Introduction To The Graphic Arts GRA217.3a

Desmond wrap up

2010-05-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

On our first day of graphics, I sat down in my chair and said "oh god, I can't wait for summer." And throughout the entire semester I repeated that phrase on a weekly basis, but now that it's over I feel kind of sad. The thing is, I've gained so much real and useful knowledge in only four months, I wonder how much more I could learn if it lasted just a little bit longer. This class has changed the way I see design, it's taught me fundamentals that logically make sense, but I would never have known without being taught. The best part is now that it's over I have a collection of work, that I created, and I'm proud of each piece, despite how much I struggled over them. In high school I did well in every class, with one exception, I failed art. So for me, designing and creating things that are aesthetically appealing was an awesome and NEW experience. I feel like I've learned a ton of new tools that I'll use for the rest of my life, as well as new ideas about structure and color, functionality, not to mention time management and how to survive without actually sleeping. The downside is I'll never be able to make a pamphlet for some silly project without analyzing my choice of font- and even if I do decide on one, ill probably always want to email Hedges to make sure its the best choice. Graphics was an awesome experience and I'm happy I spent over 10 hours of my life sitting outside waiting for office hours.

Hollis_ Wrap Up Post

2010-05-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

This year flew by. When Hedges said that we would be done before we knew it, I did not believe him. I kept looking at the amount of projects that we needed to do and felt that it would never end. I had never used InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc. and was terrified that I would never get the hang of them. I had talked to some of my friends who had taken graphics the previous semester and they said that I would be spending night after night in the computer labs getting projects done. They made it sound like it would be horrible. Well guess what ... they were wrong. I really enjoyed this class and quickly got the hang of the programs. They were right about the time commitment but I found the projects fun. I had a hard time with the poster project because I did not have a lot of time to go to the office hours and then I realized that I just need to make the time.

I found myself critiquing posters and magazines and signs that I saw on a daily basis. I learned a lot about what is considered visually appealing and I came to appreciate the hard work that graphic designers go through in order to get to the pristine final project. The projects started to become easier. Yes I spent many nights in the computer labs, especially after I lost the beginning of my interface project when my flash ejected itself, but that was the only bad experience that I had the whole semester. I can now distinguish specific typographies and feel out the mood that is trying to be portrayed.

I know that the skills I have learned will come in handy as I continue into the workforce and throughout my future. I hope to design another logo for myself and use it when I can. I also enjoyed the class discussions and would talk to my other friends about the stuff I learned and got them interested in graphics as well. If I have time in my busy schedule, I hope to take another graphics class. This class helped me become a more creative person and I can now put together colors and type on posters, magazines and websites and make it look good. My grades only improved and so did my understanding of graphics. I feel very lucky that I had Greg Hedges as my professor because he made the class very interesting and fun. He will be greatly missed. Thanks for everything!

Wrap-Up Post! :)

2010-05-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

Graphics 217/218 has been interesting. I would have never thought that I would have learned so much about design and how to use the adobe programs in a span of 15 weeks. I love to create, so I enjoyed this course. However, I would not suggest taking this course along with NEWs 305, it was a challenge. However, I appreciate the awesome resume and the skills that I have developed throughout the year that will indeed help me in my future (I'm actually going to design my own birthday invitations, in InDesign!) I will forever see Helvetica everywhere I go! :) Everyone have an awesome Summer!!!

Reflection Post

2010-05-06T11:52:00.001-07:00

Graphics has been one of my most challenging, most fulfilling, most fun courses of my college career. When I first registered for GRA 217, I was terrified. I spoke to all the mag majors I knew. Graphics is going to be the death of me, I would say. I'm a horrible artist, I would say. I'm never going to have the time to complete all of the projects, I would complain. But by the first week in Professor Hedges' class, I knew my experience would be different than I anticipated.

I loved the class discussions. I never knew how typeface itself had its own "language" its own personality. It was amazing to see just how we are apart of this graphic design culture whether we realize it or not and how it has become the 21st century art movement in a way.

As far as our own projects go, I suprised myself. I discovered my hidden passion for graphic design! Even though at times I was making time out of no time to finish my projects, I didn't mind because I genuinely enjoyed being creative and expressing myself in a new way other than writing. This summer, I'll be interning at 6ABC in Philadelphia again. There is no doubt taht the skills that have learned this semester will definitely help me this summer.

This class has been a chance for me to discover a side of media that I knew very little about and to finally be able to happily join in the conversation about graphic design.

Last post! :(

2010-05-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

I came into this class with a lot of hesitation. I was so worried I as going to fail because I never consider my self as a very creative person. Even though I am an advertising major, I knew from the start I was going to major in the business side of advertising. However, I am very happy to say that I have proofed myself wrong. I have learned many things in this class like how to use InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. However, the most important one is that I should not put boundaries on my self, and I should always experiment a little. I believe this class is definitely one of the most time consuming classes I have taken so far. Nevertheless, I have to admit that the time on the labs did not seem like punishment for one second. I have truly enjoyed every single project and it has made me want to secretly be a graphic design major. I am so interested I continuing to explore more about this field. That’s why I enrolled in Portfolio I for next semester, and depending on how things go, I might consider majoring in the creative side of advertising.

Reflection Post

2010-05-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe this semester is over! It has gone by so fast and the semester as a whole seems like a blur. Before my first day of graphics class I was very nervous going into it. I had heard that the class was very time consuming and you really had to work to receive an A. The first resume project seemed easy at first but once I started working on InDesign I was so confused. Everyone said that the resume project would be the easiest and it scared me. Once I was done with the project i was relieved. Since that project has been completed I have used my resume for different opportunities and have received many compliments.

The poster project let me work on something that i was very interested in. I was able to create a fun, creative poster for my sororities philanthropy. I showed the poster to our philanthropy chair and they will be using it next year for our annual pancake breakfast.

Learning InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop has been so beneficial for me. Although each of the programs frustrated me at first ( especially Photoshop) I can say that i can now navigate through each of them. During my interviews for my internships everyone was very impressed that I knew how to use ever program.

Overall, I think that taking graphics was very beneficial. All the time spent in the labs and office hours has let me have a skill I know i will be using in the future!

Last Post

2010-05-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

This past semester has been a real learning experience for me both in and outside the classroom. Through this course I learned a lot about the art of graphics and also about myself. Through graphics I learned thinks about me that I didn't knew before. I was able to transform assignments such as the resume and use font and art in order to create something that represented myself. This was very similar with the logo project. I made used a red dress in order to express that my favorite color is red and that I am into fashion.

I got a lot of compliments on my resume. I used it for interviews that I had over spring break and got a lot of positive feedback and a few internship opportunities.

Learning Indesign was extremely helpful. There were many times throughout the semester where I had projects in other classes that I needed to make posters for or do other things that indesign helped me with. Indesign might not have been necessary for the project but it definitely helped me get that better grade because indesign helped make the project better.

The magazine was an eye opening experience for me. Though it was extremely frustrating and it was my least favorite experience. I realize how difficult it was to put together a legitimate magazine. Because I want to go into the fashion industry I think that appreciating how difficult and time consuming it is to put together a magazine is a very good skill that one should have.

Over all I believe that I learned a lot from this course.

Not a Period, But an Ellipsis...

2010-05-05T07:25:00.001-07:00

So this past semester I found myself becoming an art kid again, and my love affair with CS rekindled in ways I could have never imagined. My resume has wowed people far and wide, and it's nice to finally have one that doesn't rely on MS Word. My poster project taught me what was possible with the pen tool, and I continued what I learned from that to put towards what I drew up for RJD2's Mayfest gig poster. The logo project finally forced me to think smaller and more succinct, something that I always state as a goal but rarely follow through on. The magazine was the exact opposite and called a tall order to pull no punches with layout intricacies. Text wraps and bounding boxes were now my new friends. I'm really glad we got to foray into the world of web design. Design removed from the paper is something I've always wanted to do, and having learned the approach to do so will help me in my coding class in the fall. After having the taste of the full CS4 after years with a pirated Photoshop CS3, I convinced myself that I was ready again to get all nit-picky about my work by expanding my ability in this class and signing up for another design class in the fall. Most important of all though were the building blocks of design I learned. I will never again be able to view design devoid of grids or kerning. It's already manifested itself during a portfolio review I attended, where I complimented the reviewer's business card for using Gill Sans. Once you speak the language, you're ready to talk on level with a whole new class of people. So I'll continue to work on becoming fluent in it. At this point in time though, this semester was an important first step.

GRA 217.3 Reflection Post

2010-05-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

I have gained a tremendous amount from this course, but it has not come easy. It took me quite awhile to get into the flow of things, and the delay showed initially in my work. I do feel as though I have come a long way, however, and can say I am relatively content with how my most recent projects turned out.

One of the traits I take away from this class is the idea of consistency in one's work. The magazine project definitely helped drill this concept into my head, particularly regarding the emphasis on re-using a color/concept from a feature spread in the ensuing jump spread. The interface project added to the concept of consistency via the importance of consistency in one's navigation bar.

Another key element learned was simplicity. So often early in the semester I tried to crowd my projects with sophisticated elements, but had no reason or specific motive for doing so, rendering the elements irrelevant to the poster's success or failure. Once we started learning about negative space, I realized how important it was to keep messages and designs simple. The logo project was instrumental in teaching me about negative space.

Overall, I still have a long ways to go before I can consider myself graphics-functional. I did learn throughout the semester, however, that the amount of time put into graphics is directly proportional to the quality of work one is able to produce as a result. My higher grades came from finding ways to spend more time working on my graphics projects, I just wish I had more time in my schedule to have dedicated to the class.

wrappin' it up.

2010-05-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

woooosah. One, I can't believe this semester is (finally?) coming to an end, and two, that I got through this class with my sanity still intact. I had heard from previous Newhouse graphics class takers that I was in for a lot of late nights in the computer lab, but of course being how I am, thought they were just being dramatic. Boy was I wrong. One thing that they all did recommend was getting Hedges as a teacher, which has been one of my better decisions this semester.

I can hands down say this has been my favorite and not to mention most beneficial class I have taken at Syracuse thus far. I have always been pretty tech-savvy and curious about different applications so learning the ins and outs of indesign, illustrator and photoshop is something that I will use and take along with me for the remainder of my college years and career.

This class brought out my creative side that I had sworn was non-existent (I mean, I still draw stick figures). and although I loathed the class during the frustrating process of picking the right fonts/pictures/colors/layouts/spacing, etc. the end result was always well worth the blood sweat and tears. I thoroughly enjoyed graphics and hope to take more in the near future.

wrap up post

2010-05-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Coming into this class, I had a definite creative eye and appreciation for design, yet was completely clueless on how to execute it. I am grandma with anything technological and Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign were like foreign languages to me. I also had little knowledge of how things like color, type, and style can effect the design. Going into the first project, I was extremely lost. It took me forever to convey the vision I had for my resume to actually become a reality. It made for a long, tiring, frustrating night right before the project was due. But, I ended up completing it and learned a lot that would carry on throughout the course. As the weeks passed, and the projects progressed, I found myself making large strides. I got to know the basics of the computer programs and the planning behind design. Since I want to work in the advertising industry, this course provided me with important knowledge about the field that I was lacking. I’ve always wanted to be the one making the creative pitches and ideas, and by knowing how to execute them myself, I have more of an appreciation for the overall ideas. Taking GRA 217 was extremely helpful.

Semester Wrapup?!

2010-05-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Ahh, where did the semester go? It's hard to believe that we're at the end. It doesn't really seem as though we've completed five projects, just because of how time has flown by. I've learned a lot in graphics, and I'm finding that I'm noticing more things, as they relate to graphics and general design, in my everyday life. It's almost something I can't stop from doing now; I was at the mall a few weeks ago, and when I realized I was mentally critiquing the kerning on a sign...I knew something was up.

Although I was really nervous going into graphics, having heard about the time I would have to put in, the effort and even a horror story about a girl sobbing in the labs, I have to say, I really enjoyed this class. I feel as though I've learned a lot, and it's something that will be useful to me later, but more than anything, I've had a lot of fun in graphics. I feel like I've grown a lot since the semester began, and if someone had told me before that I'd be designing magazines and websites, I would have laughed in their face. Thank you, graphics! :)

Semester Wrap-Up

2010-05-04T09:29:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that the semester has come to an end. It seems like yesterday I sat down at the computer to start my resume completely clueless as to what I was supposed to be doing. Now, 15 weeks later, and still a little clueless, I can't believe I made it through this class.

I was never a fan of the late nights and cramming to finish a project. The feeling of your heart dropping when your computer freezes and you lose everything you were just working on. Going to office hours thinking you have a great start and seeing mistake after mistake being pointed out.

From the start I knew this class was going to be a struggle for me, I am not a person who is very good with computers to begin with, especially when it comes to things like graphics. However, I did learn a lot and I now have a new appreciation for fonts and posters that I see around campus. Sometimes when I look at the projects I have done I can't believe that I did them. I almost underestimated myself at the beginning of this class, and although I am no where near a professional graphic artist, I did much better than I thought I could do.

Although I was dreading this class, and dreading completing all of the projects, I enjoyed it and learned things that were completely new to me, and also learned skills that I can continue to use throughout my undergrad career as well as my future career.

Semester Wrap Up!

2010-05-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

It's crazy that it's already the end of the semester! I feel like I was just getting back from a winter vacation spent with all of my crazy family back home, and have spent the last 15 weeks on hyperspeed trying to get everything done. Coming into this semester I was exctied and nervous to take this class, I had never worked any of the Adobe programs and hadn't taken an art class since 8th grade! I had always loved to design, decorate, scrapbook and just make crafts and when I figured out that graphics was just like an electronic version of these the nervousness went away.

Before this class I had always loved to collect and look at design, but I guess never really understood the details and components to good design, until now. After this semester it's like I can't look at a magazine, poster, or logo without analyzing it. I find myself thinking about why they chose the font they did and what I would have done differently. The projects that we did this semester proved to be pain stakingly long, in particular at times when it took me half an hour to figure out how to draw a line, but like everyone else I got through it. They were a good way to learn the programs, and i'm excited to try them out myself and learn them beyond the basics. I think that my favorite project was the logo design and stationary assignment, it was fun to try and make something that represented me and incorporate in many different mediums.

This class has definetly been one of the most beneficial so far and I wish there were more in my requirements. As an advertising major this class has been so helpful in introducing me to the elements of graphic design, typography and the key to effective communication visually. Coming out of it my knowlegde and skills for design are so much improved it's redic, haha but seriously thanks for everything Greg and John! I'll miss the class and am exctied to use what I learned in many projects to come.

Reflection

2010-05-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

Throughout GRA 217 I learned a lot about graphic design and typography, but what was really beneficial to me was rediscovering my love for design and allowing myself to be creative. I feel that I have spent college writing papers and reading textbooks that I forgot how much I loved to be artistic and create new things. By being in this class I felt like I understood more about myself in that I enjoy designing more than I do writing and definitely want to go into website or magazine design in the future. When I came into this class I was expecting to really like it because I've always been more of a visual person, but what surprised me was how fast I (and the class) was able to pick up InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. It is really important in the magazine industry to have knowledge of these softwares so using them throughout the semester will be very beneficial in future jobs/internships. What I learned/discovered while apart of this class, however, would be my own design aesthetic. Minimalism, black and white, and hints of color have turned out to be what I like designing the most and have incorporated into all of my projects. The idea that less is more will really stay with me.

