And here are some photos of the real thing. I'm very happy with how it turned out. I was worried that the text wouldn't fit in the spine properly but lulu managed to print the book very well. Kudos to them.
Bibliography
14 years ago
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Final Context Book Photos
And here are some photos of the real thing. I'm very happy with how it turned out. I was worried that the text wouldn't fit in the spine properly but lulu managed to print the book very well. Kudos to them.
Final Context Book
Open publication - Free publishing - More editorial
This is the issuu version of my book. Ignore the stripes that sometimes appear in the middle of the page. These are the just the bleed that I had to include to upload it to lulu correctly.
Computer Arts Magazine
This is the editorial design issue of Computer Arts magazine. Unfortunately it doesn't come out until 9th September but the features on the cover sound great. The cover was designed by Matt Taylor who based it on a Beastie Boys album cover. He posted its development on his blog. I'll definitely be picking up this issue!
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Interviews With Hinterland/Music
My Lulu.com order has been updated to shipped so hopefully it will arrive in time now. However, when I checked my email today it said I had received a response from Hinterland. It says it was sent on 20th August, just a few hours after I sent my order to Lulu. It then appeared in my inbox about 3 times so I think they must've had some trouble with servers or something. So unfortunately, I can't include it in the book, which is such a shame because Scott has answered these so thoroughly! The things hes written are very interesting so I suppose it benefits me anyway. I will post it here instead. I've also received an email from Music today asking if I still want it doing, so I've not got the answers but at least they've responded.
Here is my interview with Scott from Hinterland:
1) What first made you interested in graphic design, in particular typography and layout?
To be quite honest, growing up I had absolutely no concept of graphicdesign as a career. Around the age of 12 I created a logo for a local snowboard shop. The name of the shop was Eastern Snowboard Supplies. All I wanted to do was draw a guy on on a snowboard with the initials for the shop 'ESS' on the bottom of the board. The owner insisted I include the entire name; the phone number and it all must fit in a circle for printing purposes when making stickers. I guess that was my first unintentional experience with graphic design.
2) How did you start out in graphic design, and get yourself noticed in the industry?
After graduating from High School I hopped around a bit attending a few universities before I landed at School of Visual Arts in New York City. After a foundation year in design I had only a very basic understanding of design but I found work at a small design studio in Italy for a few months (Hand Made Group) mostly working on newsletters, brochure and clothing labels for textile companies. After I returned to NYC I had to enroll in my 3rd year classes at SVA. Almost all the professors who teach there are working professionals in the design field so I searched out the ones with the best reputations and enrolled in their classes. I landed a class with the extremely talented Carin Goldberg and that is essentially where my 'design career' began. She helped me land an internship with Abbott Miller, a partner at Pentagram, which then led to a full-time position with another partner there, Woody Pirtle. I spent 2 years at Pentagram then I moved on to work on a magazine launch after which I founded Hinterland in 2003.
3) What does an average day consist of for you?
I definitely have a daily routine. I get into the office early before everyone else when it is still quiet. First I put on my slippers (we all wear MUJI slippers here, a uniform of sorts... comfort is king), make an espresso, read the news online, answer emails, and maybe peruse a few blogs before tackling the 2-do list for the day.
4) Who/What has been your inspiration for your design work?
Big studios, small studios, and greats from design history and present-day talents... the list is endless. A small sampling would be: Lester Beall, Paul Rand, Josef Muller-Brockmann, Chermayeff Geismar, Herb Lubalin, Josef Frank, Dick Bruna, John Gall, Chip Kidd, Abbott Miller, Luke Hayman, Vince Frost, etc
5) How much does budget play a part in your design process?
There are three basic ways to look at a budget. Good work / Bad pay, Bad work / Good pay, and Good work / Good pay (there is always a fourth option that is an obvious NO... Bad work / Bad pay). Every studio has to entertain these options at various points but the right balance must be found.
6) How important is the cover of a publication as opposed to the design of the inner spreads?
They are both equally important from a design perspective but if you were to ask a person on the sales side of a magazine they would most likely say the cover would be the most important. In a traditional sense a magazine is to be purchased on a newsstand. All sorts of criteria must be taken into account when the magazine is displayed; logo placement, cover lines, UPC Symbol, etc.
7) When you develop a design, in what order do you undertake a project and
then in which order do you work?
Research, Research, Research, Write, and Design. The more informed you are when designing the greater possibility of an outcome that will satisfy the end user and client. Designing is like an equation in mathematics except that 2 + 2 does not equal 4, that would be too simple. Instead we end up with Form + Content equals the 'Finished Product'.
8) What attributes should a good layout have and why?
Essentially it should never be form over function. Editorial design should not be decoration. When designing a page we must keep in mind formal elements such as scale, color, texture, image placement, etc. but never forget the content we are working with which provides the designer with multiple puzzle pieces to use... a well written Hed, Dek, Drop Caps, Intro, Body copy, Captions, Pull Quotes, Folios, Headers, Footers, etc. The more points of entry on a page the more opportunity the designer has to engage and excite the reader.
