Intro to Layout

For my investigation into page layout, I selected this spread from September 2011 issue of WIRED  magazine. The page size is typical of most magazines: 8 3/8 x 10 7/8. The visuals on the pages are proportionately larger than the text, although there is still a notable amount of text. Clearly, the worlds of both text and visuals meet in a very significant way, with the large "Lost:" at the top. The margins are almost deliberately minimized. They are often filled with black filling, or an image goes to the very edge of the page, eliminating any real margins. The only gutters present on the page are located in the bottom right corner. Even then, those gutters are marked up with gray lines and even an image. The strongest headings are "Deleted Doctor Who " and "The definitive guide to pop culture's buried treasure." Both of those are likely around a 28-36 pt. font size. The "Doctor Who" could be an Arial Bold font. What appears to be Courier...

The first poster that I finished, and the one that I am most proud of, is for the Arcade Fire song "No Cars Go." I had some difficulty getting the silhouetted outline to work so I designed the shapes manually. I think the simplicity looks the most elegant here and contributes to the overall aesthetic of the design. The yellow is meant to tie in with the idea of turning the lights on/off (subtle, I know). The second poster goes with the same band's song, "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)." Some of the angles on the "shadows" are inconsistent, which I think detracts from the design, especially when viewed up-close. The main lines of the string are the strongest aspect, in my opinion. As far as inspiration goes, the red came from the stop light/sign imagery used throughout the album, and the idea for the swing came from the youth-evoking lyric about kissing beneath the swing set in the song. The final poster that I des...

As stated in my previous entry, I decided to construct the letter 'P' in the Acier BAT Noir font. What interested me most about using this specific font was the idea of hollowness. In the digital typographic representation, the main stem of the letter is solid white, but appears somewhat hollow. With this negative space, I was able to utilize light in unique ways while setting in its natural environment. The body of the letter was made entirely of cardboard and connected with hot glue. I cut out eight separate pieces of cardboard to create a fully three-dimensional representation. Originally, I was planning on painting the stem white and the curve black, but I found a light blue paint that I think worked much better and added an interesting element, especially when set against the sky. My primary "triumph," so to speak, with this project was its relative minimalism. The simplistic construction process still managed to allow for some creative approa...

For my typeface design, I have decided to use the Acier BAT Noir font . I will be crafting the letter P (it will not be as grainy and low-resolution once constructed, of course). Right now, my plan is construct the base out of cardboard and make the stem of the P hollow. I am also planning on experimenting with different colors of paint. The joints will be constructed with gaff tape and glue. Depending on the paint color, I am intending on photographing my design in a window, so as to highlight the hollowness and potential contrast of light and dark.