Hayley's Graphics Wrap Up

2010-04-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

Taking graphics this past semester has been completely enjoyable and extremely beneficial to me. Before this semester started, I was a bit nervous to start this class because my friends who took it previously had been living in the labs, and constantly doing work for it, which made me a little bit anxious. I have always enjoyed creating logos, designs, and playing on computer programs like Illustrator, I took Ad design in high school and a summer class at the Fashion Institute of Technology to learn how to do magazine layouts and computer design, so I knew I would enjoy graphics. I loved being able to learn more about these programs, and I know in my future in the communications industry I will definitely use things I learned from graphics. This class has given me more tips and tricks that I will take with me as I progress through the rest of my college career, and after. I would like to take more graphics classes in Newhouse, as well as learn more about the programs and continue making things on the computer. Although this class did cause me stress, the hard work was worth it and truly has shown me a new side of communications and design I never thought I could enjoy so much. I am thankful for the late nights, lectures, and office hours for providing me with knowledge and experience I would have not had the opportunity to learn anywhere else.

behre_reflection

2010-04-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Gra 217 was a lot of work and often tedious, but i loved it. I loved creating something from nothing and learning what typefaces means and what they could represent. It made me realize how much effort goes into making posters, magazines, etc because before this class i thought it was just thrown together (i didn't know typefaces mean certain things etc). This class was ughhhh and i hated doing the projects because they were time consuming. But I loved the end product. I loved creating something. It felt so nice. Overall, i thoroughly enjoyed the class and learned alot

Old-School Scandinavian Logos

2010-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

These Scandinavian logos from the 60s and 70s caught my eye recently on logodesignlove.com. The first one, representing Kallemo, is intriguing due to its simplicity. The big, block-style font is not as prevalent as it is today, and the K's color contrasts nicely with the lighter background. The logo does a good job at using blank space to fill the K while creating more open space for the audience's viewing.

The second logo, which includes the initials of J.O. Carlsson, uses a whole mix of strokes and lettering. The C being bold allows it to stand out more, which is presumably done to emphasize the last name, Carlsson. This contrasts nicely with the other letters, which are much lighter. The intersecting lines on the J and O form a nice new pattern. The fact that they are placed in different directions also adds to the contrast. The lack of color gives the logo a more traditional feeling.

Connecticut College Camel Change

2010-04-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, Connecticut College hired Rickabaugh Graphics to redesign the camel and "strengthen the school's overall athletic identity, including the varsity letter". The blog post on Brand New makes fun of the previous camel's goofy smile and proportions. Currently, the camel has a fierce facial expression, like it is ready to win. The camel did not have the strong look that the college was wanting. Rickbaugh Graphics wanted to change the logo to be horizontal instead of vertical and have the camel appear to be in motion. The color also changed to be a darker navy instead of a royal blue. The unification of the logo and image was the goal, and I personally feel like this goal was accomplished. It is so much more visually appealing than the older logo, which was ten years old. The Connecticut College Camels have a 28 team athletic department and finally realized that since it was representing so many, the logo needed some revamping, The blog also said "Granted, the old camel probably surprised in its doofusness, but at least it was a happy camel", this quote made me laugh! I like this change and I feel that the CC and "Connecticut College Camels" needed to be attached to the picture in some way. I also think that this new logo will look so much better on school apparel and merchandise.

SUNY Logo

2010-04-22T11:52:00.001-07:00

The State University of New York recently redesigned their logo and identity. As opposed to the old logo that felt more scholarly and traditional, the new logo is trying to be innovative and forward thinking, but I personally believe it fails miserably. I can see where the concept of using a marble would seem cool and they probably thought of it to symbolize thinking into the future (educational establishments always feel a need to express how they are concerned with the future). However, when your average person sees this logo for SUNY schools it doesn't immediately symbolize anything. It is just a marble. And when a person thinks of a marble, especially in water colors, usually education would not be something that you would relate it to. The logo reminds me of something that is related to a company that sells water. I think what SUNY failed to recognize is that while they tried to be fresh and new, they ended up being boring and old. They basically just stuck "SUNY" in the center of a marble. The only thing I like about this new logo is the hierarchy of the "SU" in regular font and the "NY in bold.

Also, throughout class we have

learned about how logos are suppose to function in many different ways because they are used differently whether online, in print, on paper, etc. The logo should still function if it is black and white or one color and the new SUNY logo does not work at all if used in only one color. I think this is a major design flaw in the new logo.

Sports brand logos shows movement

2010-04-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

on logo design love, there is a recent post about sports logo designs. Without even reading the article I realized a common trend. Sports brand logos all use movement in their logos.
The nike "swoosh" represents movement and speed. The 3 lines in the adidas logo shows movement as well. The lines look like the lines on a track to me.
The asics logo has an A. the a looks like a circular track to me. I never thought about all the thought that goes into logos. If the Nike logo was just a block no one would get it. There would be no reason to buy nike running shoes if the brand doesn't show that their shoes move! I never realized how many subliminal messages go through graphics!

GLAAD Logo Change

2010-04-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

The organization, GLAAD or Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is said to, "amplify the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively.” As our society is transforming and people are becoming more accepted by the day, GLAAD needed a more effective and empowering logo. They played off the word amplify and created a logo that looks like sound is coming out of the end. The lines that look like sound waves emphasize how GLAAD is becoming louder and more powerful, and speaking up for their rights. I think this new logo is powerful and has a lot of meaning. It truly looks like the words are screaming right off the page, telling people it is okay to speak up. Also, on their site and other places you see the organization's logo, they use the logo in many different colors. They also created a GLAAD logo spectrum using the logo in different colors to create different meanings and symbols. I think this logo was a great change and is incredibly strong.

GLAAD old & new logo

GLAAD Color Spectrum

Using the logo in variety

Magazine Project

2010-04-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Emily Barker

Magazine Project

4/14/10

Magazine Identity and Readership

I designed a spread for Fashionably Late, a brand-new fashion magazine (which is evident by the title), which will be similar to Vogue. It will attract high-end customers with an interest in fashion. Fashionably Late readers are often cultured and sophisticated and expect the magazine content to reflect that. I tried to design my magazine based on these expectations.

Magazine visual identity

I wanted to create a sophisticated, simple spread that my readers are accustomed to, yet do it with a twist so it just wasn’t the same-old fashion spread. I started with my feature image, and worked my design around that. Since the typewriter image is iconic, I based much of my design around that.

Article visual identity

The original Vogue article focused on Tina Fey’s rise to fashion. To reflect this, I made the article simple, yet sophisticated and visually appealing, similar to fashion. For my sidebar, I followed Fey’s fashion transformation by showing pictures of her on the Red Carpet. To reiterate the Red Carpet theme, I made the sidebar red. To further tie in the themes of fashion and typewriters, I incorporated the headline that Fey “gets fashion write”.

Article design identity

I started with my feature image, and worked my design around that. I incorporated elements of the typewriter throughout. My feature spread headline and pull quotes were set in a typewriter font. I used surrounded portions of the headline and the drop caps by white rounded boxes to simulate the actual typewriter keys. I pulled in the red, black, and white colors of the feature image and used them throughout.

Style sheet

Feature spread:

“Tina Fey”: American typewriter, bold, 56/67.2, metrics kerning, no tracking

“Gets” American typewriter, 66/79.4 metrics kerning, no tracking

“Fashion” 48/57.6 metrics kerning, no tracking

“Write” 67.2/80.6 metrics kerning, no tracking

feature content Cochin, 16/19.2, metrics kerning, no tracking

Select feature content Cochin, bold, 16/19.2, metrics kerning, no tracking

Jump Spread:

Drop Cap: American typewriter, bold, 56/67.2, metrics kerning, no tracking

Body headings: Cochin, 11/13.2 metrics kerning, no tracking

Body text: Cochin, 9.5/11.4 metrics kerning, no tracking

Pull quote: American typewriter, bold, 18/21.6, metrics kerning, no tracking

Sidebar:

“Tina’s Red Carpet” American typewriter, bold, 14/16.8, metrics kerning, no tracking

“Transformation” American typewriter, bold, 16/19.2, tracking 310, 6 degree angle

Caption titles: ITC Advant Garde Gothic ITC, bold, 9/10.8, metrics kerning, no tracking

Captions: ITC Advant Garde Gothic ITC, book, 9/10.8, metrics kerning, no tracking

Photo credits: ITC Advant Garde Gothic ITC, book, 7.8/9.3, metrics kerning, no tracking

Sources:

Feature http://www.tinafeyfan.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=55

Jump http://tina-fey.org/photos/thumbnails.php?album=299

Sidebar http://tina-fey.org/photos/thumbnails.php?album=272

http://tina-fey.org/photos/thumbnails.php?album=119

http://tina-fey.org/photos/thumbnails.php?album=76

Pelc - Magazine

2010-04-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Magazine Identity & Readership

The name of my magazine is Beat Ambassador. It covers hip hop and electronic music, hence “beat.” Its primary focus is to act as a messenger between artists of these genres and their listeners, hence “ambassador.” The intended readership of this magazine is anyone interested in hip hop or electronic music, regardless of background. That’s another reason I picked the word “ambassador:” to convey that the magazine brings information about this music to all types of people.

Magazine Visual Identity

I would like the magazine to express an appreciation for music in general, but more specifically hip hop and electronic. The tone should be serious and fun at the same time. It should take itself seriously and report on the subject matter professionally and accurately, but still maintain a fun aspect that comes inherently with music.

Article Visual Identity

My article is about three members of The Wu-Tang Clan, a hip hop group formed in the early 90s in New York City. Their music can be gritty, and even though they became successful artists they never changed their identities as being from the streets. So I definitely want to convey an urban tone. The group also has a light-hearted side too though, so I don’t want this article to be too rough of edgy.

Article Design Strategy

The Wu-Tang Clan has such a strong and unique identity already that I wanted to make sure I utilized it in some way. The two main ways I did this were using the “W” that’s found all over Wu-Tang albums and merchandise, and the yellow color that the “W” usually appears in. On the feature spread, I made sure to put the faces of the three members the article is focusing on in the “W,” Raekwon, Method Man, and Ghostface Killah. I put a black and white image of a street from Staten Island in the background to help give the urban tone, and because most of the members of the clan are from Staten Island and are always stressing their roots. I also wanted the title of the article to be in an urban-looking font, so I chose one that reminded me of graffiti. The jump spread continues this identity be using the yellow color as well. I kept the urban font for the title of the sidebar, the drop cap, and the quotes in the pull quote. I only used black, white, and yellow (besides the photographs and album covers) because those were the only colors I used on the feature spread.

Style Sheet

Feature Spread Headline (“Protect”): Copal Std solid, 106.703/128.044, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Feature Spread Headline (“Ya”): Copal Std solid, 144.396/173.275, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Feature Spread Headline (“Neck”): Copal Std solid, 142.095/128.044, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Feature Spread Deck: Folio Std medium, 16/19.2, metrics kerning, tracking 0

By Line: Montara gothic, 20/24, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Jump Spread Pull Quote: Montara gothic, 19.711/23.654, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Sidebar Title (“Wu-Tang”): Copal Std solid, 38.36/47.232, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Sidebar Title (“Forever”): Copal Std solid, 44.167/53, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Jump Spread Drop Cap: Copal Std solid, 9/10.8, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Photo Caption: Folio Std medium, 8/9.6, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Sidebar Body and Captions: Folio Std medium, 8.5/10.2, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Jump Spread Body: Minion Pro regular, 9.5/11.4, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Folio: Eurostile LT Std medium, 7.5/9, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Photo Credit: Eurostile LT Std medium, 5/6, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Grid

I chose to have three text columns on each page because I thought it nicely broke up the article into readable lengths. On the second page of my jump spread, the column size also fits well with the size I wanted to have the album cover. I chose the margins I did because I thought it allowed a suitable amount of space for the text, not too open or too constricted.

suarez's magazine

2010-04-16T12:56:00.001-07:00

Magazine Identity & Readership

I designed a magazine intended to appeal college girls from 18 to 23 year olds. It’s designed to be fun and sophisticated at once. The magazine would have entertaining articles about the consumer’s likes and interests. It will also contain information concerning their college life in a more serious perspective, like obtaining job internships.

Magazine visual Identity

I believe that by using fun colors, but also elegant fonts, the magazine portraits it’s mature design. I also wanted the magazine to be very organized and clean, to support the elegant aspect of it. In addition, I wanted to create a magazine that would be filled with pictures and would be very easy to read while you are at the gym.

Article visual Identity

The article talks about Lady Gaga’s romances and refers to her as a really influential woman. I used a script font in the title of the jump spread because I believe it gives a sense of romance. I also used very outrageous pictures of Lady Gaga, where she is portrayed as very powerful in order to illustrate her influence in the public.

Article design Strategy

I decided to design a very bold article, since it’s about Lady Gaga (a very audacious artist), but at the same time I want it to look classy and clean, since that’s the overall design of the magazine. The picture used for the feature spread is very striking and intense. It definitely makes a statement about who is lady Gaga and her place in this world. However, the font used, Snell Roundhand LT Std, gives it a softer look, making it look very classy. I used that same typeface in the title of the Sidebars and the drop-caps, in order to maintain cohesiveness throughout the article and to give it an elegant look. In order to keep maintaining cohesiveness, I used the typeface, Cerigo Std, on the opening deck as well as the pull quote. I also used Helvetica in the body of the sidebar, as well as the page numbers.

Style Sheet

Cover Headline: Kolo LP Std Narrow, 92/110.4 kerning and tracking 0.

Opening Spread Headline:

G: Snell Roundhand LT Std Script, 250/ 300, kerning and tracking 0.

aga: Snell Roundhand LT Std Script, 140/72, kerning and tracking 0.

O: Snell Roundhand LT Std Script, 130/156 kerning and tracking 0.

Hh la la: Snell Roundhand LT Std Script, 60/72, kerning and tracking 0.

Opening Spread Deck: ITC Cerigo Std Bold, 15/18, kerning and tracking 0.

Opening Spread Credit: ITC Cerigo Std Medium Italic, 13/15.6, kerning and tracking 0.

Jump Spread Body Text: ITC Berkeley Oldstyle Std Book, 9.5/11.14, kerning and tracking 0.

Jump Spread Pull Quote 1: ITC Cerigo Std Medium, 24/28.8, kerning and tracking 0.

Jump Spread Pull Quote 2: ITC Cerigo Std Medium, 22/26.4, kerning and tracking 0.

Jump Spread Drop-cap: Snell Roundhand LT Std Bold, kerning and tracking 0.

Sidebar Headline: Snell Roundhand LT Std Script, 36/43.2, kerning and tracking 0.

Sidebar body: Helvetica regular, 9/10.8, kerning and tracking 0.

Document Grid

I believe that two column articles look cleaner than tree column ones. Because I wanted to give the magazine a clean feel, it only made sense to use two columns in my article. I decided to have a grid of only four columns, instead of 6 or 8, because with four you have less flexibility and I wanted to maintain the article as organized as possible.