9) What considerations need to be made when developing a layout for
editorial design?
I guess you can refer to questions 6 and 8 for the answers. I don't think I can add much more.
10) Which publications do you think are particularly well designed?
Present publications... WIRED, Work, 2wice, Monocle, Frame, New York Times, Sunday Magazine, BIG, etc.
Past Publications... LIFE, The FACE, Grafik, Avante Garde, etc.
11) Where do you see editorial design heading in the future?
One word... IPAD.
Even though I love the printed page and the smell of fresh ink right from the press it does seem to be an important piece of technology. It may not kill the printed magazine but the way the reader experiences editorial content will change and these changes will definitely be incorporated into a printed piece in the future.
12) Anything else you’d like to add, or any other advice you could give to a budding designer?
Cliché as it may sound. Love what you do, do what you love... Ignore the paycheck (for a bit that is)
Here is my interview with Scott from Hinterland:
1) What first made you interested in graphic design, in particular typography and layout?
To be quite honest, growing up I had absolutely no concept of graphicdesign as a career. Around the age of 12 I created a logo for a local snowboard shop. The name of the shop was Eastern Snowboard Supplies. All I wanted to do was draw a guy on on a snowboard with the initials for the shop 'ESS' on the bottom of the board. The owner insisted I include the entire name; the phone number and it all must fit in a circle for printing purposes when making stickers. I guess that was my first unintentional experience with graphic design.
2) How did you start out in graphic design, and get yourself noticed in the industry?
After graduating from High School I hopped around a bit attending a few universities before I landed at School of Visual Arts in New York City. After a foundation year in design I had only a very basic understanding of design but I found work at a small design studio in Italy for a few months (Hand Made Group) mostly working on newsletters, brochure and clothing labels for textile companies. After I returned to NYC I had to enroll in my 3rd year classes at SVA. Almost all the professors who teach there are working professionals in the design field so I searched out the ones with the best reputations and enrolled in their classes. I landed a class with the extremely talented Carin Goldberg and that is essentially where my 'design career' began. She helped me land an internship with Abbott Miller, a partner at Pentagram, which then led to a full-time position with another partner there, Woody Pirtle. I spent 2 years at Pentagram then I moved on to work on a magazine launch after which I founded Hinterland in 2003.
3) What does an average day consist of for you?
I definitely have a daily routine. I get into the office early before everyone else when it is still quiet. First I put on my slippers (we all wear MUJI slippers here, a uniform of sorts... comfort is king), make an espresso, read the news online, answer emails, and maybe peruse a few blogs before tackling the 2-do list for the day.
4) Who/What has been your inspiration for your design work?
Big studios, small studios, and greats from design history and present-day talents... the list is endless. A small sampling would be: Lester Beall, Paul Rand, Josef Muller-Brockmann, Chermayeff Geismar, Herb Lubalin, Josef Frank, Dick Bruna, John Gall, Chip Kidd, Abbott Miller, Luke Hayman, Vince Frost, etc
5) How much does budget play a part in your design process?
There are three basic ways to look at a budget. Good work / Bad pay, Bad work / Good pay, and Good work / Good pay (there is always a fourth option that is an obvious NO... Bad work / Bad pay). Every studio has to entertain these options at various points but the right balance must be found.
6) How important is the cover of a publication as opposed to the design of the inner spreads?
They are both equally important from a design perspective but if you were to ask a person on the sales side of a magazine they would most likely say the cover would be the most important. In a traditional sense a magazine is to be purchased on a newsstand. All sorts of criteria must be taken into account when the magazine is displayed; logo placement, cover lines, UPC Symbol, etc.
7) When you develop a design, in what order do you undertake a project and
then in which order do you work?
Research, Research, Research, Write, and Design. The more informed you are when designing the greater possibility of an outcome that will satisfy the end user and client. Designing is like an equation in mathematics except that 2 + 2 does not equal 4, that would be too simple. Instead we end up with Form + Content equals the 'Finished Product'.
8) What attributes should a good layout have and why?
Essentially it should never be form over function. Editorial design should not be decoration. When designing a page we must keep in mind formal elements such as scale, color, texture, image placement, etc. but never forget the content we are working with which provides the designer with multiple puzzle pieces to use... a well written Hed, Dek, Drop Caps, Intro, Body copy, Captions, Pull Quotes, Folios, Headers, Footers, etc. The more points of entry on a page the more opportunity the designer has to engage and excite the reader.
9) What considerations need to be made when developing a layout for
editorial design?
I guess you can refer to questions 6 and 8 for the answers. I don't think I can add much more.
10) Which publications do you think are particularly well designed?
Present publications... WIRED, Work, 2wice, Monocle, Frame, New York Times, Sunday Magazine, BIG, etc.
