CIO: Hi Fructose

I think that magazine definitely shows why designers shouldn't go too far and go too artsy. Many times just using a little bit of illustration in a publication can look really nice. But when the line becomes blurred, that's when you know that you've pushed it too far. Hi Fructoseis that magazine that hasn't realized this rule yet.



Don't get met wrong. The cover looks very cool with the two separate layers on the cover of the girl and the monster/bug. I think that effect is cool and makes the reader feel like they are the girl because they are looking through her eyes. But from there slowly your appreciate for the magazine depreciates.



I liked this spread alot. I felt like it really illustrated the Victorian style of art but with a twist. The girl seems to have been created in the image of Chucky. Hm. Maybe she could be his sister or something. This spreads borderlines the darker side of life but I like it. I don't know the font is little unreaderable. That can be a problem. It's decorative but it goes bit too far.




I like how simple the background is but I think once it starts to interfere with the text, you've created a problem for the reader. The reader is going to be more distracted by what's going on in the background than what the article's about.



This spread is very mysterious but it leads to a problem of visual adjacency.

Can you figure out which photo is the ad and which is the opening photo for a story?

You literally have to look at the spread for a few minutes to figure out which is which. The one on the left is the ad; the one on the right is the beginning of a spread. I like the illustration but it makes the reader confused. Plus both are demanding equal attention. So you can't decide which you want to delve into first. As a designer, you're suppose to help a reader decide what's more relevant and what is actually apart of the publication and what isn't.




Typographical Master!

This week, just for font. Try to the font quiz. It's fun trying to guess what fonts are what. I got a few right and then there are some that I saw that I wanted to download just to study and use them. They looked really cool. Others, I've seen before but when it came down to trying to compare them to others that I hadn't seen in awhile, I was confused.

First time around, I got 19 out of 34. There are still many that I have to learn. But it's fun to try and see if you can get in the hall of fame.