Sources

Cover Picture: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/lady-gaga/images/10262854/title/lady-gaga-parlour-magazine-full-set-2

Cover barcode: http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/lesson-cracking-the-code/

Opening Spread Picture: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/lady-gaga/images/10262863/title/lady-gaga-parlour-magazine-full-set-2

Jump Spread Picture #1: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/lady-gaga/images/10262939/title/lady-gaga-parlour-magazine-full-set-3-2009

Jump Spread Picture #2: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/lady-gaga/images/10262877/title/lady-gaga-parlour-magazine-full-set-2

Jump Spread Picture #3: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/lady-gaga/images/10262951/title/lady-gaga-parlour-magazine-full-set-3-2009

Sidebar Picture #1: http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00970/Lady_Gaga_970898a.jpg

Sidebar Picture #2: http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/2009/09/15/90718752.jpg

Sidebar Picture #3: http://blog.mtvasia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/90714996.jpg

Sidebar Picture #4: http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/7/4/3/1/The_Brit_Awards_2173.jpg

Extras

I used purple and gold in my color scheme. I chose these colors because there are found in the photo shoot of Lady Gaga. Therefore, they complement the pictures very well. For the cover I used pink as the accent color because I wanted to differentiate it from the article.

Behre Magazine

2010-04-16T11:40:00.001-07:00

Haley Behre
Project: Magazine
4/12/10

Rationale

Magazine Identity and readership:

The magazine I wanted to create would be for feminists, or anyone who likes to challenge norms and read about the real issues facing America and the world. Those issues are the racial, sexual, class, etc. disparities that are often silenced. My magazine is aimed towards them or anyone who wants to read something out of the box.

Magazine Visual Identity:

I designed my magazine to adhere to my readership. I wanted to choose images that questioned the norms (hence the front cover). Using the scissors near the vagina I wanted the reader to feel like the magazine was questioning its authority and stereotypes (everything it embodies). I wanted the reader to understand from the get-go that my magazine is to tear apart (figuratively) all the social constructions the vagina entails. That goes with the large image for my piece as well. The face of the Asian woman bandaged in stamps is powerful and adheres to the message I am trying to convey.

Article Visual identity

I wanted to show the reader how powerful this piece is and the realities of its implications. The visual (the large Asian woman’s face) draws in the reader to question…why does she have stamps across her face? The title draws the reader in further by saying it is her (the woman) who is fragile. She is being shipped. Finally, the reader reads the deck head and ties together the title and picture- both of which are strong messages.

Style sheet

Re: Banshee Std, 110/132; optical kerning; tracking- 0
Birth: ITC clearface Std black; 110/132; optical kerning; tracking-0
Front page captions: ITC clearface Std heavy; 20/24; optical kerning; tracking-0
“Caution Contents are Fragile:” ITC Clearface Std Heavy; 32/38.4; optical
kerning; tracking-0
Spring 2010: Helvetica Neue; 12/14.4; optical kerning; tracking-100
Page #s: ITC clearface Std Italic; 8/9.6; optical kerning; tracking-0
Body text- ITC Cheltenham Std book; 9/14; optical kerning; tracking-0
“South Korea….”: Helvetica; 18/21.6; optical kerning; tracking-0
“Many parents…”: Helvetica; 17/20.4; optical kerning; tracking-0
Fragile: Helvetica Neue; 145/171; optical kerning; tracking-0
Caution: Helvetica Neue; 55/66; optical kerning; tracking-0
Contents are: Helvetica Neue; 18/21.6; optical kerning; tracking-0
By: ___: Helvetica Neue medium; 11/13.2; optical kerning; tracking-0
Deck head: Helvetica regular; 16/19.2; optical kerning; tracking- 0
Scarcity of Women: Helvetica bold; 16/19.2; optical kerning; tracking-0
Mail Order Brides: Helvetica oblique; 16/19.2; optical kerning; tracking-0
desired: Helvetica bold oblique; 16/19.2; optical kerning; tracking- 0
Graph:
Countries/ numbers: Myriad Pro; 12
Birthrate: Myriad Pro Heavy; 25
Births/1000 population: Myriad Pro bold; 20
Side text: Myriad Pro regular; 12
Title of graph: Myriad Pro Bold; 21

Document Grid

I chose 3 columns, all of which are equal width. I chose this because I believe 2 columns does not look good and looks to simple. I prefer 3 columns because it is concise. I also chose small margins (2p5) in order to utilize more space. I also wanted some white space so that it did not look too cluttered.

Sources

http://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?v=25 - information for graph

http://filipinaimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/roger-pe-anti-mail-order-bride-stamp-ad.jpg - big image on page 2

http://www.oberholtzer-creative.com/visualculture/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/lourdes-zolezzi.jpg - front page picture (woman’s body)

http://www.charlotteleonard.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/4e6c7_16-02-13.jpg - bride on page 4

desmond Magazine

2010-04-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Magazine identity and readership:

My magazine will be a compilation of human-interest articles about fashion, art, film, music and food and travel. It will be aimed at American women in their mid twenties to mid thirties. Probably women who have recently left school and started their careers. Perhaps anglophiles.

Magazine Visual identity-

I want the magazine and the color choices to reflect a level of sophistication or elegance. I want the reader to be a young professional and feel like when they open the magazine they will get a well-thought, well-written article. I wanted my magazine to be bright and attractive, but not flashy or trashy, like a cosmopolitan style magazine. I wanted to mix classic images, and colors with fresh and youthful colors so that it would speak to young intelligent women.

Article visual identity-

One of my favorite things about Keira Knightley is that she always stars in period films. Which usually allows for a cool story and an awesome wardrobe. So on the cover I wanted to put a big picture of her dressed in her 19^th century garb. In the article it talks about her preference for historical films, so I titled the article “London’s Lady” to play on the use of ‘lady’ as aristocratic title. I wanted the images of the article to give the impression that the feature would focus on her work as an actress. But the article also went into her issues with the British press and unpopularity in Britain, so for the jump spread, the main picture is not from a period movie but I thought it was applicable because she’s looks so sad.

Design Strategy:

I wanted the contextual focus of my article to be on Keira’s work in historical films and also how she struggles with the horrible rumors that circulate about her in London. I chose the dominant image for the front page because she is not only dressed up like a Duchess of the Victorian era but also because she’s surrounded by women to play on the idea of people gossiping about her. For the Text of my feature I wanted to use a color from the image so I originally tried to tie in her lip color, but it ended up being to light and muted. So instead, I decided I would take the accent colors for the project from the second Image I used as the main picture for the jump spread. I wanted the title to be powerful so I used a bold font, but I made lady in a script because I thought it made sense. Inside the jump I incorporated the feature font into my jump quote, my drop cap and above my sidebar is an italicized version of the same font. I made all of them the same color from her lips. To add color to the sidebar I made two lines that are the color of her dress from the same picture.

Hollis Magazine

2010-04-16T10:59:00.001-07:00

Lyndsay Hollis

Magazine Project

4/15/10

Rationale

Magazine Identity & Readership: My magazine, which I titled Insight, is a magazine that is about the lives of celebrities, and the truth that the public would love to know. I titled it Insight because the magazine gives an insight into the daily lives of the most talked about celebrities at the time. Its intended reader ship would most likely be the 18-35 demographic because they tend to be the most interested in celebrity gossip; as you get older you tend to care less and less about the Hollywood world. Many younger girls look up to celebrities for role models and fashion icons, so they could easily pick up this magazine and find out the truth about their favorite singer or actor/actress and not need to worry about reading lies and rumors because the articles are based on interviews and direct quotes. Both men and women would enjoy to read this specific article because currently Gerard Butler is constantly in the lime light, especially with his new movie The Bounty Hunter, and he is a Scottish heartthrob as well as a famous icon with a troubled past.

Magazine Visual Identity: Through my magazine, I wish to convey dependability, because all information is guaranteed to be factual. I also would hope to set the tone of curiosity so the readers would want to find out more about the celebrities and intently read the inside articles. The tone of the magazine is meant to be fresh, stylish, up to date, and contain the “must know” information on celebrities all over the world.

Article Visual Identity: With my specific feature article, I want it to come across as strong and rugged, which I conveyed through the big and bold headlines, because Butler is seen as a manly man, a hard worker, and someone who is not afraid to get down and dirty. I want the magazine to look very clean and organized and not cluttered. I want to convey simplicity, which I did through my neatly arranged layout because reading a chaotic article about the troubled life of a celebrity is enough to handle at one time.

Article Design Strategy: The feature spread is meant to symbolize that Gerard Butler is not as perfect as many may think that he is. It holds the message that he is tough, big and bad which is displayed through the large and bold headline and the thick deck head. I tied in the word “saint” on the back of his jacket with the headline because the article discusses that Butler is troubled and not considered a saint, but rather sometimes a sinner. I felt that this showed irony and would draw people in to read it and figure out why he was “far from a saint.” The grey gradient on the second page of the feature spread is pulled from his grey/black jacket and gives off the feeling of a rebel and is more visually appealing to look at than a plain grey background.

The jump spread has the initial impression of boldness and simplicity. It shows silly pictures of Butler, which expresses his goofy side that is explained throughout the article. I liked how The Ugly Truth photo displays his flirtatious side and also puts emphasis on the word truth because the article is outlining the truth about Butler and his past and current opinions. The blue color theme with the deck head, side bar, and drop caps communicates the message of a “mans world” view, which is exactly what the article is. The top blue line is decorative and ties everything in together to show it is one unit. The feature and jump spreads are also a cohesive unit because they are bold and simple. The Janson text is easy to read and looks very clean. The pull quote describes the many sides of Gerry, which the article and pictures do very well. The message of transformation from a “bad boy” and “rebel” to a successful actor with a foul mouth remains the same throughout the spreads.

Style Sheet:

Feature Spread Headline: “Far from a “: Doric LT Std Bold, 37.096/44.5, optical kerning/tracking: 0 “Saint”: Doric LT STD Bold, 100/120, optical kerning/tracking: 0

Deck Head: Grotesque MT Std Bold, 14/22, optical kerning/tracking: 0

By Line: Grotesque MT Std Bold, 12/14.4, optical kerning/tracking: 0

Jump Spread Body Text: Janson Text LT Std 55 Roman, 9.5/14, optical kerning/tracking: 0

Drop Caps: Doric LT Std Bold, 9.5/14, optical kerning/tracking:0, drop cap size: 5

First Indent: 1p6

Pull Quote: Grotesque MT Std Bold, 12/18, optical kerning/tracking: 0

Side Bar headline: Grotesque MT Std Bold, 16.5/19.8, optical kerning/tracking: 0

Side Bar text/dates: Grotesque MT Std Bold, 10/12, optical kerning/tracking: 0

Photo Captions: Geneva regular, 5/6, optical kerning/tracking: 0

Folios: Grotesque MT Bold, 7.5/9, optical kerning/tracking: 0

Document Grid: In the original article there were only two columns and I felt that if there were three, it would be easier to read and skim through if necessary. My jump spread follows the three-column grid. The Ugly Truth Photo fits in two of the columns and the “shooter” image fits nicely in the far right column. Starting off, my margins were too small, so I changed then back to the default and they seemed to work perfectly. They left just enough room for the folios and the decorative blue line along the top.

Sources:

Feature/Saint: http://www.gbgalsgallery.com/v/shoots/gigler03/4.jpg.html

The Ugly truth: http://www.celebuzz.com/ugly-truth-premieres-g119781i33139121/

P.S. I love you: http://www.celebritywonder.com/mp/2007_P.S.,_I_Love_You/movieposter.jpg

The Ugly Truth movie cover: http://www.celebritywonder.com/mp/2009_The_Ugly_Truth/movieposter.jpg

The Bounty Hunter: http://www.celebritywonder.com/mp/2010_The_Bounty_Hunter/movieposter.jpg

Extras: Use of color described throughout rationale.

Magazine Project

2010-04-16T10:52:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! Here's my magazine project :)

Magazine Identity and Readership

The magazine I designed my spread for is called Mannequin, an edgy kind of grunge fashion magazine. The audience for this magazine is interested in fashion, it’s history, and new emerging styles. It is less uppity than Vogue with the content and focuses more on real life fashion than runway and designer clothing.

Magazine Visual Identity

Visually through my magazine design I hope to convey the open look of a typical fashion magazine that is image and design focused. The magazine is a fusion of the high fashion world and the real world where the readers don’t feel put off by the elite feeling of a Vogue-like magazine.

Article Visual Identity

Through the visual design of my article I hope to convey that denim is something that we do and can almost form a relationship with. You never want to get rid of your favorite trusty pair of jeans, they are your fall back for comfort and style and are always in fashion. Through the images chosen and some pull quotes from the original article I think that the design conveys this message.

Article Design Strategy

I think that the design of my magazine will connect the audience emotionally to denim. The feature spread has a large image that ties the audience into thinking about relationships and love, while also showcasing the visual of jeans. This paired with the title and deck head, made to look somewhat like a tombstone with the fonts Minister STD set using only a stroke, and a script font Savoye LET. It creates visual contrast and layout reinforces the message the article is telling. I carry this timeless emotional feeling throughout the jump spread by using visual images that also focus on jeans and seem to have some kind of emotion of story behind them. The two spreads are also made cohesive through the use of topography with Minister STD for my drop cap, and the same font for my pull quotes as my deck head, and Minister STD and Savoye LET used for the sidebar title.

Style Sheet

Cover Headline

Till: Minister STD Bold, 108.276 /129.932, tracking 100

Death: Minister STD Bold, 93.035/ 111.641, tracking 100

do us part: Savoye LET plain, 140/168

Byline: ITC Stone Serif Medium Italic, 12/14.4

Deck

Boyfriends, seduction, define: ITC Stone Serif Semibold Italic, 14/20

Alexa Chung: ITC Stone Serif Bold Italic, 14/20

White text: ITC Stone Serif Medium, 14/20

Dropcap: Minister STD Bold, 9.5/11.4

Body Copy: Kepler STD Regular, 9/10.8

Folio: Kepler STD Semi Condensed, 10/12, optical kerning

Pull Quote Left Page: ITC Stone Serif Medium Italic, 14/17

Pull Quote Right Page: ITC Stone Serif Semibold Italic, 17/24

Sidebar:

A History: Minister STD book, 39/46.8

Of denim: Savoye LET plain, 56/ 67.2

Dates: Kepler STD Bold, 40/48

Captions: ITC Stone Sans STD medium, 8/9.6

Photo Credits: ITC Stone Sans STD medium, 5/6

Document Grid:

For my layout I used a 9-column grid to go with the 3-column layout. This created more options for my design that was utilized more in my sidebar. I chose to set my margins larger than the defaults to create a more open layout that is associated with typical fashion magazines and used them to work with my visuals, keeping some to the margins and bleeding some off the page.

Sources:

Feature spread image: http://styleandfashion.blogosfere.it/

Jump Spread Legs Image Left Page: www.patricianicolaslondon.blogspot.com

Tattoo Boy Image: www.scoop.co.nz

1700’s, 1950’s and 1980’s Sidebar images: www.colourlovers.com

2000’s sidebar Image: www.invertedalpha.com

Extras:

In my design I chose to prominently use grey-scaled images to create a “timeless” feel. I wanted to incorporate blue into the design also as a prominent color because the topic of denim so I used it as the major color to highlight text on both the feature spread and the jump spread.

