Ryan Gerhardt
Magazine Project
November 19, 2009
Magazine Identity and Readership: The magazine is intended to be a modern and sarcastic/tongue-in-cheek observation of popular culture, specifically films, music, comedy, television, Internet media, actors, etc. The magazine would highlight the popular blockbusters and other type media but would more actively highlight lesser known actors and comedians. That’s not to say they focus on indie stuff and obscure people, but like the Zach Galifianakis article, those who are on the main scene but maybe not yet well known. Intended readership is those between 18 and around 30 or 35, living in more urban areas and likely young professionals. Not very far removed from the collegiate atmosphere.
Magazine Visual Identity: Visually, I want the magazine to come across as clean but thought provoking. This may seem idealistic or unrealistic but I want the text to make an obvious observation about images but also a pun or sarcastic comment that the main core of readers would readily identify. The tone is upbeat, and bold. Granted I used black but the other colors combined with that create a visually bold message while still very clean and organized.
Article Visual Identity: With my article I intend to convey how Galifianakis’ crazy and wild nature are the precise qualities that make his off-color humor so entertaining. There is a black jack association with the cover which might initially give the wrong impression but the title and nature of his profession quickly lead to the correct association of his type of comedy. The actual image shows him playing black jack, but he is imitating “Rain Man” which those following his work would understand. Again, I tried to use bold colors and also a clean visual especially on the jump spread.
Article Design Strategy: The article is designed to be in your face. It’s almost framed as a spectacle with the big headline and bright colors, and in reality it is. Galifianakis’ performances are truly a complete immersion and spectacle due to his absurd nature. The initial impression is gambling, and in a way going to one of Galifianakis’ shows is a gamble that you won’t leave offended as much as entertained. The deck head though is a nice draw I think to entice further reading as it elaborates on the nature of Galifianakis’ comedy. The large Officina type is necessarily bold and almost obtrusive while the Futura font is equally unimposing which I feel is a nice combination. I carry the obtrusive nature into the jump spread with use of the drop cap and the pull quote, as well as the image of Galifianakis “leaning against the corner.” Again though, much of the other larger type is in Futura and I feel the sidebar and other images create a clean hedged-in look.
Style Sheet:
Feature Spread Headline (Z,S,W,D): Officina Serif Std. Bold, 350/420, no kerning, no tracking
Feature Spread Headline (A,C,H): Officina Serif Std. Bold, 130/156, no kerning, no tracking
Feature Spread Headline (I,L): Officina Serif Std. Bold, 150/180, no kerning, no tracking
Feature Spread Deck Head: Futura Medium, 16/19.2, no kerning, no tracking
By Line: Futura Medium, 14/16.8, no kerning, no tracking
Jump Spread Drop Cap: Officina Serif Std. Bold, 130/156, no kerning, no tracking
Jump Spread Body Copy: Stone Serif Std. Medium, 9/13, no kerning, no tracking
Jump Spread Photo Captions: Futura Medium, 9.5/11.4, no kerning, no tracking
Jump Spread Citation: Stone Serif Std. Medium, 6/7.2, no kerning, no tracking
Jump Spread Pull Quote: Officina Serif Std. Bold, 20/24, no kerning, no tracking
Jump Spread Sidebar: Title: Futura Medium, 16/19.2, no kerning, no tracking
Body: Futura Medium, 10.5/12.6, no kerning, no tracking
Folio: Futura Medium, 9.5/11.4, no kerning, no tracking
Document Grid: I set the margins a little wider, the top and bottom being more that the left and right at 4p2 v. 3p6, to add more white space to the page and force the material towards the center. This also reduces the amount of text would could be overwhelming while providing more space for images. I chose a three-column grid for the text because it seems pretty standard and helps break up the text without making the columns really skinny and difficult to read. It also helped with image set up, made it easy to match up grids.
Sources: Article idea from November 2009 issue of GQ: The Perfectly Aged Weirdness of Zach Galifianakis
Actual Article Text: New York Times May 28, 2009. The Making of Zach Galifianakis by John Wray. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/magazine/31Galifianakis-t.html.
Feature Spread Main Image (playing black jack): http://www.celebritywonder.com/movie-pictures/2009_The_Hangover/013.html
Feature Spread Card Image: http://www.askmen.com/galleries/zach-galifianakis/picture-2.html
Jump Spread Main Image: http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2009_The_Hangover/2009_the_hangover_008.jpg
Jump Spread Corner Image: http://www.starpulse.com/Movies/Hangover/gallery/Hangover-movie-09/
Jump Spread Sidebar Image by Gutter: http://www.askmen.com/galleries/zach-galifianakis/picture-3.html
Jump Spread Sidebar Image by right edge of page: http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2009_The_Hangover/2009_the_hangover_034.jpg
Extras: Apart from the background on the feature spread, I tried to use bold colors that would pop and were consistent from spread to spread and across the pictures. This I felt would create unity and highlight Galifianakis’ bold personality.
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