Magazine Redesign

For this project we were asked to redesign a consumer magazine using the design process as mentioned in my previous post "Magazine Poster." I have included images of the roughs and mockups so you can see how the design process facilitates the design evolution. Everything is available (including the thumbnail sketches) in hardcopy at your request.

Creative Brief 

Renee Thomson

PUB330.Lab430.ThomsonRenee.Project#3.CreativeBrief

Project Details:

Start Date: 02.20.2012

Project Name: Magazine Redesign 

Completion Date: 03.31.2012

Project Manager: Renee Thomson

Client Contact: Mauve@Mauvepage.com

Personnel Responsible:

Mauve Page will be involved on approvals at all stages of the project. 

Project Concept: 

The purpose of the project is to redesign Homes & Land Magazine, a monthly publication that provides real estate services to homebuyers, home sellers, real estate agents, and brokers. 

Homes & Land features all types of listings, including houses, condos, land, acreage, vacation homes, apartments for rent, and new homes. By viewing Homes & Land magazine, homebuyers can find homes and land for sale in various communities. Home sellers can get real estate tips, find a real estate agent, get a free home evaluation estimate, get information on local real estate market conditions, and sell their home using homesandland.com. Real estate agents can advertise listings, win more listings, and find qualified homebuyers and sellers.  

I would like to redesign Homes & Land magazine to give it a fresher, more elegant feel and sense of flow, more akin to a consumer magazine, as opposed to its current design as a trade magazine that resembles a classified ad. 

While Homes & Land will remain primarily ad driven, with an editorial formula of 80:20, I would like to incorporate some more aspects of a consumer magazine. For example, I would like to include more in-depth features that offer insight to homebuyers, sellers, and brokers that they will not find in similar magazines, and would like to elevate the design of these features.  

In order to make a magazine unlike any other in its class, I would suggest Homes & Land hire one photographer, who realtors will then pay to photograph their listings. This photographer will be skilled in architectural photography. This will create exclusivity, and give realtors the opportunity to receive professional photos of each and every one of their listings. This will ensure all of the images used in the magazine are of the highest quality, a high resolution, and a similar mode, creating unity throughout. 

Furthermore, I would suggest that Homes & Lands design all ads using stock layouts. This magazine consists of hundreds of ads, and when each one is different, it can create a sense of incoherence and throws off the unity of the publication as a whole. Instead, each ad will have high-res photos from the on-staff photographer and will use the same font and layout throughout. It is important, however, that H&L still allow Realtors to advertise their individual banners, promoting their personal brands. 

While I would like to incorporate some richer reading material in Homes & Land, the publication will still consist primarily of images. This allows the reader plenty of “rest stops” where not a lot of thinking is required, which makes for easy reading. 

These new design concepts will create an enjoyable reading environment, increasing circulation and thus making ad space more desirable. 

Objectives:

• Make the magazine more reader friendly – unity, organization, better articles, nicer/cleaner images and ads 
• Incorporate more aspects of a consumer magazine
• Attract a generic audience – as many people as possible, whether they want to buy a $300, 000 condo or a $3 million home – anyone who is interested in real estate
• Attract more advertisers

Audience: 

• Home buyers
• Home sellers
• Real estate agents and brokers 
• Anyone interested in real estate 
• Ages 20-100
• We know that people who pick up this magazine are interested in some aspect of real estate, so we want to provide all information or access to information necessary to encourage them to take their next step, whatever that may be
• The realtors are our friends; they are the ones who pay for this magazine and keep it in publication. Therefore, we must attract the buyers, sellers, etc. so that the realtors keep paying us for ad space. 

Selling proposition:

A real estate magazine that offers more than just ads; Homes & Land offers expert advice on all aspects of buying and selling real estate. 

User value proposition / benefits:

Homes & Land will not just be an alternative to looking at the Sunday Home’s section in your local news paper, it will offer tips, tricks, and services compiled into one publication that will explain the ins and outs of the real estate market so that everyone can use real estate to its full potential as an investment vehicle. 