Zoe Saldana

2010-04-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

magazine identity & readership

My magazine was created to serve as the go-to source of fashion, beauty, and news for the international woman of color. I seek to represent the black woman from America, to the Dominican Republic, to London, to Gabon. This woman is between the ages of 18-30, English speaking, and is college-educated.

magazine visual identity

Since this is a magazine that speaks to women from around the world, its content and design must be edgy, yet simplistic with bold shapes and a seamless unity of color and visuals. This magazine uses visuals and the manipulation of type to its advantage. Photography is so important because this magazine is essentially connecting women from the four corners of the world who may never meet but what to understand what each other are experiencing.

article visual identity

This article’s visual is soft and feminine.

article design strategy

Zoë Saldana usually plays strong, steadfast women that would represent a lot of the readers of this magazine. However, I wanted to create the illusion of being “let in” to Zoë’s world especially she is speaking primarily about something as dear as her roots and about grappling with discrimination in work environments, an issue that many black women may relate to. Retrieving a series of photos from a shoot made the color scheme flow nicely. The type is feminine, readable, and modern. The tan-ish pink of her skin tone and the blue of her satin dress were the two primary colors used in this design. The headline incorporated both of these colors and were placed together as if pieces of a puzzle. The deck head has words called out to create boldness through dissimilarity. The bold, yet simplistic drop-cap gives a dramatic start to the story. Her downcast eyes on page 4 are looking directly at the text to give the eyes a place to follow. The pull quote directly in the center of the page gives scanners something to focus on as they are then pulled down to the sidebar because of the contrasting color on the page.

style sheet

Opening Spread Headline:

There’s something about: Spartan Lt Std, 32/38.4, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Zoe: Opening Spread Deckhead: Minion Pro caption light, 8.5/10.5, metrics kerning, tracking -10

Feature Spread Deck Head: Kepler Std Regular, 14/26, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Jump Spread Pull Quote: Kepler Std Medium Italic, 14/22, optical kerning, tracking 30

Jump Spread Body Type: Kepler Std, 9.5/11.4, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Sidebar:

Zoë: Spartan Lt Std, 36/43.2, optical kerning, tracking 30

Stuns on the red carpet in 2010: Kepler Std bold, 14.4, metrics kerning, tracking 0

A, B, C, D text Kepler Std, 9/10.8, metrics kerning, tracking 0

document grid

I chose to go with a two-column format because it is more dramatic and more elegant. I created the margins to allow for the room for the elements I added like the blue bar on page four and the sidebar on page 5. I also wanted to make room for the folio while still have large enough margins to fit as much text on two pages and to not make the readers feel like they are getting cheated out of text.

Margins

Top: 6p2

Bottom: 4p7
Inside: 3p3

Outside: 3p6

sources

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8di3fwCAUFg/S6i9yuv2mMI/AAAAAAAAGS0/vR5eDmTrcLA/s1600-h/zoe.jpg

http://image3.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID2218/slideshows/zoe1.jpg

http://image.thehothits.com/300x400/zoe_saldana_oscars_red_carpet_2010_300x400.jpg

http://www.elle.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/sandbox/red-carpet-buzz-zoe-saldana/4092381-2-eng-US/Red-Carpet-Buzz-Zoe-Saldana_articleimage.jpg

http://www.perfectpeople.net/photo-picture-image-media/Zoe-Saldana-2219x3000-900kb-media-2559-media-124204-1193402102.jpg

http://nextround.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/zoe_saldana.jpg

http://tbreak.com/rex/files/uploads/Zoe-Saldaña31.jpg

http://cdn.buzznet.com/media/jj1//2010/01/zoe-critics/zoe-saldana-critics-choice-awards-2010-06.jpg

2010-04-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

Magazine Identity and Relationship: The identity of the magazine is supposed to target real women. “Real women” are supposed to read and view this magazine as a sign that every woman can be beautiful. Using famous women as examples, they too are real, helps to implement the goal of this magazine.

Magazine Visual Identity:

Article Visual Identity: Visually I wanted to convey the contrast between model and mom. That a woman can have a career, be a mom, and also stay in shape and not loose “herself” or her figure.

Article Design Strategy: My design communicates to the audience because it is somewhat simple and uses simple and softer colors. Since the design is targeted more for woman over 25 I believe that they wouldn’t want a magazine that has pictures and bright colors flying all over the place. The blue color that I chose isn’t bright, but it definitely stands out. The white and black contrast with the blue helps it to stand out. The other colors that are in the pictures are much more natural colors and exemplify the “real life” image that my magazine portrays.

Style Sheet:

Opening Spread Headline: Goudy Modern Mt Std Italic, 169/203, optical kerning, tracking 0

Deckhead: Antique olive Std Roman, 13/20, optical kerning, tracking 0

Jump Spread Pull Quote: Times Italic, 22/26, optical kerning, tracking 0

Photo Caption: Antique Olive Std Roman, 8.6/10, optical kerning, tracking 0

Side Bar: Antique Olive Std Roman, 9/10, optical kerning, tracking 0

Text: Times Regular, 9/10.8, optical kerning, tracking 0

Document Grid: I chose 3p5 because I didn’t want the margins to be too small. I like when words are close the edge and colors bleed over. I think that it draws more attention to the photos which helps the reader understand the articles better.

Sources:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.myfashioncents.com/files/2010/01/gisele_pilates.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.myfashioncents.com/category/celebrities/gisele-bundchen-celebrities/&usg=__i3RA2V_5c8UabGC2VRdHcFtgimU=&h=318&w=378&sz=35&hl=en&start=6&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Hz3sGXJvJ4anzM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=122&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgisele%2Bworkout%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://laist.com/attachments/la_zach/Gisele-Bundchen.jpg&imgrefurl=http://laist.com/2008/08/27/supermodel_gisele_bundchen_to_brent.php&usg=__TD9iUU1yVOUOj6-Cx24hADRT0R0=&h=480&w=640&sz=54&hl=en&start=159&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=yVz9n6ipvFYhPM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgisele%26start%3D144%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1

http://blogs.glam.com/glamblush/files/2007/08/gisele-dolce-the-one.jpg

http://www.vogue.com/feature/2010_April_Gisele_Bundchen/

Nerisa's Magazine-Notes

2010-04-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Magazine Identity & Readership
My magazine’s name is Notes and it is based on music, mainly hip hop, R&B and soul. The magazine would contain news about music, related topics concerning upcoming artist, and etc. The demographic of this magazine would be the hip hop generation, music lovers, ages ranging from 18 to 30.

Magazine Visual Identity
My visual identity would be retro but sleek and clean. There would be a music artist featured on the cover every issue and since my magazine would be a subscription magazine, the colors won’t be as vibrant and out there. On the contrary my magazine would have more tone-down, cool, fresh colors.

Article Visual Identity
I intended to convey a very strong individual who is serious about her music and respected all around the world. Sade is known for her sultry music and through my design I wanted to show this.

Article Design Strategy
When the reader first opens my feature story he/she will be immediately drawn to Sade. I chose this picture because it is from the same photo shoot as the original article was and because I wanted to convey a very personal and one on one feel between the reader and Sade. Next, the reader will be drawn to the toned down yellowish greenish color, that matches Sade’s picture but is a lot brighter to illustrate contrast. I chose to use 3 different fonts because I wanted UPCLOSE, to actually feel up close, I wanted AND to be there but not be an important, and I wanted PERSONAL, to match Sade and her tribal looking necklaces by using Blue Island font which also looks tribal. I also chose to separate PERSONAL letter by letter to show that each letter is actually personal, standing by itself, individuals, like Sade. I used a san serif for my deck head because I needed a font that was easy to read at a smaller size and which I could also use in my jump spread. In my jump spread, my drop letters are Blue Island font, my body text is a san serif, and so it my pull-wrote, and tied in the same colors in my jump spread.

Document Grid
I used a three column grid system. I decided to use the default margins because they worked with my design being that I wanted to do a long sidebar along the bottom which took up a lot of space.

Sandra Bullock Magazine Project

2010-04-15T09:47:00.001-07:00

Magazine identity & readership: My magazine is “theSCOOP” its meant for a wide variety of ages. The target age group is 12-40. This magazine is meant for females. theSCOOP is a mix between a tabloid and fashion magazine. I would consider theSCOOP to be very similar to cosmopolitan.

Magazine visual identity: For the jump spread and feature spread I wanted to convey the message that Sandra Bullock was caught off guard. In the midst of her success following her movie The Blindside, Jesse James, Sandra’s husband was caught cheating. I pulled pictures from the Academy Awards in March because they are so current and it shows he couple looking extremely happy. I also added “Hollywood’s crimes of adultery” to show that this is a trend in Hollywood.

Article visual identity: I wanted to convey the “fall from heaven.” Sandra Bullock had everything going for her and then it just crumbled. The pull quote I chose is Sandra recently thanking her husband at an award show. I wanted the article to convey she “never checked her blindside” and truly didn’t see her husbands infidelity coming.

Article design strategy: My design communicates my message starting with the opening spread. Jesse James is staring into the camera as if he’s angry and is mean while Sandra Bullock is looking away from him and smiling. She looks clueless and he looks like he’s hiding something. Sandra is looking into the title, “the Blindside of Love” (the title is a play on her most recent movie.) I listed all her awards in the deck head and then stated that she didn’t think she needed to check her blindside because she thought everything was perfect, she was wrong. The jump spread continues to show the couple in happy times and the pull quote is her recently thanking her husband; this again helps to convey the shock of her husband’s actions. The text supports my opening spread because love is written in a romantic text while “blindside” has movement to it. The movement represents a persons blindside.

Style sheet:

Cover headline: Bauhaus medium, 125, metrics kerning

Cover date: Bauhaus medium, 46, metrics kerning

Opening spread “the”, “of”: minion pro cond subhead, 54.57/65.49. Metrics kerning

Opening spread “blindside”: minion pro cond Italic display, 114.75/137.7, metrics kerning

Opening spread “love”: Coronet Regular, “L” 307.87/369.56 metrics kerning, “ove” 301.22/361.47 metrics kerning

Deck head: minion pro cond display, 14/25, metrics kerning

Author: minion pro bold. 17/20.4, metrics kerning.

Jump spread drop cap: coronet, 6/7.2, metrics kerning

Jump spread text: minion pro regular, 10/12, metrics kerning

Jumps read caption: news gothic medium 8/9.6 metrics kerning

Jumps red pull quote: minion pro cond caption, 23/27.6 metrics kerning.

Jump spread side bar title: “Hollywood’s of adultery”: Avant Garde Gothic extra light oblique 34.04/40.84 metrics kerning. “crimes” Avant Garde Gothic medium, 34.04/40.84 metrics kerning

Jump spread side bar titles of people: avant-garde bold condensed 10/12. Metrics

Jump spread side bar text: avant-garde book 9/10.8 metrics kerning.

Jump spread page numbers: minion pro medium 9/10.8, metrics kerning

Document grid: I used a 2-column grid because I felt that 3 columns was overbearing with my pictures, pull quote, and side bar. My margins are 3p0 I thought this was a good balance because it allowed the page to come close to the edge without overbearing the edge. I bleed my pictures and side bar because it gave it a magazine feel.

Sources:

http://www.hollywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/INFphoto_1211830.JPGhttp://blogs.mirror.co.uk/the-ticket/css/hubby.jpg

http://askmeany.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/sandra-bullockaskmeany.jpeg

http://deportes.orange.es/deportes/img/efe/2735583.jpg

http://img.timeinc.net/pespanol/i/galeria/2008/Noviembre/aniston51326305.jpg

Mag Project

2010-04-15T09:38:00.001-07:00

Magazine Identity & Readership:

The identity of my magazine: Rock Steady, is a magazine intended for people as young as their teens to as old as their 60s who have a passion for music, specifically all types of rock music. The magazine includes articles on musicians from the classic to the modern era of rock music, in order to reach a wide range of subscribers. Each month the magazine does a feature article on a musician or band that adds something unique and special to the world of rock music.

Magazine Visual Identity:

Through the design of my magazine layout, I intend to convey Gwen Stefani’s personality in an alluring way to get readers, fans of Gwen or not, to stop and take the time to read this article. I wanted to convey Gwen’s fun personality, while also conveying the hard work she has put into her amazing and multi-faceted career. She is not just all fun, but business too.

Article Visual Identity:

Through my cover article, I intend to convey Gwen’s unique and fun personality, tied with her successful business mindset. I want to show readers all aspects of Gwen’s life, not just her sharp rocker edge or quirky fashion sense that she is most widely known for.

Article Design Strategy:

My design communicates my message of Gwen’s fun and unique personality through the red visual that pops out at you when you flip to the page. This visual of Gwen with her bleach blonde hair done up and her red nail polish with gold rings that say “Rock Steady” (a complete coincidence, I thought of the title for my magazine before even discovering this image, but thought it would tie things together nicely as if she was doing a photo shoot just for my magazine) on top of the red background that fades to white really shows Gwen’s style. This image works toward showing readers her loud fashion sense and loud personality. The text also helps to convey my message. I decided to put the words “Just Say” along with the deckhead in a sans serif black font to represent the side of Gwen’s personality that doesn’t always come to mind when you think about her. She is a Mother, fashion designer, artist, and fearless businesswoman. She has created a monumental career for herself, and shows no signs of stopping. I think this font (Scotch Roman MT Std) helps to represent that because of its clean and simple structure. I put “Gwen” in script font (Snell Roundhand) to help show her gentle side as a mother, as well as to add to the title’s purpose of using “Just Say Gwen” instead of “Just Say When.” I wanted to emphasize “Gwen” because not only is that the subject of the article, it was the world I changed in a commonly used phrase to make my title unique. The color of “Gwen” is also the color of the nail polish in the photo, tying the two together. In order to carry the feeling my feature spread creates to the jump spread, I used the same red nail polish color and the same script for the drop cap and pull quote. The text I chose for the article text, Century Expanded LT Std, ties in with the Scotch Roman MT Std of the other words in the feature spread in convey the business-like message of the feature spread. The image that you initially see in the jump spread ties in the red background of the feature spread image, but has a more serious vibe to it due to her expression, with is contrasted with the fun vibe of the feature spread image with Gwen’s expression as fun and playful like she did something wrong. The background color of the sidebar is also the same red nail polish color as the feature spread, again tying everything together in a cohesive design.

Style Sheet:

Feature Spead Headline: “Just Say”: Scotch Roman MT Std Regular, 72/86.4, “Just” Kerning -70, “Say Kerning -40

“Gwen”: Snell Roundhand Regular, 200/240, No Kerning

Deck Head: Minion Web Pro Regular, 20/24, No Kerning

Jump Spread Drop Cap: Snell Roundhand Regular, 10/12, # of lines: 5

Jump Spread Pull Quote: Snell Roundhand Bold, 30/30

Jump Spread Article Text: Century Expanded LT Std Roman, 9/10.8

Sidebar Title: Avenir LT Std 85 Heavy, 18/21.6

Sidebar Captions: Avenir LT Std 85 Heavy, 9/10.8

Folio: Century Expanded LT Std Roman, 9/10.8

Photo Credits: Avenir LT Std 55 Roman, 6/7.2

Document Grid:

I chose to use three columns for my article because I felt like it was still as simple as two columns but more appealing design wise. The three columns work well with my single image on the first page and middle pull quote and bottom side bar on the second page. Two columns looked a little too skimpy to me for a magazine article and four would have been overwhelming. My margins for the feature spread are 1p10 because I wanted as much room as possible to work with, so I made them much wider. That way my image can take up the entire space of the right page and my text has room to breath. For the jump spread my margins are 3p0 because I felt that the text fit in well on the page within these margins. My image and sidebar go past the margins, allowing for the eye to flow into the text and giving the image and sidebar a chance to stand out from the text.

