Presentation

https://issuu.com/lucygibson258285/docs/presentation1

Evaluation

Overall I have really enjoyed doing the research and reading for COP 1 as I had missed the academic side of things when I was on foundation last year, therefore I was looking forward to starting the essays and research and getting back into using my brain more.

I chose to focus on one of the aesthetic questions as I thought this would require less prior knowledge as apposed to questions under the politics/ history categories which would require a certain level of understanding before delving in. From the question I went onto to focus on post modernism, this was a term I had often heard yet I was previously unaware of what it actually meant and the importance it has had on graphic design so I benefited a lot from looking into it. It was nice to learn something new by doing my own research in a method that I wanted and at a pace which suited me rather than being told what to do.

The books I chose to look at were all very wordy and difficult to comprehend as they were about a topic that I didn’t really understand myself so it took me a long time to get my head around things. This caused the research to take a lot longer than I expected as I was constantly going over the same information trying to make sense of it. However, this benefited me in a way because by the time it came to write the essay I was pretty confident that I understood the information I was reciting and that I had analysed the texts well. This helped a lot as I knew what I was talking about and made the writing more enjoyable as I saw it as a way to relay my knowledge and prove I had done the research. 

In terms of the physical work produced I didn’t really enjoy this side of things as I found it a bit boring and realised that it wasn’t something I was really enjoying therefore it became a lengthy drawn out process. I enjoyed the research into Vogue, their readership and the cost of advertisements in their magazines however I did not enjoy designing for a magazine. I thought editorial design would interest me and I was excited to try it out but I soon realised it was not my style of working and got bored easily.  In summary I have realised I much prefer the writing side to things in terms of COP which came as a bit of a shock but I think this is because it gives a nice change to doing practical work which is what I do in every module.

Study Task 8 - outcomes

Artists such as Weingart were strong influences through out the post modernist era and continued to influence designers even after the postmodernist era was believed to have ended. He was ‘determined not to be held back by the constraints associated with Swiss modernist typography. He was fascinated by the effects of letter spacing and he stretched words and lined until the text became close to being unintelligible.’ Therefore in my designing I wanted to put a large focus on the typography and pushing the boundaries. I wanted to see how much I could overlap it or stretch it with it still being legible because as it is for a magazine it still needs to be readable. Post modernism has been described as to ‘listening to six radios playing at once, each with a different station’ yet I wanted my design to be less brash and more tasteful but still maintaining some elements of post modern design. The role of technology used in graphic design bloomed during the post modernist era, as it became an easy way to create designs where ‘type could be overlapped to create a rich visual texture and be intertwined with the photographic image.’ Therefore I chose to do all my designs digitally to respect this element of postmodern design. Overall I am pleased with my final outcome as it uses elements I have picked up from the designs of the postmodernist era yet it isn’t an exact copy. The designs are contemporary with a post modern twist which I think works well in todays society.

Study Task 7 - Prototype 3 Feedback

Feedback

People thought that the jumbled up title was enough and that the word vogue didnt need to be repeated underneath, they suggested that I use this overlapped title on the coloured design I had done (prototype 1) as they think it would work better. Overall people liked the design but prefer the design done with coloured image as it is more suitable for a magazine and will stand out amongst competition still whilst maintaining my idea to look different from standard layouts. They liked the framing I had used of the O to accentuate the models face and said I should try do this in my final design. The also think that the 'red lipstick' caption should be more of a feature as it is such a cliche feature to have in a fashion/ beauty magazine.



Work in response to feedback 

After looking back at my feedback I decided to remove the block of white from behind the 'vogue' title. I chose to use it as a frame as people liked this from my original design. The overlapping of the two Os looks similar to the chanel CC logo as well as the Gucci logo which I think fits nicely as these are two brands that advertise in vogue so it is a subtle reference to them. I think the style of this whole cover has a very vintage feel to it and seems a bit out dated therefore I won't be continuing on with this design further.

Study Task 7 - Prototype 2 feedback

Feedback 

The feedback I got for this was that they liked the solid block of white cutting across the page and that it broke things up nicely. They also liked the fact none of the text was readable and that even the bits that were are cut off and leaves a lot to the imagination. Someone commented on how they liked the fact the main focus of text after 'vogue' is the 'in red lipstick' sentence which makes people wonder what this could be about and doesn't give too much away. A suggestion I got was to continue the chopped off text round the back of the magazine so that it wraps around which I like the idea of. It was even suggested that there was more clutter in the top left corner to juxtapose with the space in the rest of the layout.



Work in response to feedback

Here is the redesign of my magazine front cover after receiving feedback from it. I took on the advice to make the top left corner more cluttered to juxtapose with the structure and minimalistic nature of the rest of the cover however I much prefer the way it looked before. As for the 'life lessons in red lipstick' line I like the new placement of this as I think it summarises nicely the type of stories and articles people expect to find in vogue. I chose to declutter the top corner but keep the lipstick line above the vogue title. I changed the capital L at the beginning of the lipstick quote to a lowercase so that it flowed better.

Study Task 7 - Prototype 1 feedback

Feedback

Out of all three of my designs this was the one that people favoured the most, when I asked my peers they said the colours from the imagery give off an indie, bohemian style which is different to the usual 'vogue' style. They also like the way the price was big as this is something that is usually hard to find on a magazine, it also makes it seem more approachable because you can tell instantly if it is something you can afford or not. People liked the fact that just one line of the cluttered text ones in red to match with the fact it was about red lipstick. They also liked the fact that the front cover doesn't give much away about what is in the magazine as it leaves more to the imagination and makes you want to flick through it. It was also suggested that I try just zooming into the models face and having it up close even if it is a bit pixilated this may add a nice quality to it. It was also suggested that I try to distort the title 'vogue' more or not to put it in the iconic place from their standard layout.

