Magazine Project

YooJung Hong

Magazine Project

November 19, 2009

 

Magazine identity & readership: My magazine is about revealing the real lives of celebrities beyond the spotlights. The name of the magazine (Révélé) is in French to add chicness. The magazine incorporates fashion, but the focus is on the actual writing as well. My intended readers are young women in their 20s, who are curious to know about celebrities’ personal stories.

Magazine visual identity: Through my magazine design, I intended to convey simplicity, elegance, and professionalism. I wanted to keep the overall visual simple and interesting so that the readers would not be overwhelmed with either the writing or the images used throughout the entire magazine.

Article visual identity: I intended to convey something natural and classy. Since the article is about “raw” Reese, the dominant images are in black, white, and gray to convey a sense of her true self. Furthermore, the colors and the typeface portray a bubbly personality, which represents Reese Witherspoon well. 

Article design strategy: The dominant image of Reese Witherspoon on the opening spread initially catches the readers’ attention. Reese Witherspoon’s eyes are looking to the left, so the image naturally draws the readers’ eyes to the headline and the deck-head. The text is placed on the center of the page to create a nice balance with the dominant image on the right. In addition, the typefaces on the left page and the image on the right page complement each other well. Didot adds elegance, and it complements well with the classy black and white image on the right. Both Didot headline and Didot italic are used to create a nice balance. The same typeface is used in drop caps, sidebar story title, and pull quotes in the jump spread to show consistency. Berkeley Old Style is used in the body text to add femininity. Since the body text is a serif typeface, a sans serif typeface Futura is used in the sidebar story. The layout of the jump spread ­is well-balanced with the amount of white space, images, and text that are present. The dominant images are located on the corners, while the text fills up the rest of the pages. Drop caps and pull quotes are placed where needed, so that the amount of text would not overwhelm the readers. The rectangular shape of the sidebar story on the bottom corner (right page) and the dominant, black and white image on the top corner (left page) complement each other well.

Style Sheet:

Feature spread headline “Reese Witherspoon”: Didot Lt Std headline, 47/56.4

Feature spread headline “R”: Didot Lt Std italic, 205/246

Feature spread headline “EVEALED”: Didot Lt Std italic, 75/90

Feature spread by line: Didot Lt Std headline, 13/15.6

Feature spread deckhead: Didot Lt Std headline, 25/30

                                              Didot Lt Std italic, 25/30

Feature spread and jump spread folios: Didot Lt Std headline, 9/10.8

Jump spread body text: ITC Berkeley Oldstyle Std book, 9.5/13

Jump spread drop-caps: Didot Lt Std italic, 85/102

Jump spread pull quotes: Didot Lt Std headline, 24/28.8

Jump spread pull quote quotation marks: Didot Lt Std italic, 80/96

Jump spread sidebar title “FIVE”: Didot Lt Std italic, 33/39.6

Jump spread sidebar title “random reese facts”: Didot Lt Std headline, 27/32.4

Jump spread sidebar numbers (1,2,3,4,5): Didot Lt Std italic, 23/27.6

Jump spread sidebar text: Futura Std book, 10/12

Jump spread sidebar source: Futura Std book, 7/8.4

Jump spread image sources: Futura Std book, 6/7.2­

Document grid: I used the four-column grid system, so that I could have a two-column text. The four-column grid system was easy to use, and since my images were big, only a few columns were needed. The two-column text makes the article look clean and professional. In addition, readability was another important factor. I set my top and bottom margins as 3p9, and my left and right margins as 3p7 to create a nice balance between content and white space.

Sources:

Feature spread image: http://www.go4celebrity.com/reese-witherspoon-016.htm

Jump spread left image: http://justpictures.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/reese-witherspoon-sexy2009-celebdump02.jpg

Jump spread right image: http://justpictures.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/reese-witherspoon-sexy2009-celebdump06.jpg

Extras (colors): Color is an important aspect of my design. The color magenta represents Reese Witherspoon’s personality well. This color is used throughout my feature spread and my jump spread. Throughout the whole article, black, white, gray, and magenta are the main colors used; all four colors complement each other well. I chose photos that were gray, black, and white, so that the magenta color would stand out. Overall, the color magenta adds personality and ties the article into a cohesive unit.