Sources:

Album 1: http://image.lyricspond.com/image/n/artist-no-doubt/album-no-doubt/cd-cover.jpg

Album 2: http://image.lyricspond.com/image/n/artist-no-doubt/album-tragic-kingdom/cd-cover.jpg

Album 3: http://image.lyricspond.com/image/n/artist-no-doubt/album-return-of-saturn/cd-cover.jpg

Album 4: http://image.lyricspond.com/image/n/artist-no-doubt/album-rock-steady/cd-cover.jpg

Solo Album 1: http://image.lyricspond.com/image/g/artist-gwen-stefani/album-love-angel-music-baby-deluxe/cd-cover.jpg

Solo Album 2: http://image.lyricspond.com/image/g/artist-gwen-stefani/album-the-sweet-escape/cd-cover.jpg

Jumpspread Image: http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/4820/gwenstefani17nm.jpg

Feature Spread Image: http://i.fanpix.net/images/orig/7/k/7kl91escws0jj0c.jpg

michelle lee mag spreaddd

2010-04-15T09:33:00.001-07:00

magazine identity & readership
My magazine article itself is derived from a surfing-oriented magazine, and so it targets readers who are either surfers or interested and involved in the surfing/competitive surfing world.

magazine visual identity
With my magazine design, I hope to emphasize the use of photographs that convey emotion, because with a topic such as surfing, seeing is what is really important for readers. Since people are drawn first to visuals, not text, this was very important. I also wanted the typeface of the article to be more relaxed as a whole, compared to other magazines such as the New York Times.

article design strategy
The feature spread makes the reader focus first on the photograph on the left, which I feel is a powerful, emotional photograph, that really focuses on the content of it because it is not in full color scale. The black background makes the photo pop, as well as the title of the article. I also emphasized with size the word Hawaii because that is what the article is really about. The woman in the photograph further relates the title with the word Players. The color of the title was taken from the photograph. The quote by Naima Green reiterates the fact that this is about surfing, and I attempted to align the poem so that it resembled a surfboard. The type face for Hawaii is more scripted because I feel that represents Hawaii very well, with its laidback, almost pretty feel. This laidback feeling is carried through with the typeface for the jump, which I feel is a much different feel than something you find in (for example) The New York Times or something much more serious. Even fashion magazines have an obviously different feel (classy and sophisticated.) I also begin the Jump with an array of pictures that I feel is very visually appealing.

style sheet
OPENING SPREAD HEADLINE:
1. (Players of) Adobe Garamond Pro, 40/48, no kerning , tracking 90
2. (Hawaii) Caflisch Script Web Pro, 150/180, kerning 10, no tracking
OPENING SPREAD DECKHEAD: Diotima LT Std, 11/23,
KERNING:
Line1-3, 5, 8-10: 400
Line4: 520
Line6: 550
Line7, 11: 380
Line12: 220
OPENING SPREAD BYLINE: Adobe Garamond Pro Italic, 18/21.6, no kerning/tracking
JUMP ARTICLE TYPEFACE: Adobe Garamond Pro, 10/12, no kerning/tracking
JUMP SPREAD PULL QUOTE 1: Adobe Garamond Pro, 22/26.4, no kerning/tracking
JUMP SPREAD PULL QUOTE 2: Adobe Garamond Pro, 16/19.2, no kerning/tracking
PHOTO CAPTIONS: Adobe Garamond Pro, 8/9.6, no kerning/tracking
SIDEBAR TITLE: Adobe Garamond Pro, 12/14.4, no kerning/tracking
SIDEBAR TEXT: Adobe Garamond Pro (Regular and Italic), 9/10.8, no kerning/tracking

sources

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/4e/e8/a3/honolulu-hawai-etats.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vAVrhLKncGQ/SdSTyznyrSI/AAAAAAAAAoI/G4RV2ua7gps/s400/Surf+No+Hawaii+-+Cover.jpg

http://yourfavoriteredheadwendy.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/forgetting_sarah_marshall_movie_poster.jpg

http://www.videospot.co.za/scripts/upload/img/Blue%20Crush.jpg

http://www.modusops.com/mark/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/dhump.jpg

http://www.edsinnott.com.au/webpage-bits/History%20page/four22/DaBullPipeline422.jpg

http://inthegnar.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/surfers_080805-2_mary-ellen.jpg

http://www.clubofthewaves.com/photographerprofiles/tatar/013.jpg

(I had forgotten that we needed links to pictures and so some of them I could not relocate.)

This is my draft jump spread that I had originally done.

Magazine Layout

2010-04-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

magazine identity & readership

My magazine is a music, movies, fashion, literature and art magazine that features things for the most part not covered in the mainstream media. It would focus on introducing people to new things and creating new trends while featuring intelligent and authentic content. The reader would be someone who likes to discover new music and film and probably in the age range from 18-35.

Magazine visual identity

I wanted to convey to the audience a sleek and clean feeling for the magazine. I wanted straight lines and nothing too abstract.. I intend to package my content with a music lyric as the title for each article on an artist because I think it is a fun idea and also the readers of the magazine, for the most part, will understand what the title is in reference to. The tone will be intelligent and witty, while still being considered professional and reliable, which is what the white space filled with fun fonts and photographs conveys.

Article visual identity

Through the design I intended to convey how Zooey and Matt are two separate people that are very different, but came together to produce good music. A lot of the coverage of She & Him in magazines have a natural feel to them and are more soft and vintage. I wanted to feature the band in a more sleek and modern feel to highlight a different side of the band.

Article design strategy

The initial impression my esign communicates is a very sleek almost industrial feel to it. There is also an immediate contrast with the cover picture because they are back to back, which ties into the title as well. The type for the title and the deck head is decorative and fits with the modern, professional side of the She & Him I was trying to convey instead of the soft, vintage feel they are mostly featured as. The jump spread is simple and the use of the teal and the immediate dark image on the first page keep with the industrial feeling of the whole spread.

Document Grid:

I set my spread in two columns because it fit better with the pictures on the spread. The margins are farther away from the top and bottom because it keeps the reader moving throughout the spread because if you see too much text on one page it can sometimes be overwhelming. I also used a 6 grid system to work with the sidebar so that it aligns evenly.

Extras

The teal color came from Zooey’s eyes in the cover photo. Zooey is famous for her big, blue eyes, but I didn’t want to use baby blue because it felt too youthful and playful. The teal is just the right color to still go along with her eyes, but feel more professional and modern.

Kilshtok Magazine

2010-04-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Anna Kilshtok
Project: Magazine Project
4/15/2010

Magazine Identity & Readership

The identity of Shooting Star is a magazine targeted towards young adults that care about rising media icons. Shooting Star focuses on artists of the time as well as fashion that are on the runway. The audience of 18-18 year olds will read about things that interest and affect them. Music a huge aspect of young adults lives and Shooting Star focuses not recent hits. Shooting Star also provides an inside view for their audience of their favorite music celebrities.

Magazine Visual Image

I intended to convey visually that Taylor Swift is a feminine, classy, relaxed, and outdoorsy kind of girl. The colors tie together the feature and jump spread and Taylors eyes on the left page lead to the headline. There is a lot of white space on the feature spread, which balances out the picture on the left page and shows that she is a relaxed person. The white color on the jump spread emphasizes that her personality is relaxed.

Article Visual Strategy
I intended to convey visually about the content of my cover article that Taylor Swift is feminine just like her audience of young adults, which is why I used the feminine font of Adobe Caslon Pro for the text in the body. The drop cap is also feminine in the same font, and the rusty pink color adds to the visual identity. My use of font, pictures, color all present an image that Taylor Swift is young and refreshing, she is relaxed with a touch of glam.

Article Design Strategy
My article design communicates to the audience the kind person Taylor Swift is though the colors, fonts, white space and layout. The initial impression that my feature spread makes is that Taylor is leading you to look more into her life. Her eyes lead you to the headline, which reveal that is feminine and elegant from the color and font. The font Kuenstler Script LT Std is used throughout the article to show this femininity. The script font also replicates her free flowing hair, which demonstrates that she is a calm, relaxed young adult. The colors replicate her personality and are specifically taken from her eyes and lip. The light purple comes from her light blue eyes and the pink comes from her subtle lip. The colors of the rusty pink in the jump spread come from the rust of the car; yet, the color is still feminine. In the two pictures on the jump spread she is looking directly at the audience, which displays a message that she connects to the audience.

Style Sheet
Feature Headline:
“T” “S” -Kuenstler Script LT Std medium, 145/174, Metrics kerning, C=100 M=90 Y=10 K=0 Tint 68%
“S”- Kuenstler Script LT Std medium 140/168, C=100 M=90 Y=10 K=0 Tint 68%
“L”- Kuenstler Script LT Std Black, 155/186, Metrics kerning, C=0 M=100 Y=0 K= 0 2 Tint 58%
“aylor, awifts,”-Apollo MT Std Italic 95/114, Metrics kerning, C=100 M=90 Y=10 K=0 Tint 68%
“ove”- Apollo MT Std Italic 95/114, Metrics kerning C=0 M=100 Y=0 K= 0 2 Tint 58%
“tory” - Apollo MT Std Italic, 90/108, Metrics kerning, C=100 M=90 Y=10 K=0 Tint 68%

By Line:
Apollo MT Std Regular, 15/18, Metrics kerning

Feature Deck:
Apollo MT Std Regular, 18/21.6, Metrics kerning
“guitar”, “millions”- Apollo MT Std Italic, 18/21.6, Metrics kerning
“FRAME”-Adobe Caslon Pro Bold, 14/16.8, Metrics kerning, Tracking 10

Jump Spread Pull Quote- Apollo MT Std Semibold, 21/25.2, Metrics kerning, Color=18 78 92 0 Tint- 56.2%
Drop Cap- Adobe Caslon Pro Regular 21/25.2

Body text- Adobe Caslon Pro Regular, 9.5/13, Metrics kerning
“GLAM”- Adobe Caslon Pro Bold, 9.5/13, Metrics kerning
SWIFT- Adobe Caslon Pro Italic, 9.5/13, Metrics kerning, C=0 M=100 Y=0 K= 0 2 Tint 58%

Side Bar
Side bar title:
“She’s a” -ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Medium, 22/26.4, Metrics Kerning
“ Star”- Kuenstler Script LT Std Black, 42/50.4, Metrics Kerning
Blurg- ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std book, 11/13.2, Metrics Kerning
Song Titles- ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std book, 9.5/11.4, Metrics Kerning

Photo Captions
News Gothic Std Bold, 8.5/10.2, Metrics kerning

Photo Credits
News Gothic Std Medium 5/6, Metrics kerning

Document grid
I chose a 5 column grid for Shooting Star magazine with a gutter of 1p0. This grid is typical but its really helped me organize the spread of the magazine. My tops margin is 2p2, bottom 3p5, inside 3p0, outside 3p0. I do not have very large margins because it is a modern magazine and the large margins were not necessary in the spread. Although the margins are not very big the page is not cluttered and is still spacious.

Sources
Feature Spread Image:
http://waterloopubliclibrary.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/taylor_swift.jpg
Jump spread Images:
http://www.mymusicwallpaper.com/wallpaper/Taylor-Swift/.
http://www.truecountry.tv/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/taylor-
Sidebar:
swift2.jpg.http://www.aolradioblog.com/2009/11/09/best-taylor-swift-songs/

mag project

2010-04-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

Magazine identity & readership: I wanted to create a sophisticated, modern and intimate kind of magazine, somewhere on the lines of ELLE. It would probably be for working women ages 25 and older. It would be mainly aimed toward the kind of women who are interested in fashion and at the same time have the money to buy the clothes displayed in the magazine. I came up with the name Silk for my magazine because I got the article from NYLON and wanted to play with the idea of a more feminine kind of fabric.

Magazine visual identity: I want to convey visually through my magazine design a kind of magazine that goes deep into their subjects/topics. I wanted to convey a sense of elegance, simplicity and feminine. I wanted the tone personality to be one of mature and chic-ness.

Article visual identity: I definitely wanted to create a more serious tone with the visual layout of my article. The article shows a side of Zoe Saldana that most were not previously aware of, and it makes her vulnerable in a sense. I wanted to convey her being revealed with an up close and personal kind of article.

Article design strategy: I definitely wanted to display the obvious beauty of Zoe Saldana. I found a lot of black and white pictures of her and fell in love with every single one, so I decided to make a second jump spread. The feature is simple with a complimenting pink and grey script type that plays off of her curly hair in the picture. Simply Saldana is just a way of saying that she has a strong sense of who she is, which comes from the theme of the article. I carried the pink and script like font into the jump spreads. I chose the pictures I did because the article leaves her somewhat exposed to the readers. It’s like she’s slowly removing layers of herself to reveal her true colors to the world.

Style sheet:

Cover Headline (simply) Shelley Script LT Std, 115/138, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Cover Headline (Saldana) Snell Roundhand black, 105/126, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Byline (matthew frost) Palatino Bold, 15/18, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Dekhead: Janson Text LT Std 75 Bold, 13.5/18, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Drop Caps (B, R &O) Snell RoundHand Bold, 9.3/11.16, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Body text Janson Text LT Std 75 Bold 9.3/11.16, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Pull-quotes: Janson Text LT Std 75 Bold, 14.1417.16, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Sidebar (Reel Life): Janson Text LT Std 75 Bold, 18/21.6, metrics kerning, tracking 0

SIde bar (other text): Spartan LT Std Heavy Classified, 9/10.8, metrics kerning, tracking Page text: Janson Text LT Std 75 Bold, 8.5/10.2, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Folio text: Janson Text LT Std 55 Roman, 10/12, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Document grid: I left the margins at default because it appeared to look the most like a standard magazine and I didn’t feel the need to change it. I used 3 columns per page in my jump spread’s, each column spaced evenly, to keep a sense of flow in the design. I initially had the first picture of Zoe sitting on the floor taking up the entire three columns, but I figured I had enough big pictures of her that it wouldn’t hurt to make it smaller. I put the sidebar on the far right of the right page, taking up an entire column, to keep it separate from the rest of the story. I put the pull quote in the middle of the texts, where I felt like it needed breaking up.

Sources:

http://lafarandula.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/zoe-6.jpg

http://byrev.org/images/2010/01/Zoe-Saldana_Neytiri-Avatar_Sexy-Photo-12276.jpg

http://i016.radikal.ru/0911/16/e2cfe8d76065.jpg

http://gallery.zoe-saldana.com/displayimage.php?album=214&pos=47

http://gallery.zoe-saldana.com/displayimage.php?album=437&pos=0

http://www.makli.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Drumline.jpg

http://images.allposters.com/images/125/003_crossroads_doublesided.jpg

http://www.letsmakeadeal.com/images/GuessWho20059243_f.jpg

http://videospot.co.za/scripts/upload/img/center-stage.jpg

A Snapshot of Scarlet Magazine

2010-04-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

Magazine Identity & Readership

I created my magazine layout with the intentions of it being in a magazine like Seventeen, that targets teen girls and adolescents. I think the colors pop and the images are fun, and the snapshot Polaroid photos add a young and playful vibe. I also chose fun and flirty fonts to stand out that will appeal to my target audience.