Work responding to feedback

Here is my initial design after responding to the feedback I got, I think the block of repeated text at the top of the page works well and I like the highlight of red amongst the black text, I think it works because the image is in colour and it doesn't look cliche like it would using red text on top of a black and white background.  It took me a while to work out what was wrong with this image then I realised the white block which was originally around the 'vogue' at the top was behind the block of text, I don't think it works well here therefore I moved it behind the vogue title again. I agree with my feedback and think the word 'vogue' looks better overlapped and not at the top of the page.


Overall I really like this new design however I am still unsure as to where to place the '£3.99' I want to somehow use it as a frame like one of my other designs as people said they liked this element.

Study Task 6 - Prototype 3

For this design I chose to take one of the iconic design features from vogue which is to use the lettering of 'VOGUE' to from part of the photo therefore I chose to use the O as a farm for the models face to highlight her and bring attention to her face like an iconic vogue cover would do. As for the photos, again they are in black and white and repeated in a more tiled pattern this time but still not strictly following a grid. As for the text placement, this follows some horizontal lines in the background but they stop halfway through the text to make it look more abrupt and cut up. In this design the lipstick caption isn't as prominent as it is in the other covers. (All text used is from the original copy of vogue). Ive chosen to jumble up the word Vogue yet display it clearly underneath so that people know what magazine it is.

Study Task 6- Prototype 2

 


For this design I wanted something more minimalistic and illegible. I decided to put the image in black and white and duplicate it randomly across the page, I then put a white wash over this to make the lettering more prominent.  For this design the 'Vogue' title is at the bottom of the page instead of the top like usual. I think this gives more attention to the clutter of text in the top left of the corner.

Study Task 6 - Prototype 1

For this design I chose to leave the images in colour. I wanted to use the limitation that the images were from a vogue photoshoot therefore have that iconic vogue style. From this I want to do my best to change them into something with a more postmodern feel yet still having a modern edge. I don't want to fall into the trap of recreating something from the post modern era and recreating a Ray Gun cover. I want the cover to have a more 'slapdash' feel to it rather than the perfectly thought out design commonly associated with a Vogue cover.

Study Task 6 Collages

To kick off the design process for my magazine covers I did some experimentation with the issue of vogue I have decided to use on the photocopier. I wanted them to look grainy, cluttered and rushed in a way therefore thought this process was perfect. It gave me some other ideas for layout and how to make things look cluttered and how far I can push it. I decided that to take the layout in a different direction it would be better to use a different image as vogue always has a similar portrait on the front cover. I looked through the photos on vogue online and found similar shots of the same person, some with a more relaxed vibe to them. I decided to go for this image below.

Vogue target audience research

Vogue Magazine Target Audience

http://digital-assets.condenast.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/static/condenast/Vogue%20media%20pack%20-%20JAN%202014.pdf

Circulation: 200,608
UK Actively Purchased: 141,854

Total Readership: 1,398,000
Women: 1,210,000 (87%)
Men: 188,000 (13%)

Average Age: 33

'Vogue is the Fashion Bible'
82% of Vogue readers agree
62% of female glossy magazine readers agree

9 in 10 Vogue readers buy premium fashion brands
Vogue readers collectively spent £1.2 billion on fashion in the last 12 months

93% of Vogue readers own premium beauty products
90% of Vogue readers own premium make up
70% of Vogue readers own premium skincare
94% of Vogue readers own premium fragrance
Vogue readers collectively spent £275 million on beauty products in the past 12 months
83% of Vogue readers think that beauty is an essential part of the whole fashion look

National Advertising Rates:
Page Run of Paper   £26,550
Page Facing Matter £31,630
Paper Specified Position £34,170
Contents/ Masthead £36, 810
Inside Back Cover £39,890
Outside Back Cover £42,530

Study Task 6 - Research into publications

Choosing the right stock for printing my magazine

http://www.picantecreative.com/magazine-design-blog/how-to-choose-a-paper-stock-for-your-magazine/

As my target audience is people who read Vogue, I need a paper quality that is luxurious and seems expensive, however as my style is very experimental and the post modernism era was short lived I could use a cheaper paper as this would replicate the throw away nature of my design.  When researching I found out that a light, thin stock is usually sufficient for a mass market which is how the magazine would be sold. Therefore I would consider the inside of the magazine to be printed on a cheap paper such as newsprint as this is cheap but usable as it is used for newspapers without problem. As for the cover, this will be in a thicker density paper which will be glossy to contrast with the cheap matte paper inside.

Binding the magazine



https://www.pixartprinting.co.uk/printing-magazines-books-catalogues/?gclid=CPuJ-Z_FnNMCFesV0wod8HQBqQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

In terms of binding the magazine when I have looked into cost there is not much difference in stapled and perfect binding. When the magazine is sent into production I will choose perfect binding to give the magazine a more luxurious feel and for the binding to be hidden by the spine of the magazine.

Colours

I will mainly be working in black and white with one or two feature colour which will be decided at a later date.

Images

These will be taken from the issue of Vogue that I am working with which is May 2017.



Typography

Didot which is the iconic typeface used by vogue and possibly some grunge style typography.

Audience

The main target audience at the moment for vogue is women, however with a more experimental style of front cover they make appeal to a male audience as well. Their main age range is people aged 16 - 34 which I think the redesign magazine will also appeal to. Most readers have a keen interest in clothes, fashion or beauty products therefore the design need to appeal to them and help sell these type of products.