Print Magazine

This was the magazine that I chose for my examination. It's the Summer, July/August issue.

Basically, Print magazine is a magazine for graphic designers, illustrators, architects (possibly), art admirers and artists. The magazine not only covers topics in the graphic world but it also reports on environmental exhibits, installations, unique methods of art, etc. For example, it discusses some of the installations that were made by a design class at NYC's School of Visual Art and some of the New York's architectual designs in their libraries. I started to wonder whether Print is based in NYC.

The front of book design basically consists of basics seen in mainstream magazines like music, books, furniture, etc. but it highlights the artistic value in the item. The music section talks about Peter Saville's album art used for one of New Order's album. The other departments mimic this outline. In the column they move on to critique the art and how effective it is. Then it goes on to talk to a actual designer. Then it describes the breakthroughs in design or the trends in design like how white space or not designing anything at all can be good for a design and designing to aid the environment.

Then it has actual features that highlight, describe or inform readers about a artistic trend and/or exhibit going on in the art world like the NYC libraries architectural designs. The back of book, reviews designs books and other forms of media. The departments in the magazine seem to be a bit clutter and tend to share space with tons of ads. I will admit there are times when a reader is left to wonder whether an article is an ad or an actual article. The designs are so edgy and detailed that it's difficult to differentiate.


There are tons of ads sprinkled throughout the magazine. At times it is difficult to figure out where articles began and end. The features tend to be more open and use more white space. The photos are usually placed in the gutter and tend to work well their. The photos also make up a design with themselves. The magazine I believe uses a grid for the departments but not for the features. The departments are probably used on a two column grid since the department columns are pretty wide. I think that the magazine probably reflects the way design world was three years ago but I would like to read a recent issue before I totally discount the magazine.

Africa Designs

This week I pretty much worked on my feature from last week. I have to say this has been the biggest challenge design-wise that I've ever had. I like how the spread initially turned out but after all the revisions, I have to say that it's not one of my favorite designs anymore.

Initially we started with:





I have to admit that with this draft, I had no clue of how I wanted to arrange the photos since I thought that each were equally important. This will change in later editions. Matt, the editor of Vox Magazine, commented that he liked the hard hat and hammer, but then they wondered if this could have been misleading to the reader since no one was wearing hard hats in the photos. So this was a factor I decided to change. Plus the editors felt like we needed something to identify place or location.









Yeah this probably won't be a piece that I will put into my portfolio.

CIO: Acido Surtido

Last week, Lyndy, a fellow student and Houstonian commented on my last post about Lumpen Magazine. Here's what she said:

This magazine looks really cool. I like their design style a lot, but I do wish I could see it from a closer perspective. Some of their stuff reminds me of the magazine I worked for in Argentina.


Well this week on Designing Magazines, Rothstein analyzed this magazine called Acido Surtido. Hmm. Could Jandos possibly be tuning into our thoughts?

Anyway, now I see what Lyndy was talking about. From looking at some of the covers, they are definitely edgy and visual. They use many illustrations and what not I think it's a definite must see. It's a magazine that is funded through the Ministry of Type organization. The name roughly translates as Acid Mix. Their magazine seems to have a lot of illustrations. Their covers definitely depend on an audience that knows who they are because their name isn't ever large on their cover. Which makes me wonder if they sell it on the newsstands?


Judge for yourself about how you feel about the magazine.









This is one of the spreads in their magazine. I have to say that I definitely admire grid designs with color overlays.

Also, there is new site that I found. Many in the design world might know about her bt I just found out about her a few weeks ago. Ever since I discovered the site I can't help going to it every day. She doesn't update it everyday but she has cool tutorials on it that use Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. I thought this was definitely something that we could all use for our portfolio websites.

Veerle's a graphic/web designer based out of Belgium and she has tutorials for Adobe programs as well as XHTML/CSS tutorials. It's definitely worth checking out.

Veerle's Blog

Habitat in Africa

I'm currently working on my most recent editions of the Habitat story. I have found that it is really hard to come up with great art for a story that doesn't require that much art. I want to go all our for the story but I don't know how to do that without making the story's design seem overpowering or like it's too much. I know that I'm not proud of the ones that I turned in last week.

With one I was trying to show the significance of AIDS in this woman's story but they told me that probably wasn't what the story was about. I tried to also use a ambiguous blueprint but I realize that idea didn't come across quite like I had planned. So I'm trying new and different things.

CIO: Lumpen magazine

Apparently there is a Chicago-based magazine, that has an innovative design and great reporting according to Rothstein. The magazine is called Lumpen magazine and reports on cultural, social and political issues that aren't covered very often in the mainstream media. It printed on newsprint paper but it's very colorful and has great designs inside.