Magazine Visual Identity

Through my magazine design, I intend to convey that Scarlett Johansson is a young and powerful Hollywood starlet. She is fun but also has accomplished many things, and will be working hard in the future. Scarlett has varied from movies, to modeling and I intend to show that this is just a snapshot, or a small description of the many things she does. I also think that Scarlett Johansson is a real woman and is a great role model for teen girls which is another reason I intended this for teens. If I were to picture it I would see it on glossy paper and the cover and rest of the magazine to have bright colors as well.

Article Visual Identity

I hope this cover article gives teens a woman they can look up to. Scarlett Johansson is a great role model and I hope that the bright colors and fun article will attract them to read it so they too can accomplish many things. Visually, I hope to convey a fun and flirty sense from this article. I specifically chose two pictures where Scarlett was not simply standing, posing and smiling because she is not a fake actress. Scarlett Johansson is known for embracing her appearance and is also famous for being a sweet person to work with. I want girls to see these images and know she is a strong and serious actress, but the Polaroid images on top show she of course has a fun side.

Article Design Strategy

I think that my design communicates my message to the audience because of the bright colors and fonts, the use of pictures, and fresh layout. I think the initial impression when a person opens to the feature is that it is strong and fun. The picture of Scarlett she is looking serious but the font and colors utilized are playful. The article opens with a beautiful picture of Scarlett wearing a pink lip stick that pops out of the page, and also on that page is a pull quote with a fun font. The next page includes “snapshots” or Polaroid images of Scarlett to include a fun side to the article. This is a play-on the title as well as adds a young vibe to this side of the layout. I think that the type further complements my message because the curly purple font hones down on the target audience of young girls. These fun fonts and colors are used throughout as a cohesive element to the jump spread.

Style Sheet

Cover:

Headline: A snapshot: ITC Cushing Std 84/100

Of: ITC Cushing 67/80

Scarlett: Wendy LP Std Bold 212/254

Deck: Dante MT Std 16/19.2

Scarlett Johansson’s name in same but Italic Bold

Byline: ITC Cushing Book Italic 13/15.6

Body:
Body Text: Adobe Garamond Pro 10/12
Body Intro: Adobe Garamond Pro 15/18

“T” in Body Intro: Wendy LP Std Bold 138/165.5
First Pull Quote: Wendy LP Std Regular 50/29 and quotations 69/29

Second Pull Quote: Wendy LP Std Regular 37/22 and quotations 51/21

Sidebar Title:

ITC Cushing Std 24/18
Wendy LP Std 37/22

Sidebar Writing:

Sidebar Blurb: Bell Gothic Std Bold 9/11

Sidebar captions: Bell Gothic Std Bold 8.5/11

Folio:

Dante MT Std Bold 10/12

Photo Credits:

Adobe Garamond Pro size 5

Document Grid

I originally thought I wanted a two column layout, but as I worked on it I realized two columns are much more elegant, and I am going for a younger vibe. Three columns allows more space, and I also thought that in many magazines that target young teens have interviews with the feature celebrity, and it is useful to have more space in the columns. I set the dimensions of the margins at 3p5 because there is a lot going on in the layout and I thought it needed more white space to balance it out a bit.

Extras

I think that color is one of the most important elements in my layout. The purple and bright colors in the graffiti background really draw in the crowd I imagine being my target audience. I think the fonts are fun and bright and attractive to adolescent girls. I think it further enhances my visual message because it goes with Scarlett’s girly and playful side.

Gorillaz: On Top of the World?

2010-04-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Magazine Identity and Readership

My magazine, Downbeat Sounds, is a music and culture magazine that explores cutting-edge artists from around the world. Its intended readership is people who are interested in discovering new music and budding anthropologists. No hipsters allowed.

Magazine Visual Identity

My magazine’s visual identity will be clean and exacting but allowing for an artist’s character to shine through in feature pieces. The tone will be conversational but objective, seeking to tackle each story and artist from the same critical perspective.

Article Visual Identity

My article conveys fun in its type, color, and image choice. The use of plastic is reminiscent of opening a new toy when you were a kid.

Article Design Strategy

The article I chose for my project speaks about Gorillaz’s new album, Plastic Beach, which draws influence from trash, artificial, and junk culture. I played off the concepts of Gorillaz, as a cartoon band, and the trash, with a polished and shiny plastic design. In the feature spread, I included a banana peel to play off the Gorillaz as primates and act as a piece of trash. The head font is cartoony and has an embossed edge to give it a plastic shimmer. It draws colors from the picture on the next page. The yellow everywhere else draws from the banana peel. Gorillaz’s world-famous status is questioned by the title and the picture of the band standing in the trash. For all the pictures of the band, instead of cartoons, I went with pictures of their vinyl action figures to give more of a realistic and plastic feel. On the jump spread, I added a plastic sheet as a textured background and included the sidebar piece within the plastic soda can rings to again act as trash.

Style Sheet

Title (On Top / World): Coriander, 200/164, metrics kerning, no tracking

Title (of the): Coriander, 37/31, metrics kerning, no tracking

Sidebar (Treasures / Trash): Coriander, 25/27, metrics kerning, no tracking

Sidebar (in the): Coriander, 15/13, metrics kerning, no tracking

Deck: Bell Gothic, 13/16, metrics kerning, no tracking

Byline: Bell Gothic, 15/18, metrics kerning, no tracking

Picture Captions: Bell Gothic, 9/10, metrics kerning, no tracking

Folio: Bell Gothic, 10/10, metrics kerning, no tracking

Page Number: Bell Gothic, 26/12, metrics kerning, no tracking

Body Copy: Avenir, 8.5/10, metrics kerning, no tracking

Document Grid

I allowed for a large top/bottom margin of 3p6 to give space between the text and the images to bleed off the page. I put the inside/outside margin at 3p0 to fit as much copy as I could on each line, as well as for allowing two long columns of text (but not three, which I believe is more of a hard news format).

Sources

http://www.supermusic.sk/obrazky/219303_Gorillaz%20-%20Plastic%20Beach.jpg

http://www.stockvault.net/Food_Drink_g16-Banana_peel_p14196.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/st_a_sh/1987735590/sizes/o/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/squashfish/423206245/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovelamp/444551021/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34885278@N03/3555400210/sizes/o/

http://2log.biz/img/upload/2009/Feb/six_pack_rings.JPG

http://www.cgtextures.com/texview.php?id=3592&PHPSESSID=3acd2087497a8eb2a401f1807445634c

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/79/251646154_55e331da36_o.jpg

http://weblogs.cltv.com/entertainment/tv/metromix/snoop-dogg.jpg

http://madnews.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/kano_tn.jpg

http://smeeze.com/words/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/smeeze-little-dragon-193.jpg

http://www.opticianonline.net/blogs/big-optometry-blog/lou_reed-full.jpg

http://api.ning.com/files/LFrRHq6FdGet6M9z-fcKFZo9kX55*9rNEIYKmbEjp67n5TsO6mZeRyQhebkPKUq2LRaHyg-kpIoWdyBbrVG8InNG5grjaOCI/MosDef_l.jpg

Magazine Project: Tina Fey and Steve Carell

2010-04-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

magazine identity and readership

I wanted my magazine to be both fun and credible; I wanted it to have an element of excitement, while staying

entirely away from the “Seventeen” type of layout/attitude. I think my magazine would be aimed toward those who

were interested in entertainment, but from a source whose layout lends credibility to its stories.

magazine visual identity

I hope that readers would see my magazine as being a legitimate, credible source, despite the fact that it deals with a

topic (entertainment and celebrities) often deemed trivial or illegitimate. I chose to use a lot of white in my layout

because I feel it lends a cleaner image and greater sophistication (and therefore, credibility) to the story at hand. I still chose to use color and off-kilter text in my both my feature and jump spreads because entertainment isn’t all serious and clean; reading the article I chose should be a good indication of that.

article visual identity

I wanted to choose a layout that clearly demonstrated that the article is, in fact, an interview, so I chose to assign each participant a color (taken from Tina Fey’s dress and Steve Carell’s torn pocket in the feature spread). I decided to break up the text with a pull quote because it all looked too serious, and what better way to break up a seemingly monotone article than with a giant quote about “tongueless turtle mouth” kisses.

article design strategy

When the reader first opens my feature spread, the first thing they see (given that we tend to look from left to right) is the picture of Carell and Fey. Right away, the reader knows that this is a humorous article, and the slanted text on the right side affirms that. My spread still utilizes a lot of white space, in keeping with the general layout of the magazine. I chose to use ITC Stone Informal Std because it is both easy to read and, at least in my eyes, isn’t a really serious font. It’s neat and clean, but offers the element of fun. I chose to break up the text with a pull quote that used color to highlight it’s most...curious...part, in order to demonstrate that, yes, this is a humorous article within a neat and clean layout. My sidebar, though it looks serious, is, upon further inspection, highlighting the curious and generally idiotic backups to Carell and Fey’s Fosters. If anything, I feel as though my magazine is the journalistic version of the fake news source, The Onion; I don’t have fake news, but I’m presenting humorous and non-serious news in a much different setting and through a different design.

style sheet

cover title (“getting,” “and”): Caecilia LT Std 55 Roman, 97/116.4, kerning: g&e -40, e&t -80, t&t -40, i&n -60, n&g -120, a&n

-40, n&d -90

cover title (“down,” “dirty”): Caecilia Lt Std 85 Heavy, 114/136.8, kerning: d&o -50, o&w -100, d&i -90, i&r -40, r&t -70, t&y 10

cover teaser: ITC Stone Informal Std Medium, 17.567/21.08, metrics kerning

cover teaser names: ITC Stone Informal Std Bold, 17.567/21.08, metrics kerning

opening spread photo caption: ITC Stone Informal Std Bold, 8.5/10.2, metrics kerning

opening spread “w”: Caecilia LT Std 85 Heavy, 10/12, drop cap 6, metrics kerning

spread names (fey, carell, EN): Syntax LT Std Black, 9/10.8, metrics kerning

spread body text: ITC Stone Informal Std Medium, 9/10.8, metrics kerning

pull quote: ITC Stone Informal Std Semibold Italic, 26.7/24, metrics kerning

pull quote citation: ITC Stone Informal Std Medium, 12.685/15.222, metrics kerning

sidebar title (“the stars”): ITC Stone Informal Std Bold, 16/19.2, metrics kerning

sidebar title (“collide”): ITC Stone Informal Std Bold, 42.7/34, metrics kerning

sidebar introduction (“Date night”): ITC Stone Informal Bold, 10/12, metrics kerning

sidebar introduction (rest of text): ITC Stone Informal Medium, 10/12, metrics kerning

sidebar names: ITC Stone Informal Bold, 10/12, metrics kerning

sidebar descriptions: ITC Stone Informal Medium, 8/9.6, metrics kerning

folio date and magazine: ITC Kabel Std Book, 9/10.8, metrics kerning

folio page number: Bauhaus Std Bold, 12/14.4, metrics kerning

document grid:

I chose to go with a 3 column layout because I wanted to have my sidebar replace the sixth column. I’ve set my margins to be of a medium size because, though I didn’t want the text to be right at the edge of the page, I didn’t want the magazine to seem too sophisticated, or moreso than I wanted it to be.

sources:

cover spread: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/date_night01.jpg

Mark Wahlberg: http://media.photobucket.com/image/mark%20wahlberg/ArtDomino_7/April%2029/markwahlberg_04.jpg

Opening Spread: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1879346944/nm0136797

Mila Kunis: http://z.about.com/d/beauty/1/0/W/5/1/mila_kunis_2.jpg

Mark Ruffalo: http://gofugyourself.celebuzz.com/2008/08/19/51352530.jpg

Kristen Wiig: http://static.cinemarx.ro/poze/persoane-poze/2009/01/Kristen_Wiig_1231684836_0.jpg

James Franco: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/James_Franco_by_David_Shankbone.jpg

Common: http://z.about.com/d/gayteens/1/0/B/3/-/-/84251142.jpg

Leighton Meester: http://top-people.starmedia.com/tmp/swotti/cacheBGVPZ2H0B24GBWVLC3RLCG==UGVVCGXLLVBLB3B

ZQ==/imgLeighton%20Meester4.jpg

Nike's logo evolution

2010-04-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Nike’s logo has not gone through a lot of changes to the logo. The swoosh sign has always been incorporated and has looked the sign. The blue color has been apart of the logo since the beginning. In 1971 the Nike name was on the logo but since the brand has become so big and recognizable it is no longer necessary. I personally do not know why it took them so long to get rid of the Nike name. In the previous logos the name is overlapping with the swoosh which is not too appealing. Everyone knows the Nike swoosh, it is like Nike owns the swoosh. The swoosh is simple yet recognizable, maybe this is why Nike has become so popular.

The Philadelphia History Museum

2010-04-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Philadelphia History Museum recently relaunched a new logo for the reopening of the museum in 2011. I really like the logo they created (especially opposed to the awful old logo). The one thing I particularly think is unique is the hand drawn grid pattern. I think it makes the logo have a bit more personality than just simple straight lines. Although I really like the logo I think it will go out of style quickly. It is very modern and trendy and I think that in a few years the grid pattern trend will be over and done with. Also, when I first saw this logo I didn't know how it would look on the side of a building. It doesn't seem like it would be very legible to someone driving by quickly, but then I saw the picture below and it showed me that the logo worked better than I thought it would. The old logo, in my opinion is horrible. It is very boring and unoriginal. Even though I think the red white and blue make more sense for a museum in Philly, I still like the new logo design a lot more then the old one.

Crystal Light Redesign

2010-04-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

This is a drastic logo redesign that is extremely successful. The brand's delicate and lightness is conveyed through the font. Plus, it is geared towards women, and the script plays up the femininity. I find this very visually appealing.

Google

2010-04-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

Google's iconic logo is known around the world. With a simple serif font and blue, red, yellow, and green colored letters, the graphic designers were about to create a logo for Google that sticks in the minds of its users. The six letters that spell Google are the only brand recognition that users have to go by, so it holds double and triple weight. But every now and then, we as users will log on to Google and see a variation on these iconic letters. For example, on April Fools, Google "changed" its name to Topeka. If you're anything like me, you googled (how ironic) why Google's name was Topeka. It turns out that a town in Kansas, that happens to be named Topeka, had its name changed to Google. So, as an April Fools joke, Google changed its name to Topeka. This Google tradition is not just unique to the US. Countries like Japan, Kuwait, and Hungary have their own Google logo variations in honor of their national holidays. Sadly, I sort of look forward to seeing what kinds of variations on the Google logo they'll have each year.

NET logo change

2010-04-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

I was looking through brand new for a current event post and I saw this. At first I wasn't sure what was going on- I don't understand how a company could update a bad logo and come out with something almost as uninspired as the first. I don't like the first logo, it's boring and too simple. I get that the company is one of Brazil's largest broadcasters, but I think there are other ways to depict the transfer of information. The new logo has changes, but I'm not sure if it's an improvement. I like that they did away with the gradient in the E and kept the new logo all one color. But I don't like the way the new E is flat and seems to be attacking the viewer rather than transferring information. I also hate the new font they used, I don't mind the rounded edge on the N but on the T it seems to make the letter look incomplete.
I think the company should have gotten rid of the whole concept from the first logo and embarked on an entirely new design.

