Hi guys, here are my three spreads... option C I decided to go with a 7 column grid with .25 gutters. I wanted to give myself a lot of freedom to play around with text/image placement. After much feedback I decided to go with my second version with the circles blue/orange theme because it is a little out of comfort zone and I wanted to challenge myself. I plan to target forward thinking young/middle aged audience who are interested in learning more about the food industry and the future the industry.
In the first even column grid I feel a little stuck on the upper half of the right page... it seems a bit empty but anything I put there, in my opinion, compete the with the title and image behind it so any feedback on that would be greatly appreciated. I like where its going so I didn't want to just go back to the drawing board before posting.
They are all a work in progress but I am trying to push myself on this one!
Thanks guys
images are set up in a way that guides the eye but doesn't over power the text.
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ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteI really like what's happening through your image selection and the second grid specifically!
The intro of the second layout is especially fascinating to my eyes with the intro of the syringe depositing a chemical throughout the tomato - very alarming and powerful in a good way! I question the use of the circles however, but it's creating this vertical motion to the text! For the orange circle, try increasing the scale of the circle to direct your eyes to the beginning of the 'third column of text'! One of my concerns about this layout is of the blue used in the GM - it may make people think and refer to General Motors for some random reason - to those especially unaware of the GMO controversy!
Overall, you experimented in various styles, which is an advantage for the weeks to come! Good work!
I'm glad you posted your Grid A, and asked the question" what to do in upper right?" because this seems to be, currently, the most successful layout in my opinion. Although it has some issues, this one also might hold great promise. I'll comment on all the layouts, but thought I'd mention that right up front.
ReplyDeleteGrid A - yes, you have a "hole" in the upper right. And if you aren't careful the element you put up there will conflict with the image/title on left. So... it's all about contrast isn't it? Have you considered adding something that is textural, and/or rhythmic, and/or monotone (darker blue?) and/or so subtle that is doesn't even factor into our first impression of the design?
Also, you might want to find a way to unify these pages a bit more than you have done so far. What could be added, or aligned, or colored between these 2 pages to help pull them into a closer relationship. Thinking about this might also impact the upper right hole issue.
Grid B - Seems to be too many separate elements dancing around the pages, not always relating to each other. For instance, I'm not clear about the lower right circular line. Also, the needle image that is shared by 3 circles gets lost because it's vertical thrust sits awkwardly in the circles - we really aren't sure what it is at first. The 3 circles at top of right page... do they share that image? Can't tell. I need to ask you - why are the circles placed in descending size... do they accompany something in the text content that would explain it? So, in the end it seems like your experiment is just that... a random set of decisions that haven't coalesced into a cohesive design ... yet. It will take some time, and lots of moments where you need to remind yourself "less is more" ... but if you choose to move forward with this design I'll happily look forward to seeing the results of that work.
Grid C - using 7 columns has resulted in 2 columns on right page that are almost, but not quite, the same width. They are too close... and may appear as mistakes. So if you are interested in moving forward with this design, I encourage you to use a few more of your 7 columns of varying widths and devise interesting ways to present the content within them. Pullouts? Quotes? Turn 90 degrees and run up or down? Typography as shape, texture, call outs... it's time to be creative and not worry about whether the content reads as it's been written... pulling it out of order will be something you should consider with a 7 column grid.
That's it from here.