I like how they use a pattern to spell out the headline. Although from this distance, I can't tell if they are ants or if they are just a normal pattern. I think the sans serif type worked will well with the design also. I think that if they tried to use anything any different then it probably would've made the opening spread look too over done and unreadable.





I honestly like the way they used the grid on this spread. It's kind of like what I used for the music section for this week. I think that random cropping can make any layout work if it is done correctly. Sometimes that's easy to accomplish and other times it's not. But this is definitely one that I admire.



Lately I've been perusing tutorials on Layers Magazine's website. And they talk about how to mask type of photos and normally I probably wouldn't go for this since if the photo wasn't set in a sepia tone. But I think it definitely makes the spread work. Plus the color alone isn't really to my liking but I think that it really makes the spread stand out.

I think this is definitely magazine that I could take a few pointers from. I can't wait to see if I can get my hands on it. Apparently it's been in print for about eighteen years. But sadly their great design isn't reflected on their website. In fact they rarely update it. I wonder if people who aren't Chicagoeans can order it. Hm.

Creative Assessment

I didn't realize how many designers have hang ups about their work. I didn't think that everyone naturally loved the work that they created but at the same time I didn't think that many people were that conscious about their work. Some of the people that I think are so great for some reason admitted not always liking their work.

I also liked how we each viewed being a warrior, an explorer and a poet differently. I think that each reflected our creative ideas and perspectives. Honestly though I think that I gave lengthy answers to too many of them. I was also surprised that have creative studies out there that study these behaviors in designers. I find that funny yet interesting.

But I think it will be great to see them in about two years where ever we may be. At the same time though, I'm not really sure I will get it back since I don't know where I will be and neither do my parents since they move every year.

I'm curious to see how I will view all of this in a few years. Will I look back at it and reflect happily on this year and taking this class or will I look back on this year and hate it? Will I have improved creatively by that time or will I still be this bad or worse? I think things will change that's for sure. I know sometimes when I look back upon the work that did while at Stephens, I'm more proud of it now than I was then. In fact to some extent, I think that I romanticize some of the creative works that I did there in writing and design.

I just wonder if I will be doing the same thing about five years from now. I guess I can only wait and see.

MAP Seminar

I went to the MAP seminar the other day that was instructed by the designer of STL Magazine. I thought that it was very informative. It's really cool to be in the same room with other designers and editors of magazine publications. After seeing many of Angela's designs, I realized that illustrations don't have to be cartoonish or really out there. Cartoonish is good at times but you don't have to be an illustrator pro to make up a good design.

Good designs are all about layering. I do that with fan art that I create but I guess I assumed that because magazines are all about news, there is no way that a designer would be allowed to incorporate a design. That definitely opened up my eyes to new ways to design.

Something that never ceases to amaze me is how often stock photography is used in the magazine world. Growing up, I always assumed that photo shoots were done left and right when it came to creating magazines but over the years, I've come to learn that it's quite the opposite.

True/False disappointments and spring break sighs

For the past two years, I have been desperately trying to get to this film festival and every year I either forget it's going on, I can't get in or I don't have time to go. This past weekend my schedule was pretty full. I worked at my job the majority of the weekend plus I had to shoot or my photography class and I was working a few spreads. I had homework in just about every class and lately pulling it over has been difficult. I just keep trying to keep in mind that spring break is almost here.

Well on Saturday night, I tried to buy tickets in advance to a few shows but I wasn't able to. So I tried to get to make it to the last movie at the Tiger Columns that night. I believe it was An Alternative To Slitting Your Wrist. I arrived an hour early because that's what the lady on the phone had told me, a ticket person had also told me to do so earlier that day and the website suggested that I arrive an hour early. Yet once a friend and I got there, we found out that there was only 15 queue tickets left. Shortly after, we found out that we had been misinformed and there weren't any. I don't think that I really became excited until I got there. But once I found out that I couldn't get in, I was very disappointed. I asked the ticket girl if I would able to get into the early show or if I could purchase tickets in advance. Apparently once the festival started, they weren't selling tickets in advance anymore. One of the ushers suggested that I should come in early the next morning. But they felt like it might be unlikely that I would get tickets. So as it goes this was another year where I wasn't able to attend the festival. *tear* Maybe one day I will be able attend the SXSW festival in Austin.

