graphics
Continuing from the tutorial with David, I have changed a few things such as colour theory, body text shape, imagery and also keeping the diagonal shape though out the background.
I created some new layout ideas based on the feedback I was given.
Images I have taken to be used my double page spread, I put the barbies into milk so it looks like they have bathed in milk.
I had a tutorial with David to discuss about my work as I wasn’t 100% happy with my work.
The feedback was that he liked the activist aspect more than the glas which I agree is much stronger, liked the diagonal aspect within the background as it created dimension and that I needed to implement more. I had too many ideas going as I was trying to please each tutor and I myself wasn’t even 100% with my own product.
From this I am going to strip back and change the colour to pink and purple linking in with the barbie top and also creating the diagonal shaping, body text needs to be block. Scrapping the glasses and going with the more activist role by using placards to show both sides. I will re think and and do some design development using this feedback.
From my ideas I created digitized versions of my 3 double page, also taking the advice given to me by Ian and David to create these spreads about the White Gold article.
I took the advice from Ian to implement into my work. Adding red is linking back to milk but not in an obvious way which is what I needed to do to create a non cliche but sophisticated look to it without an obvious link. Using white forth body copy, heading and sub headings links again links back to the colour milk, just making those subtle connections with the milk and my own idea. Using the text wrap for the body copy also. The reason I used the linear shapes is that I wanted to create a more hidden message behind and its a much more simplistic version of milk, it’s created a simplistic metaphor for the milk which makes it less predictable.
With this idea I took a more subtle approach, by using the diluted red/pink but then having the stark contrast with the black white working well against each other. Again I used text wrap for the body text, creating negative space to let each aspect breathe and flow through out and from my research this is a very consistent thing through out.
I had a tutorial with Ian to discuss my current progress and to get some guidance and advice for what I can change and/or improve upon.
My main aspect I was struggling with was the colour theory as I didn’t want to use the cliche colours that other people have used to link with milk like neutral colours as I thought this would be quite predictable, Ian did like the blue and light yellow I had but he also suggested using the colours off the milk bottles, i.e. blue, green, red, orange etc. Then he was just discussion about body copy, heading, subheading font size.
Having these tutorials are quite useful as I am t receive feedback which can help me improve my work and change whats needed to be changed in order to be of a high standard. This is crucial for future practices as this process is preparing me for when I have to work with other designers and receive feedback to improve on one another work to create professional looking work.
After talking with David, I started to create some hand rendered ideas of what I could possibly incorporate into double page spread.
Experimenting with the Milk facade, I wanted to start taking the piss out of milk and start playing around with these aspects so I thought what’s well known use for milk, and the Egyptians came into my head i.e. Cleopatra bathed in milk, so from this I thought about a Barbie doll lying in a martini glass to show the facade of it and how the alternative milks is just a trend, but also a Barbie doll bathing in a bath and even a coconut, it’s just a way of taking the piss out of it and how people are just going along with trend instead of thinking for themselves but then again threes also a funny aspect to it.
Some possible layouts for my 3 double page spread, experimenting with imagery and the placing of it, using geometric shapes and lines to create a linear approach, experimenting with block body text, text wrap text, cut outs etc, I took inspiration from my research and implemented this into my developmental process to create a link but mainly to take inspiration. Research has helped me massively to develop my ideas, because without research, as a designer will not be able to develop ideas and create striking pieces of work, you always have to innovative and modern with idea generation but also keeping up the latest trends and news.
After having this tutorial with David, I have a much clearer vision of what to base my double page spread on. Steering away from cliches I will not be using milk in a cliche way for example using a glass of milk or a glass milk bottle. My one idea was basically ‘taking the piss out of milk’, and David seemed to really like this idea, so he suggested to go forth with this idea and create more imagery based on this new idea.
Reflecting on this, I have learnt that having a chat with the fellow people on my course and my tutor has helped me massively to decide on a final theme and they also helped me with ideas for imagery. This will help me in the future as I will be having multiple opinions and feedback which is what it will be like in future in the graphic designer industry and I would be working within a group of people and having a group feedback session, and thus is preparing me for the future.
After doing some research like looking at layouts. I deconstructed the article into possible themes and possible imagery ideas based on the article but I did not want it to be cliche with the imagery. I started to sketch out some ideas for what my magazine page spread will look like and what imagery I could use which will work cohesively together.
I deconstructed the article creating a mind map and linked words that I thought linked with this article, which then led me to create imagery based from this mind map and I came up with quite a few concepts and ranging from health and fitness to historical. The imagery I created from using some specific words from the article and also creating some from doing previous research which has helped me to create imagery and layout designs.
I will be presenting my ideas to David in my next tutorial to get some feedback and to know which direction I should go towards.