Can AT&T change it's logo once more?

2010-04-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

AT&T changed its original logo in 2005, and wants to change it once again. They have launched a new brand campaign that is based of the "Rethink Possible" that attempts to do what very successful companies like Nike, Target and Apple have done, drop the name from the logo. Do you think it can be done? I think that it might take some time, but the image is so well known across the world, that I feel it won't be too difficult. This change is very similar to what AOL tired to do with their logo and add bright colors, images and animals, and in my opinion, that was not successful. The new AT&T logos however are creative and still hold the original shape, just with added color and texture. Many people thought that AOL's changes were lame but I think that it will be different for AT&T. Rebranding can be difficult and people will still know that the globe looking figure is still AT&T, but I do not think it will not reach the standards that Nike and Apple have already set. I saw the video for their new campaign and I liked it a lot and think that it is very creative. I wonder how much this logo change cost AT&T and if they will bring in more money after the new logo catches on. I still associate the light blue lines through the globe with AT&T so we will see it other people can step away from that and associate the bright and colorful globes with them as well. The new campaign video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EhQitYGuBk.

Tropicana's new design

2010-04-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

Recently Tropicana change their famous package design. What once used to be an orange with a straw is now a glass of orange juice. I personally believe the new design is very bad. It’s signature design position Tropicana as one of the best orange juices out there. It was simple and elegant. It felt gourmet, which help justify its price. However, it’s new design feels like a discount store brand. It seems very ordinary. I don’t understand what need the company had to modify it, since the original designs has been loved and recognized by everyone. As a loyal Tropicana consumer, I feel that the design subtracted a lot of value to the brand. Therefore, I would recommend that they should take it back, and continue using their traditional packaging design.

Mount Royal Logo

2010-04-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

According to Brand New, Mount Royal College became Mount Royal University in 2009, and it updated its logo to reflect its change in identity.

I think the new logo is a great fit for the school’s new classification as a university. The icon has all hard edges as opposed to the softer look of the old icon. They also went from a friendly looking sans serif to a serif typeface. And they changed from a cooler, inviting blue to a more professional looking one. All of these changes combine to make the new logo look more prestigious.

While I do think the old logo is pleasing on the eye, it might be too friendly for a university. The new logo really defines Mount Royal as a serious institution. By adding the “1910” at the bottom, they call attention to the fact that it’s an establishment. Overall, I like both logos. The old one fit Mount Royal College, and the new one fits Mount Royal University.

Retouching: good or bad?

2010-04-08T23:42:00.001-07:00

In class the other day we got on the topic of whether or not the retouching of photos in magazines was ethical or not. Is retouching deceiving to the readers? Or are they simplytrying to make an already pretty celebrity look...well, perfect?

Marie Claire has recently decided to put Jessica Simpson on their latest issue, sans makeup or retouching. In addition, French Elle and Harper's Bazaar have published unretouched, makeupless spreads for issues in the past, and Marie Claire's most recent French issue features an entire unretouched magazine. I personally just want to say bravo to whoever's idea this was. I think that this is a big step in the magazine industry, one that needs to continue in the right direction. Although Jessica Simpson is a natural beauty and doesn't necessarily need any makeup to improve her looks in the first place, the general idea is nice. It makes her more relatable to the reader, and more real.

But, the recent issue of GoodHousekeeping has forced magazine's to take a step back, leaving them right where they left off. The latest issue with First Lady Michelle Obama is a perfect example of digital retouching gone bad. The photoshopping is so obviously ridiculous that it's hard for me to even take this cover seriously. I actually think if anything it makes her look worse than she usually appears, and slightly creepy. This is a perfect example of magazine's taking retouching to the extreme. I'm all for retouching photos to get rid of wrinkles, blemishes or stray hairs here and there, but a line definitely needs to be drawn as to when enough photoshopping is enough.

New Windows Live Logo

2010-04-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

Before

After

Windows Live has changed their old well-recognized logo with a new, fresh look. Critics say that the new logo gives a lot more emphasis on the the logo representing "hotmail," then the old one did. I don't think it works as well because its basically a gold envelope with a line coming out of the bottom, which in no way to me represents speed...and why would an envelope be smoking? "Hotmail" does stand in a bigger type which does work well in selling what they are aiming for, so in that case they do accomplish that aspect. I think the logo is okay, nothing spectacular, maybe it's because I love the original one. Can someone please explain to me what the lines coming out of the bottom of the envelope signify? :)

2010-04-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

The stereotype we have for many museums are based on the presumption that they are filled with a lot of old famous stuff that we can go and stare at and learn from, at least this is the response you might get from a 4th grader. The Museum of Science and Industry Chicago's old logo fully supported this stereotype with the use of boring black and white and a serif typeface. But that is not what this museum is like, and luckily they just redesigned their logo to match their identity.

As described on Brand New Their new logo comes at a time they're making some big changes in the museum and looking to attract new audiences and re-spark the interest of past visitors. With the installment of new eco-friendly technologies, "poop happens" and a 40 ft tornado it seems like the new design speaks more to the new audience their trying to attract. They have even redesigned their website to go with their new logo. The use of all lowercase gives it a more youthful feel calling out to science + industry with bold to show the focus is sciences. The block design that they made with the three letters m,s and i ties in very nicely with the overall design and gives it a structured feel. I think that it is more appealing, exciting and reinforces that this museum is more about the future than the past.

new logo

2010-04-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

the new logo for nickelodeon is very dull and does not represent the demographic they are aiming towards. the old logo was fun and spontaneous- perfect for children. however, the new logo, while it still has a spot of fun, is not as effective. It is simple and does not stand out in the mind. However, the older version of the logo stands out because it is different. It is something that not everyone sees and not every company uses. It is simple but effective. the new logo is just simple. i understand that people change their logos to adhere to the times, but if you are to do that at least come up with a logo that is just as affective and not so conforming.

2010-04-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

beforeafter

The Lays Baked bag of chips have changed their logo. The original logo was yellow and bright, it looked like the sun. That idea was for the idea that the sun baked the potato chips. The new logo also has the image and the feeling of the sun but it has brown writing giving it the feeling of being in the desert. I like the new logo better, I think that it is less chaotic. I also think that because the word "baked" is in brown it makes it seem more baked, because when you think of baking you think of something being brown. They also changed the font. The old font was more bold and jumpy, the new font is more spread out and relaxed.

Over all I like the new bag better. I think that it represents more of a bag of baked potato chips.

dunkin donuts new logo

2010-04-08T09:54:00.001-07:00

This is the recently changed Dunkin' Donuts logo. They added a small robot-looking figure resembling a cup of coffee to embody the Dunkin'Donuts logo, and took away the cup that always appears to the left of Dunkin' Donuts. They are probably doing this to imply that Dunkin' Donuts is also known for the coffee, not only by their donuts.
I'm not sure how muh I like is newly changed logo. I immediately get this sense of primitive design, not necessarily too simple, but old-fashioned. I feel like this is something you see in a '50s cartoon show that was black and white, and that Dunkin' Donuts has had this logo for years and they never changed it. I think the old one represents Dunkin' Donuts better than the new one, because we were all used to the older one, and represents more of a store that sells breakfast foods tat are fast and cheap. This was a drastic change that I think could hurt them more than make them look better. A gradual change over the years probably would have been better.

The Science Channel

2010-04-08T09:44:00.001-07:00

The science channel recently did something very exciting with their logo. They made their logo look like a block on the periodic table. In the past their logo had an "orbit" looking circle around tough black type with a picture of planet earth. I think their new logo is a huge upgrade. It makes a lot more sense. Science isn't just about the earths orbit but more so about the periodic table. The periodic table is the basis for all science. The new type is also a lot "softer" its not as harsh as the old one. Overall the new logo is a lot simpler and is a lot less busy to look at. I think the logo will also be a lot more versatile. I think this logo can be scaled larger and will look great small. Overall i think this logo is a definite upgrade.

The New John McCain

2010-04-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

A little while ago, we spoke in class about the logos used by presidential nominees - specifically, we looked at Bush, Kerry, Edwards, McCain and Obama's logos. We all know, obviously, that John McCain lost to Obama, but now he is running for reelection of his Arizona senator seat. In conjunction with this new campaign, McCain has resdesigned his official logo, and it's...well...back to basics.

Old Logo:

New Logo:

McCain's new logo does look a lot more modern than his presidential one, but it's lost the distinctiveness that set it apart from all other presidential logos - the use of colors that weren't red, white and blue. McCain's new logo uses all three, but I have to say, it does so in a way that isn't overly patriotic (which is something that, personally, I prefer - I dislike looking at something that absolutely drowns me in America/screams patriotism). If I didn't know any better, I would say that this "McCain" were younger, just based on the flow and type used in his logo (in actuality, McCain is 73). The "McCain Flag" emphasizes gentleness and strength, with a clear hierarchy (the stars break up the backside of the flag, but the strong, bold lines take precedence). Overall, I prefer this logo over the previous one, but I'm almost a little disappointed that the designers chose not to continue the usage of non-USA colors in his logos.

Successful Logo Redesigns

2010-04-08T09:36:00.001-07:00

Companies often decide to do a redesign of their logo system in order to update and improve it. Some turn out poorly and look worse than the logo that preceded it, an example of this is when Pepsi recently redesigned their logo system. However, logo redesign is often a success, and the result of the new logo system can be cleaner, simpler, and more modern, completely improving the companies public appearance. One example of a successful logo redesign is Toys R Us.

Toys R Us previous logo had the R in quotations, which added unnecessary noise to the look of the logo. According to Joe Marianek, taking the R out of the star and instead placing the star within the R makes the logo less patriotic looking and more fun. Fun should be the main message of the logo for a children's toy store.

Sometimes it amazes me how simple changes can change a logo completely. If I had looked at the old Toys R Us logo alone I would have thought that it was fine, but when it is compared to the new logo it look horrible. The design of a logo is essential to the success and recognition of a company, and sometimes it takes a logo system redesign to achieve that success.

St. Ives Logo

2010-04-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

The brand St. Ives recently changed their logo on their product, and more specifically I will focus on the apricot scrub product. They changed it from their old logo with the Swiss Alps in the background and a hint of orange, to a large picture of apricots and more use of green on the bottle instead of orange.

Personally, I like the old logo better. I think the use of the orange in the background and the smaller apricot picture is more effective and goes with the product more than the use of the green on the new bottle. Also, I think the old logo that uses the Swiss Alps connects the product to where it is created. This makes it seem more elegant and exotic. The old bottle has the word “Apricot Scrub” bigger and it is more noticeable for the consumer to see the scent. Also, the old bottle says St. Ives on top much bigger, which makes it easier for a person to notice it while shopping.

Overall, I think the switch to the new logo and design for the bottle was not necessary because the old bottle has a distinct logo, stands out more, and is more appealing and attractive.

Yeah, it'll probably suck, but the music should be good.

2010-04-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Just a Strange Coincidence, or a Statement?

2010-04-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

So I recently ran across the first album cover on a recent visit to Sound Garden. The album, "Kings Ballad" by R & B singer Georgia Anne Muldrow, just came out in the beginning of February on the L.A. label Stones Throw. Immediately when I saw it it reminded me of the second album cover, "Diary of an Afro Warrior" by Dubstep producer Benga, which came out back in March of '08 on London's Tempa label.

Both covers feature black and white profile photos. Both covers prominently feature

black artists. Both covers utilize thin, geometric font that bring Italian futurism to mind.

Musically, these two albums couldn't be any more different, but yet they share a similar cover design. This made me wonder, is there some underlying theme that each artist is trying to channel from a different perspective? I can only assume that each artist is trying to make a statement about what it means to be black in America and in England. Despite the different approaches each country has towards race, the common ground of stoic pride in identity is portrayed in both of these covers.

Lupton's Grid

2010-04-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Grids are something that most people don’t pay much attention to. It’s not something that stands out in particular in articles or something that may draw you in. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important to the overall structure.

As Lupton states, “Typographic grids are all about control. They establish a system for arranging content within the space of page, screen, or built environment” (113).

Grids can make or break an article. Too many grids the reader is overwhelmed with text, too little you question whether or not it’s worth your precious time. They are, as stated, “the skeleton that moves in concert with the muscular mass of information” (113).

For example the grid on the ELLE magazine website is simple and allows users to navigate easily. It serves to compliment the images and headlines of articles.

Lupton Grid

2010-04-01T19:45:00.001-07:00

Lupton describes a grid as something that can, “establish a system for arranging content within the space of a page, screen, or built environment” (113). She also explains that, “an effective grid is not a rigid formula but a flexible and resilient structure, as a skeleton that movies in concert with the muscular mass of information” (113). Until reading Lupton’s “Grid” I never paid any attention to the framework of typography. I would have never realized that a grid is specifically made to help someone navigate about the webpage. Something as simple as the myslice.syr.edu site we go on to schedule classes and check grades has its own grid system. Everything is organized and makes it very easy to navigate around the page. The three columns break apart the information and make it easy on the eye. Because of how the page is set up I always know where to look when I need something specific.

Lupton: Grid

2010-04-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

After reading the Grid section, I became able to pick out certain sections of grids on websites and magazines that I looked at throughout the day. According to Lupton, a grid breaks space into regular units, and I found that the apple website does a good job of breaking up their page into distinct sections. There are five distinct columns, and on the far right and left of the page there are advertisements for new products, or songs that could be downloaded on itunes. On the top of the page, there are a horizontal list of the types of ipods that can be purchased, along with their accessories. This splits the main content up and makes it easily accessible with the use of the grid. The grid aids the reader by organizing all of the information in a simple manner, so the reader does not need to scan the whole page just to find one specific piece of information. As you scroll down, once again on the far left and right, the boxes continue with advertisements, with one large image in the center. Since there are packed columns along the frame of the page, this causes tension along the outside, and makes the inside/internal pressures of the page seem not as compact/tense. The reader is engaged because the invisible table that consists of vertical columns and horizontal rows have distinct titles and certain products found under each, so the viewer knows directly where to go. Lupton says that grids arrange content within the space of the page, screen or build environment, and I feel that the apple page uses their grid very well. The vertical columns continue all the way down the page, which makes scanning and scrolling much faster and more efficient.

Lupton: Grid (Universal Design)

2010-04-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

As technology and societal progress makes it increasingly easier to stay connected with the rest of the world, so too have some designs that can convey the same meaning to multiple cultures. Take this 'no smoking' sign, for instance. This is a design that I personally have encountered in several different countries, yet there is no translation or explanation necessary. In fact, no words are necessary at all, the design speaks for itself. According to Lupton, "ideas of commonality, transparency, and openness are being reborn as information seeks to shed its physical body" (p.134). With the advances of technology comes the advances of graphic design programs and the ability to produce high quality artwork.

The second photo, a map of Manhattan, is a real-life example of design in real life. Architects for the city had to treat their land like a poster to be able to organize the amount of things Manhattan today includes, and thus needed to use their space, and their grid, as efficiently as possible. The balance and structure Manhattan has today can only be traced back to the creation of its original grid.

