Michael - You have approached this exercise in a slightly different way than the instructions have asked of you, but there is some experimentation with numbers of columns and how imagery and text combine. So, here are my thoughts:
Grid A - Bold red/orange image in background seems to suggest motion - but other than that, I'm not sure how it's connected to the content? Remember "content drives concept" so here I'm not sure what I'm supposed to learn from this image that helps me become interested in reading the article. Since you use a version of this image in all 3 designs, I suggest that the green shape is the only one that should be used - at least it's green! I encourage you to use additional images in the layout, on top of this shape, that do compliment the content. This will push the type forward and fill more pages... good! This is a feature article, and as such should sit on 2, 3, and even 4 pages.
Currently, this design would read as if it holds 2 articles that sit within a Department called "The New Face of Hunger". The running head should really be "Habitat Magazine" and/or "The Future of Food" - not the heading of an article.
Grid B - This has readability issues where text and image overlap. Also, when there are different width columns in a grid, often the designer cannot simply flow text from one to the other, as you have done here. I would suggest you use the thinner columns for pull quotes, images, captions, call outs... but not body copy. Save the wider columns for body copy because it sits better in the them. Often, the reason for different width columns is that it allows a well designed use of negative space... which simply filling them works against.
Grid C - The lower section of type on the left page is pretty far from its counterpart at the top of the page. I suggest you use this area as a "side bar" pulling a section of body copy out and treating it differently down there. That way you are expecting readers to make the huge jump within the column. The right page holds 3 slightly wider columns - and because they are close enough to possibly considered a mistake, why not combine 2 columns of that 4-column grid I see on left page... so you have 2 columns here rather than 3?
Overall - because of the nature of these articles (they are features, that support the main theme), please allow them to inhabit more pages each and approach each one differently - they are not part of a department but should stand on their own. Consider adding more content-driven imagery, and have some fun with additional page elements that will allow you to break up the long, dense columns of type and chunk this info for the reader.
Michael - You have approached this exercise in a slightly different way than the instructions have asked of you, but there is some experimentation with numbers of columns and how imagery and text combine. So, here are my thoughts:
ReplyDeleteGrid A - Bold red/orange image in background seems to suggest motion - but other than that, I'm not sure how it's connected to the content? Remember "content drives concept" so here I'm not sure what I'm supposed to learn from this image that helps me become interested in reading the article. Since you use a version of this image in all 3 designs, I suggest that the green shape is the only one that should be used - at least it's green! I encourage you to use additional images in the layout, on top of this shape, that do compliment the content. This will push the type forward and fill more pages... good! This is a feature article, and as such should sit on 2, 3, and even 4 pages.
Currently, this design would read as if it holds 2 articles that sit within a Department called "The New Face of Hunger". The running head should really be "Habitat Magazine" and/or "The Future of Food" - not the heading of an article.
Grid B - This has readability issues where text and image overlap. Also, when there are different width columns in a grid, often the designer cannot simply flow text from one to the other, as you have done here. I would suggest you use the thinner columns for pull quotes, images, captions, call outs... but not body copy. Save the wider columns for body copy because it sits better in the them. Often, the reason for different width columns is that it allows a well designed use of negative space... which simply filling them works against.
Grid C - The lower section of type on the left page is pretty far from its counterpart at the top of the page. I suggest you use this area as a "side bar" pulling a section of body copy out and treating it differently down there. That way you are expecting readers to make the huge jump within the column. The right page holds 3 slightly wider columns - and because they are close enough to possibly considered a mistake, why not combine 2 columns of that 4-column grid I see on left page... so you have 2 columns here rather than 3?
Overall - because of the nature of these articles (they are features, that support the main theme), please allow them to inhabit more pages each and approach each one differently - they are not part of a department but should stand on their own. Consider adding more content-driven imagery, and have some fun with additional page elements that will allow you to break up the long, dense columns of type and chunk this info for the reader.