CIO: Typographical Mugs and Escalator Hair

I saw this on Swiss Miss and I thought it was the coolest thing. This couple came up with the concept of using a mug to identify the difference between hot and cold. As soon as you put a hot or cold liquid into the mug, it immediately changes from color. The words are displayed in reverse type on black and white backgrounds. As many of us stay in Starbucks to keep us up during those late night design shifts, I think this would be a good addition to our collection of cups. I swear sometimes I just love typography. It's really idea to conveying a certain type of idea to an audience.



As some of you know, I'm currently working on designing a couple of guerilla campaigns for my independent study project. I'm always looking for inspiration for my creative ideas. Here's another one. You know how right before you go to a salon, you visualize like million different styles on your hair. But you just never know until you get it what is the right haircut or hairstyle for you. I think this concept definitely works. I think that it is something that everyone can identify with and it is placed perfectly, which is usually most important when it comes down to designing guerilla ad campaigns.

Hectic Week of Design

This week my plate runneth over with designing. I've had alot of designs due this week on top of the meredith design. But I think that the Meredith design really pushed me over the edge because I stayed up really late to finish it. I can't believe that I stayed for a full 24 hours without sleep. Yet it seems like I'm about to do this all over again.

*sighs* First off this week, I had to design a spread and a half for Global Journalist.



I was trying to come up with something simple but eye catching. I decided to use a drop cap to try to pull the reader's eye to the article. I also wanted to run the heading pretty big to try to attract a reader. I also wanted to use hierarchy. I think that it came out pretty well, though I believe that more could be done to it to make it more interesting. I was homing that making the two minor words "miss this" wouldn't attract the reader too much since it is a different color than than the rest of the heading. I ran the image at the top to try to keep the photo in a spot in case it runs on the left side of the magazine.



On the second spread, I wanted the photo to stand out from the rest of the spread so I ran the photo close to the top of the page and arranged the text around it. I also noticed when I switched these pdfs to jpegs that the second red line didn't come out on the layout. There is suppose to be another red line under the pullquote. Looking at it again before posting, I realized that I probably decreased some of the line spacing, run the font bigger and change the color to gray. I think that would make the design pop out more. When I can get back to computer with CS3, I'm going to change to make those changes and see how it works out.


On the third page, I decided that the text was a little too overwhelming so I decided to run another drop cap in the story about half way down the page. To also try to break up the overwhelming amounts of text, I decided to run the sidebar through the center of the story. I was also trying something new to see if it work for the design. I think that for right now it turned out pretty well. Much of my inspiration for this spread came from Mother Jones, Newsweek and other newsweeklies. I started to design some motifs into the spread to try to make the story look good but I decided that they would probably be too overwhelming for the story and would take away from the seriousness of the issue.

Like many of my fellow classmates, I had to design my Meredith prototype. I was really burning the midnight oil with this project. I tried to start on it early but my flash project took up so much of time that I was unable to get the project started any earlier. I will have to start improving that aspect of my life. I need to stop procrastinating.

I am in Readymade group one. The name of our magazine is ReMake. My group decided that we would redesign the magazine to target the audience of young adults that just moved out of their parents homes and into their own digs. The magazine has to target those groups of consumers but it must also get them ready to transition into the parent company, Readymade later shortly after college or whenever they decide to move on to their publication. Like many female readers do when they are switching from Seventeen to Cosmo once they get to college.

My prototype is as follows:



In the midst of a second wind early that morning, I realized that I could use Urban Outfitters photos from their catalog at least for the prototype. I didn't realize how big their photos are. They seem to have a pretty high resolution. Even though right now, there is alot of dead space in the photo, I think the type made up for that. My group wants a magazine that will entice readers who shop in thrift stores and resale shops. They like doing DIY things but they aren't necessarily homemakers or may not aspire to be that one day. I thought that using different colors and making the cover mimic a collage would reflect the grass roots attitude to that type of reader. That's also why I ran the square background behind the "Re" in remake.



With this cover, I was trying to keep with the same idea. Although I wanted to bring a little innovation to the cover, so I stretched the logo to the edges. I ran the motto underneath the logo this time instead of inside of the letters. I tried to shrink it down to where it would run inside of the letters but it proved to be too small to read. This time I ran a thinner font on the cover because I thought it would be easy to read if one was passing by it in the supermarket or bookstore. I decided to differentiate the larger story at the bottom by running in a larger font with an outline on the letters. I like it but I can't decide if there is a way I could improve it just yet.







Much of this layout was inspired Esquire and other male magazines. I was also inspired by cubism. I can't say how many times I was tempted to put a light motif or design on the page in order to make it look visually appealing but I had to constantly remind myself that we were trying entice more male readers to want to pick up the publication. I still think there were probably better ways to incorporate rules into the design. But I will work on that more later.

I am also currently working on my first feature spread. I will post photos of it a little later.