Before I start to design some initial ideas and imagery, I’ll be doing some research into current editorial page spreads.
Firstly, I researched more into alternative milks, looking at statistics and the health benefits. Some statistic are quite shocking about milk and how kids actually have a milk allergy. The website I looked at states how milk can be quite harmful due to having pesticides, hormones etc. Through out this website, it shows the variety of milk alternatives and how they benefit our health.
Milk allergy: 2–3% of kids under the age of three are allergic to cow’s milk. This can cause a range of symptoms, including rashes, vomiting, diarrhea and severe anaphylaxis. Around 80% of kids outgrow this allergy by age 16.
Looking at another website, it shows how milk can benefit us in a fitness way, stating how milk can help us build muscle, also added antibiotics etc aren’t for certain added into milk, so it shows sides from both positive and negative opinion.
Doing some research into different layouts, I found these layouts based on milk. The first image is very striking and quite modern. The imagery captures your attention and using the different milk caps as a colour palette is quite genius and it links back to the different types of milk you can get from the local supermarket. The only thing that I am not really fond of is the image with person in it as I feel like it doesn’t work well with the other image and layout as its not cohesive and relates to the article. I could possibly take the different colours of the milk caps through into my own initial ideas and create some imagery or layouts using these colours.
The second image, I personally feel like it has more of an earthy natural tone to it which links back to the ‘naturalness’ of milk which is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Having the pop of yellow breaks up the earthy tones and gives some contrast to the double page spread which I could take forward into my own work.
The third image is quite a vintage looking design spread as it has aspect from the 1900’s by having the old glass milk bottle with the vintage looking font which works extremely well to showcase the era quite well, the only thing which I feel takes away from the entire piece is the imagery as it has a lot going on it takes away from the design all together, by having so many images in one space disrupts the hierarchy of the page but also makes me want to skip past it as its too busy.
https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19516647/is-milk-healthy/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-milk-substitutes
https://www.behance.net/gallery/14536921/Editorial-Two-page-spread
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/surprisingly-intolerant-history-milk-180969056/
https://poweredtemplate.com/brochure-templates/food-beverage/flyers/03357/0/index.html
We were all put into groups based on what article we chose, and I chose ‘White Gold’. We deconstructed this article based on different sub categories such as theme, tone, message, content and imagery. As we all noticed the article is not biased in anyway its quite equal with the good and bad. The article talks about health and fitness aspects which gives me an idea for a possible concept for my double page spread, also using the history side of it showing how western and eastern culture differs and another showing the business side of it all and having another concept being more business and statistics.
A task was given to research into various editorial layouts and analyse and deconstruct them, so I’ve researched into various different editorial magazine spreads.
Firstly, I looked into a South African Rugby Magazine. When looking at these spreads I found them to be quite modern and futuristic, the hierarchy is done very well as it gives a heading, subject, body copy and an image and this guides the readers eye on where to look. This rugby magazine also uses Decorative Initials to show the start of the body copy which I think works quite well as they have used the same font for the heading, subheading but also the Decorative initial which shows consistency between specific aspects. Also the colour scheme relates to the image and what the rugby kit colour is so they are linking there colour scheme together by taking inspiration from the rugby kits. The grid system is consistent through out by using 3 columns on the single page.
This is more of a simplistic but contemporary editorial page spread which consists of a 6 column grid system. I find this to be quite boring in how the body copy and single lettering is placed as it gets quite repetitive and as there is no contrast in colour, as a viewer I would flick right past this as it wouldn’t catch my attention, I think this is due to the amount of negative space within the page spread, I feel like an image could be added to create some contrast but to create a stronger sense of hierarchy.
This double page spread consists of a 6 column grid system, I find this double page spread quite interesting as the right hand page is quite mono toned and gives quite a contemporary feel to it, it almost looks like Ray Man’s rayographs with using vertical blocked out effect. The hierarchy could be improved as I am instantly drawn towards the right hand page as it is quite striking, the left hand page doesn’t really look like it belongs with the other half and it’s not cohesively working to compliment each other but fight against each other. This double page spread does have the basic elements of subheadings, body copy, grid system, pace but it could be improved upon.
I find this editorial page spread to be quite retro but also still reminiscent to the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s but the colour scheme but also the special effect of the rippling it has as through time periods have gone on it’s known for its music, fashion and just era as a general. The hierarchy is quite good as I look at the image first then the heading etc, but there is a lot of negative space but in this case it works well as an editorial spread. My one main issue I have is that on the right hand side having used the rippled effect, I find it quite hard to read the body text as the ripple effect is distorting the the text.
Refernces:
https://abduzeedo.com/editorial-design-brief-story-about-everything
https://mattwilley.co.uk/Quartet
my learning journal 