to keep my layout very clean and simple. I used Illustrator to create the table of contents. I stayed within my logo's color scheme to keep the colors consistent through out the magazine. I used the element of a simple snow flake which I dropped the opacity, for the background images in the design. I decided to use Helvetica for my body copy, because it is a nice clean font that is easy to read in body copy.
The back cover is just a fun ad that I created in Photoshop by merging a couple elements to the background image. The point of the ad is to find other ways to entertain yourself without the use of energy. This is what would happen if the Rubik's cube created a "green" campagin.

Week 1

During week one, we did the usual first week routine with the introductions and going over the class expectations. This is also where our first assignment was introduced. We are going to create a logo for a magazine publication of our choice and from there we were instructed to begin working on a design standards work sheet. The work sheet contains a complete color study of the logo as well as all fonts that will be used in our publications with the specs of the typography usage.
We also were assigned to create 2 magazine covers 2 magazine backs and 2 table of contents. The magazine project was to be over the months of January and February. I used my own stock photography for these designs.
Since I am passionate about our environment, I decided to create a magazine for those who share the same passion. Creating the name for the magazine was a challenge because I wanted something that was serious but I wanted a name that I could use to create a word mark for the logo. So, I can up with Eco World and decided to turn the "o" in eco into a world. I picked the common color pallet of green and blues because I felt it best gave my audience the sense of "environment". It took me a while to find a font that fit the part of this logo. I wanted a sans serif font for the clean lines and something that was nice and curvy. I chose a font called "Amerkia Sans". I adjusted the tracking enough to make the "R" and "L" touch because there was too much space between the letters and I wanted to show unity within the logo.