Sins i finally had extra time this quarter to do some homework without rushing everything, I motivated myself to finish the magazine just to see how the first draft will look like. What i like is the negative space and how easy the information flows from page to page. I am hesitant to add another element just to make every page look different "What you guys think?"
I like what you have done with the images in the table of contents. I think the text under the images may need some re-working though as it feels cramped. Have you tried varying the weights, colors, or possibly having the text vertical?
ReplyDeleteAlso, don't forget to spellcheck.
ReplyDeleteJose - it's great to see the pages roughed out. Some thoughts:
ReplyDelete1. This really is a magazine about healthy eating, right? Like, possibly a new way to approach food preparation... so I think you need to reconsider your last page, the Happy Meal and ugly fat guy. It's simply not a realistic advertiser for your mag.
Who might want to advertise in this magazine? Not a product made to help people survive fast food or bad cooking, right? Rethink please.
2. Feature article pages must resemble each other, and that is why we use the same grid structure throughout the pages of an article. You are confusing the reader when you leave all that empty negative space on your left-hand pages... find a way to incorporate negative space while still using the 2 column grid.
3. Each department page should remind the reader they are in that department - because of all the little unrelated articles sitting on those pages. For instance, repeat NEWS+ on the following pages but in a smaller, or ghosted, manner. This is important, because when we turn the page we need to know we are still in that department.
4. Your letter to the editor needs a department name... and it needs to be rewritten to pertain to your magazine. Some of it could be used, but after reading it I would assume this magazine would be full of recipes - which it is not.
5. Recipes - you need some, with ingredients and step-by-step instructions, right? I suggest you drop the PSA about office bullying and add "Recipe of the Month" or something of that nature. So that, upon opening the magazine the reader will find a great, healthy recipe using some of the new foods that are mentioned in the magazine. That would be a really strong beginning to the project.
6. Lastly, your Letter to the Editor needs to have a department name and icon associated with it... and it should be rewritten just a bit to mention that the issue is about what the future will bring to our kitchens and our communities (after all, you are using the article about Hunger... so there is a societal aspect to the writing in this mag.
Generally - be aware of readability issues when type is put into the photo on pg 13.
Hope this helps... looking forward to seeing what you'll do next!