Response: "Graphic Style"

For my example of a spread inspired by a historical style, I chose this Q and A from Details. I recognized the leaning "A" from page 204 in "Graphic Style." According to the text, "Avant Garde" magazine's logo was designed by Herb Lubalin, a famous designer from the 60s. The 60s were a time of consumerism awareness. There was no dominating style; rather, a general appreciation for the "electic" was popular in designs. Here is a cover from "Avant Garde" magazine. You might recognize it from the font ITC Avant Garde.

Inspiration: Garrett Hedlund for Details

Garrett Hedlund was featured on the cover of Details for their February issue. They used some variation in the types of photos (detail, profile, etc.), and they went with an "On the Road" theme. I like the vertical pull quotes and the Flashdance-esque pose on the last page. 

You Can't Miss: Designing with Data

This week, Eye Magazine's blog covered a conference on designing with data. The annual "Design of Understanding" conference in London hosts a bunch of speakers who talk about the newest trends and developments in presenting information. According to the article, the U.K. has been on the forefront of humanist design, especially their government and all of its official documents, sites, and signs. One quote from the article really sums up the approach of the government designers:

"The mantras are ‘remember, we are designing information for people, not pushing pixels around the screen’ and ‘putting in the work to make it simple’."

When people hear "keep it simple," I think most assume that there will be little work involved. As if the more work you put in, the busier and less natural it will look. I think that's a nice summation of the designer's role: putting in the work to make it simple, almost translating information into an easy-to-digest format. I can think of some examples of complex ideas made easier to comprehend by putting them into simple formats. Here are some cool examples.

Photo Inspiration

I really like the starburst on the Calhoun's sign, as well as the repeating colors in the title. The sign also communicates a hierarchy of importance in the text, which helps the reader to know what to look at first.

Response: Thinking with Type

When reading this book, I had to resist the urge to flip through it and just admire the pictures and typefaces. That being said, there is some great content. Some of the most informative parts were about things you might take for granted as a reader. Spacing, dropcaps, why some fonts exude a certain mood or authority, and grids were all topics that stood out to me.

I've heard you have to know the rules before you break them, and this book definitely sets you up for rule-breaking. As for inspiration, there are some drawn typefaces in the beginning of the book that I really enjoyed.

You Can't Miss: A Zine of Giant Proportions

Eye Magazine's blog features Upon Paper this week. Upon Paper is described as "biannual / bilingual print publication" in the post, and it's available online or in an exhibit in Berlin. Paul Hetherington, the director, talks about his zine in an interview with Eye.

Here is a photo of the actual publication.
Credit: Eye Magazine's Blog (http://www.eyemagazine.com/blog/post/upon-paper)

Here is a photo from the Upon Paper exhibit in Berlin. This is one spread.
Credit: Eye Magazine's Blog (http://www.eyemagazine.com/blog/post/upon-paper)

The magazine measures 49 x 69 cm (19 x 27 in). Its creators made it huge to draw attention to the form so people would have to find a place to sit down and read it. The magazine's format and subject (color) is clearly meant for a particular art-world audience. Instead of calling color the theme, the director calls the choice "curatorial," referencing his role as more of someone directing an art exhibit than a zine. Still, the images in the zine are very appealing, and I think anyone could appreciate them. The images in the zine are very high res and vary from photography to art from Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon.

I think this article shows the unique way that the art world and publications can come together. Sometimes the line between is blurred.

Do you think this publication is accessible to a more general audience? What do you think a publication needs to have mass appeal?

Critique: Spring Preview Designs

Today we discussed our Spring Preview designs, which I found really helpful. One important thing I try to keep in mind while designing is that it isn't about your intentions for the design but how people receive it. Class feedback today helped me realize that my cover and feature lacked unity, which wouldn't fly in a real work environment. Also, if you're going to use an idea, you should really commit to it. Going all out is better than hinting at a concept. It feels more thought-out and fully-hatched (forgive the egg/thought comparison).

 Here is my cover. I designed the illustration on Illustrator. I love layering, and I know I'll try to find a way to incorporate it into future designs.

First page of spread. "Picnic" was supposed to be the theme. Erica suggested the addition of ants across the spread or half-eaten food. I think those would be really cute additions. I would definitely read a publication that had ants marching across a page.

Here is the second page of the spread. It's kind of plain, but I like how it came out.

Critiques like today really help me in my process and in playing out my ideas to their best potential. I'm sure we will have multiple critiques for some projects, and those will probably come out the best.