Past Publications... LIFE, The FACE, Grafik, Avante Garde, etc.
11) Where do you see editorial design heading in the future?
One word... IPAD.
Even though I love the printed page and the smell of fresh ink right from the press it does seem to be an important piece of technology. It may not kill the printed magazine but the way the reader experiences editorial content will change and these changes will definitely be incorporated into a printed piece in the future.
12) Anything else you’d like to add, or any other advice you could give to a budding designer?
Cliché as it may sound. Love what you do, do what you love... Ignore the paycheck (for a bit that is)
Friday, 20 August 2010
Ordered Books
Just ordered my design context book from lulu.com. I also decided to get a better copy of my magic booklet printed for the other part of the FMP. I chose ground shipping because it said 3-5 business days so this all cost me £25 in total. Hopefully they will arrive in time!!
Cover Designs
Some different designs for the cover. I want it to be very simplistic and Modernist. I tried to use design elements that feature in the book so it all links together. I liked the idea of a different colour bar as the spine but I don't know if I trust lulu to print it in exactly the right place, especially since I've never used them before. I think the last two are the best. I'm leaning towards the grey as the first few pages of the book are pink and I don't want pink overload.
Colour Scheme Changes...
This is the colour I originally wanted the bright parts to be. Its Pantone 805 M. When I try to use it, it comes out as a pale peach colour rather than neon coral.
When I try to change it to CMYK it comes out too red. So I tried to make it more orange.
This results in a terracotta colour, which I don't really like.
I then tried this teal colour. Its completely different to what I had planned but I think it looks pretty good. Its similar to the colours used on the cover of the New Look magazine I posted to this blog a little while ago. I'm not sure whether to go for it or persevere trying to get the neon coral colour...
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Near completion!
This is an upload of all the content pages together. From this I can see that the colour is completely wrong, I knew it would be as its a Pantone and lulu won't support that so thats one thing that needs to be changed. I also need to edit the contents page so its correct, edit the page numbers at the bottom of each page and change the section headings in the top right. Otherwise I think its looking quite good. I tried to get a good balance between image and text and structure it so it flows well. So far I think I have achieved these things. I also have to finish some cover designs but the book will DEFINITELY be sent to print tomorrow.
Typography Pages
The pages about type for editorial design. Most of the copy is from Zappaterra's Editorial Design. I felt it was important to add some bold images as a way of illustrating the type as there was a lot of information to write. Images are from Deanne Cheuk and the NY Times magazine.
Editorial Design Future
Finished the future of editorial design pages. The copy is half written by me, half from the article on Pentagram's blog that I posted earlier. The quotes are from email interviews I did and the image is from http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20100803/another-magazine-app-yep-but-this-ones-for-the-ladies-conde-nast-brings-glamour-to-the-ipad/.
Update
Some more pages that I've created/edited including contents, analysis of a front cover and an analysis of the poor design features of Pick Me Up. Now I just have to finish the sections on typography, layout the future of editorial design and design the cover!
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Cover Ideas
I drew out a few ideas for a cover design. I either want to go with a minimalist style a la grafik magazine or use the traditional visual language of a magazine cover with the title at the top, image in the middle and key features listed down the sides - not sure what image would go in the middle but perhaps it would work with type alone.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Developing Sections
For the inspiration section, I tried to use the same background for all off them as a way of showing that these link as one section of the book but I thought it looked too boring, so I'm going back to the different colour blocks behind the content.
I decided on a final design for the section of my work and did an introduction page to editorial design basics. Might change this to include a list of all the things this section will look at. I like this style so will use this for the rest of this section.
Page about production cycles of magazines depending on whether they're daily, weekly or monthly.
And I did the bibliography and acknowledgments pages too. The main things left to do are the cover, contents, magazine dissection, typography, layout, budget, unsuccessful design and future of design. Due to the interviews and inspiration getting messed about here is an updated structure:
Effective Editorial Design
Contents
Introduction
- About my design practice and why I have chosen to look at editorial design
- Influence on my work
Editorial Design Basics
- Production cycles
- Dissection of a magazine cover
- Type
- Layout
- Budget
Unsuccessful Editorial Design
The Future Of Editorial Design
Inspiration
- &Smith
- D8
- Deep
- Design Has No Name
- Emily Tu
- Form
- No Zine
- Nylon
- Pentagram
- Public
- Purpose
- Shaz Madani
- Sort Design
- The Consult
- Thirteen
Interviews
- Matt Austin
- David Bailey
- Axel Feldmann
- Holger Jacobs
- Ken Leung
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Final Interview Layouts
Finally finished the interview designs!! I'm pretty happy with these, they took a lot of work to get right but I think they look quite good. Thats 2 sections done, now to start doing the editorial design info pages. The neon orange varies between blog posts but thats because of overprint previewing them. The final print will hopefully be using the neon colour or as close as lulu can get it.
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