Lupton's Grid

2010-04-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

According to Lupton, a grid establishes a system for arranging content within the space of page, screen, or built environment. (p113). After analyzing Coach’s web site I would say the use a grid with 8 columns. Their website is very clean and organized, giving it a very classy look. The pictures are organized vertically. Even though some are different sizes, everything is placed creating perfect balance. I believe that the grid system used in this Web site makes it very easy to navigate and visually appealing.

Lupton Grid

2010-04-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

I really loved Lupton's definition of "grid." Instead of saying, a grid is a space where content is arranged, he gave his readers a much better understanding of what a grid aims to do. He stated that a "...effective grid is not a rigid formula but a flexible and resilient structure, a skeleton that move in concert with the muscular mass of information," (Lupton 113).

I've never really thought of design as being structured from a grid. And I would have never thought of a grid as being the skeleton of the design. It makes a lot of sense because without the grid there can be no coherent sense of organization, just like without a skeleton a human cannot function.

Now, with my new sense of design, I am able to see that not only does a grid exist but that they are used over and over again to portray the same structure but with different content. I go on Allure.com frequently and I have never noticed that they repeat their format a number of times on their website and eve in their magazine. With all the information that they use their grid gives them more of a organized, polished look, which surely does drive me to them. ;)

Lupton - "Grid"

2010-04-01T15:25:00.001-07:00

New York Magazine's grid system is structured with their readers in mind and uses a really clear design to focus on the actual content on their website. The grid is set up with the name of the publication on top, different tabs for specific sections of the magazine, and then in the center the most important stories their magazine is featuring. This hierarchy works really well because the reader first sees what website they are on by having the publication name on the top and then can click to a different section really quickly if they want to. Then by having the big feature stories right on the top in the center leads the viewer to those important stories almost immediately. On the left side is the section "Daily Intel," which many of their readers are interested in. Below that the grid separates different sections of the magazine such as featured videos, sports section, news & features, and most popular stories. The hierarchy of the grid allows the reader to move through the website easily and find what they want.

Lupton describes that grids keep logical order and allow the reader to keep the information given to them organized in their minds. I think the New York Magazine's website does just this.

Many websites use grids effectively to separate different parts of their website, but I like how New York Magazine keeps their grid simple and everything is easy to find.

2010-04-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

"The grid as infinite space- defying edges and dominated by mind rather than body- is a powerful instrument within modernist theory, where it is a form both rational and sublime" (Luton, 134). I thought that this quote from the text was kind of interesting, it kind of describes the grid as more of a visual element that creates form in design for what we are seeing and perceiving than purely for the mathematical layout. It helps to create dynamic balance in design rather than just pure static balance. I like the design and grid that RS Couture Roma uses on their website. The grid system that they use is very simple and open. This works with their image because it is an high class wedding gown website that is very visually based.

It is very easy to navigate through with things organized vertically, and even though they are all different sizes it is balanced. The far left is very open but is balanced by the big picture next to it. The next two columns are made up of different sized pictures but they all help to create a very appealing and simple design that functions for the wedding dress company. As you navigate through the website as well some of the columns change but they stick to their origional grid system.

Lupton Grid

2010-04-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

In Lupton's chapter on 'Grids' there she says "No book about typography would be complete without a a discussion of the golden section," The golden section is a ratio that has been used in western art for thousands of years, the formula is a: b=b:(a+b), side A is to side B as side B is to the sum of all sides. Lupton says the golden section has captivated both artists and graphic designers for years and now, with the explosion of the internet and increased focus on web-design, many designers are exploring how the golden section translates onto the web. I decided I would look at my favorite websites and see if I could fin d one that followed the idea. On gawker, I found something similar. All the main portions of the page are rectangular. The main// most important content of the page is along a center rectangular box, the center portion is cut up into smaller rectangles for each different post. The left column of the page is saved for add space and on right of the page there is another column of smaller rectangles that host the authors, comments and tags for each post. I think the design works for the website. it gets the reader the most important information first, minimizes the annoyance of necessary adds and is pretty interesting to look at.

Grid

2010-04-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Like Aaron said, everytime I read a chapter in Lupton I begin to analyze everything and look at graphics in a completely different way. When I was looking at the examples in Luptons book I didn't realize how much variation there is in size and shape in layouts.

For example theres never a magazine layout that has a grid divided into 4 equal squares 2 squares filled with pictures and 2 filled with type. The variation in size and shape is what makes a layout so appealing to the eye. Grids are every, magazines, websites, posters, books, even a cereal box can be looked at as a grid.

for example, one of Nordstroms layouts show consistency by using the same size square for the products, but the message "the whole story" is in slightly different box and doesn't have a partner box below it.

The grid to the right is a layout in cosmopolitan. This layout shows variation of shapes, sizes and fonts. This picture is so engaging to the eye because there is so much variation however it is still neat and still has a good flow to the page. I am attracted more to this spread than i am to the Nordstrom ad. The Nordstrom webpage is a little boring where as the cosmopolitan layout is much more engaging

Lupton - Grid

2010-04-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Like the previous sections of Lupton’s book, “Grid” made me look at websites, books, magazines, etc. in a whole new way. Unlike the use of typography however, I have to say I was basically oblivious to the use of grids in design before taking this class. I realized that the sections of websites and magazines had some thinking behind them, but I never put together that they are based on grids as sort of “skeletons.”

I think news sites tend to have pretty obvious grids. The Onion, despite being a fake news site, still uses its grid well. At the top of the home page, the more important stories take up more columns. This, coupled with the use of typography and other design choices, draws the reader’s eye where the editors want. If you scroll down the page, the most recent stories from each of the publication’s sections are displayed. They each are contained within one column, which creates balance. None of these sections are more important than the others.

Lupton "Grid"

2010-03-31T17:48:00.000-07:00

When we look at a web page, magazine article, or even a book, we can analyze the font, the graphics, and the way things are spaced. We seldom think about the "Grid", or the technological framework of typography (Lupton, 113). I found it interesting when Lupton described Grids as "art of framing, a form designed to melt away as it yields itself to content." (Lupton, 115) This definition rings true to me because I find myself hardly every noticing the grid that is surrounding whatever text I am reading.

We are exposed to grids everyday when we look at different websites. They are a prime example of the way grids work to form a frame for the text while still being subtle enough not to take away from content.

A prime example of grid work is Facebook.

Facebook has set up their grid so that the eye can easily absorb all of the information thrown it's way as soon as the site is brought up. The middle of the grid is the widest because most people look there first, with links and ads on either side of the middle grid with the main information. It is a strategic way for Facebook to get its users to not only focus on the information their friends are providing them with, but also information that advertisers and the site itself are trying to send your way.

We may not think about grids very much, but they are what make it possible for us to take in information because it allows for organization and flow that can help us make sense of anything we are looking at.

"Grid"

2010-03-31T06:15:00.000-07:00

Whether we think about it or not, we're always encountering grids; as students, we see them in books, magazines, websites, maybe even assignments. In my opinion, a good grid is one that almost goes unnoticed; I think a pattern should be evident, but subtle, and the other graphics should be the ones to draw in the reader. The New York Times website is not one of these good examples. Personally, I hate this page. They go so far as to have five columns, which makes the page look cramped, and sometimes they attempt to fit in so many stories, the headlines are nearly impossible to focus in on. I look at this home page and my head starts to spin - I don't know where or at what I should look first. I know the NYT has a lot of news to disseminate, but there has to be a better, less-cramped layout with which to do so.

Lupton: Grid System

2010-03-30T22:11:00.001-07:00

In this section, Lupton discusses why a grid system is vital in graphic design. Lupton says, “A grid breaks space or time into regular units… they establish a system for arranging content within the space of page, screen, or built environment. Essentially what Lupton is saying is that grids are used to make content simpler to view. As consumers, we see so much text each day we start to overlook the grid system that is used. A site I look at daily is CNN.com. It is my news source and the first thing I look at when I wake up. CNN.com uses a repetitive grid system throughout their whole site.

The site is setup the same way in each section, whether it is the home page, entertainment, technology they all use the same grid system. All the way to the left is latest news, in the center is the feature, and on the right are advertisements. CNN.com uses this for a cohesive feeling that helps the audience easily navigate through the site. I find that CNN.com is very easy to browse and very straightforward. I think it creates a very structured look that helps the reader find what they are looking for. I do not think CNN.com’s grid system causes tension because the site is simple to get around, if anything, it gets rid of any tension by helping the reader through the site easier.

To further exemplify how CNN.com uses their grid system the same throughout their site, here are 3 different snapshots of 3 separate sections of the site.

Grid Blog

2010-03-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

Grid systems are the basis for the design layout of all graphics, whether it is newspaper, magazine, or the web. Seldom do you think about how a grid system can make or break a page. If it is poorly designed (because of the grid layout) then people do not like it; however, if it is well designed it is easy to navigate around and looks well put together. I really like the design layout of this page. The grid system is very simple, yet powerful. I like how the image at the top is separated by the grid; however, due to continuity (and how we close in shapes) the picture flows. I also, like the clean cut layout of the words...it is only two columns but i like it because it is not cluttered.

Resident Advisor Grid.

2010-03-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

The way this website, Resident Advisor, is set up reminds me of USA Today. The colored tabs always remind you what section of the site you're in. The screencaps below are just from the main page, but even when you click on individual features or stories, the color of the tabs and headline font are colored accordingly. There are three main columns in the grid, and within it, it can house even two smaller tabs (up at the very top). Even all the pictures in the site fit within the columns. This site shares a lot in common with Beatport, also screencapped below, and the way both approach their content by packaging it in nice digestible pieces has always made these two sites approachable to me.

Lupton III: Grid (Starter Post)

2010-03-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

In the last section of the Lupton's "Thinking With Type" she describes grids and their importance to all forms of graphic design, whether they be print or web based.

"For graphic designers, grids are carefully honed intellectual devices, infused with ideology and ambition, and they are the inescapable mesh that filters at some level of resolution, nearly every system of writing and reproduction." (113)

Grids certainly do guide design, whether it is in the making or breaking of the grid. Magazines and newspapers thrive on a grid system in order to create consistent environments that are functional and reproducible. Some have challenged this layout. We'll at a few slides from David Carson in a few weeks (click name to watch a video) and his design for "Raygun" magazine from the 1990's and you'll see how he broke the grid. But even in breaking the grid a system of order is created, that although not traditional in a linear sense, still can feel very natural and organized.

Lupton goes on to discuss the power of grids in magazine and print design and the evolution of the grid in web design through tables and Cascading Style Sheets and the more free form environment afforded by the use of Flash. Which leads us to your objective, should you choose to accept it...

Find an example of a grid system being used in print or on the web. You can select from magazines, web sites or newspapers. Discuss the grid system in place. How well do the designs work within the boundaries, or even by breaking boundaries of the grid? Our minds are trained to see and be comfortable with order. We organize the second we look at anything because of those Gestalt principles and our craving for the whole. How does the grid in your example aid the reader or user? Does it engage them with its structure or lack thereof? Does it cause tension, either positive or negative?

Attach screen shots, links or images in order to help illustrate your example.

Screen capture on a MAC:
Apple Key + Shift + 3

Screen capture on a PC:
Hit the "Print Screen" button (usually found on the top right of the keyboard).

Sean Silva: Stationary and Rationale

2010-03-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

Visual Message

This stationary kit’s primary message is the concept of global communication. I expect to work on Wall Street one day in the investor relations field, where communication in a variety of languages is essential to daily operations. I intended to portray myself, a trilingual public relations major who has lived in four different countries, as a global communicator. Incorporating the global concept into the stationary also helps establish a certain type of power behind the message, as it suggests a broader range of communication and operations.

Audience
This kit is designed to target corporations seeking to hire an investor relations firm to boost their financial image.

Design Strategy
The logo’s main point of emphasis is the speech bubble connecting to the globe. Both the bubble and globe are at full opacity for the business card because it is a finished product and thus does not need more text to be added. The envelope and stationary, however, the opacity is much lighter, serving more as a frame for destination addresses, project or report titles, etc. I used stained glass as texture for the land on the globe to give off a sense of population, specifically all the different sources and people involved in global communication. I tried to use as many small cells as possible to project the very busy, populated and diverse environment associated with the investor relations industry, or any type of global industry for that matter. I used the color green as a general background color to offset the green on the globe with the intention of not distracting the viewer’s attention away from the speech bubble. It was also important to alter the background tone based on the different types of systems.
The Copperplate font helps extract the bold impression I am trying to create, particularly with its all-caps format.
I wanted the business card to project a very bold and strong image, as this is typically the first “line of defense” to cross when trying to acquire a new client. For the envelope and stationary, the point of emphasis is the information that is manually placed in the speech bubble by those who use the product, so I went with a sleeker, much thinner set of crossing lines. These lines are less distracting and help the viewer focus on the speech bubble, which is already at a lower opacity for the envelope and stationary than it was for the business card, making it less likely to stand out when up against a stronger background.
I chose to bleed the globe off the page for both stylistic purposes and to project a sense of range and distance which, in my mind, portrays experience and knowledge.

Style Sheet
STATIONARY NAME: Copperplate Bold. 48/57.6, Metrics Kerning. Tracking 0.
STATIONARY ADDRESS: Copperplate Bold. 8/9.6, Metrics Kerning. Tracking 0.
BUSINESS CARD NAME: Copperplate Bold. 12/14. Metrics Kerning. Tracking 0.
BUSINESS CARD ADDRESS: Copperplate Bold. 8/9.6, Metrics Kerning. Tracking 0.
ENVELOPE NAME: Copperplate Bold. 12/14. Metrics Kerning. Tracking 0.
ENVELOPE ADDRESS: Copperplate Bold. 8/9.6, Metrics Kerning. Tracking 0.

Sources and Influences
I referred to a few stationeries online before creating my own. All of them helped establish a foundation in my mind for how I wanted to approach the project. The full web links for these stationeries are as follows:
1) http://www.webdandy.co.uk/images/stationery.gif
2) http://www.newdreamdesign.com/images/aspire_web_stationery.jpg
3) http://www.logodesignteam.com.au/stationery%20Design%2011.jpg

Nicole Bender Logo System

2010-03-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Nicole Bender

Project: logo system

Date: March 11, 2010

Visual message: One of my hobbies is baking; my visual message is to show that I love to bake and that I am a bright and vibrant person. By using hot pink and lime green I am showing that colors of my personality. The crooked cupcake also shows that I am not a serious person.

Audience: my audience are most likely parents and adults looking for baked goods who don’t have the time to bake and my peers who don’t know how to bake.

Design strategy: at first glance my logo is a bright cupcake; however, I think it says much more than that. My name is lowercase letters that shows that I am young; the colors represent the vibrancy to my personality. The crooked cupcake shows that I am not a very stiff or serious person.

Style sheet:

Stationary name: avenir lt std 65 medium, 37/14.4, metrics kerning, 0 tracking.

Stationary address & email: avenir lt std 65 medium, 9/10.8, 0 kerning, 0 tracking

Business card name: avenir lt std 65 medium, 14/16.8, metrics kerning, 0 tracking

Business card contact info: avenir lt std 65 medium, 9/10.8, metrics kerning, 0 tracking

Envelope name: avenir lt std 65 medium, 14/16.8. 0 kerning, 0 tracking

Envelope address: avenir lt std 65 medium, 9/10.8, 0 kerning, 0 tracking.