Competition:

• News papers – layout is similar
• North Shore Outlook
• Real Estate Weekly 
• Homes & Living Magazine
• West Coast Homes & Design Magazine
• Vancouver Magazine

Deliverables:

• Saddle stitch binding, 8.5x11 single page spread, 17x11 double page spread, same paper
• These budget-friendly production specs allow us to provide a free publication for the consumers and keep the prices of ad space reasonable so realtors opt to advertise with us as opposed to our competitors 
• Project is time sensitive – due date 04.02.12

Timeline:

DATE	DUE
02.20.12	Creative Brief
02.27.12	Nameplate and Front Cover thumbnails
03.05.12	Interior spread thumbnails due, Front Cover and Nameplate roughs due
03.12.12	Interior roughs due
03.19.12	Mockup due
03.31.12	PDF of final design due
04.02.12	Final design due printed with rational and creative brief

Design Rational 

Renee Thomson

PUB330.Lab430.ThomsonRenee.Project#3.Rational 

The driving idea behind the redesign of Homes & Land was to make it a more elegant, reader friendly, consumer oriented magazine, as opposed to its current condition as a trade magazine that resembles a tired classified ad. With the redesign, this magazine could be designated as an Urban Free Circulation magazine. 

I wanted to use the same format (8.5x11), cover stock, paper stock and binding as the original magazine in order to keep production costs down. While I want the magazine to have a more elegant look and feel, I think it is important that it remain a free magazine for consumers. The funding for the magazine comes entirely from advertising. Currently the editorial formula is approximately 95:5, and I would like to change it to 80:20 to provide space for richer content. 

For the nameplate I went with a traditional serif typeface called ITC Cheltenham, a display typeface, designed in 1896 by architect Bertram Goodhue and Ingalls Kimball, director of the Cheltenham Press. Because the nameplate communicates the Homes & Land brand, synonyms with the publications values and aspirations, I wanted something that was traditional, simple and typographically powerful, and would speak to a broad demographic. Furthermore, sans serif reflects a sense of timelessness, and Cheltenham in particular is versatile, universal, and works with a variety of supporting serif or sans serif fonts. 

The colour of the nameplate was picked up from the cover image, and will change with each issue in order to create unity between image and nameplate. 

Because the nameplate is a dark red colour with a thin black outline and is separated from the rest of the page, it dominates, successfully appearing as the most important element on the spread (contrast). 

I opted to put the cover lines on the top left hand side of the cover page because of the tendency for readers to read in sequence from left to right, the left hand side being the first place their eye looks. The yellow colour is also an attribute picked up from the cover image, and contrasts nicely with the blue background. The most important feature story, “Private Waterfront Sanctuary on Bowen Island” is written in an italic serif font, separating it from the smaller, sans serif cover lines below it. 

The use of red (nameplate), yellow (cover lines), and blue (background) on the cover was not accidental. Scientific colour theory has demonstrated that red, yellow and blue, which make up the primary color triad in a standard colour wheel, is the best set of three colorants to combine, 

I also used a serif font for the HL logo, used as the kicker and end of story mark. I designed this in Photoshop using the type tool and the paintbrush tool. I adjusted its opacity on the feature story intro spread so it was less dominant than the headline, subhead, and byline, but still communicated the HL brand and created unity with the other pages.   

For the body text I choose Archer, a consistent and distinctive slab serif font, which is described as “frank – direct, but not brusque – … [with] subtle cues from the world of typewriter faces … [and] ‘ball terminals’ to the lowercase and … capitals … in order to yield a font that’s friendly without being silly, and attractive without being flashy. The result is a typeface that’s well-mannered, easy to work with and inviting to read” (www.typography.com). I decided to use a serif font, as it is known to be easier to read with a clearer coastline. 

For the accent text (sell line, secondary cover lines, magazine price and website, date and floor plan font on TOC, footer and folio, Editor-In-Chief’s name on Masthead, caption/credit on interior spread) I used the sans serif font Gotham Rounded, which is “inspired by signs on buildings, [and] celebrates the workmanlike “draftsman’s alphabet” at a monumental scale. Similarly unadorned, but at a more intimate size, is the lettering of engineering: the marks on precision instruments, blueprints, stencils and templates. Drawn, stamped, engraved and routed, these forms are sensitively captured by our new Gotham Rounded family” (www.typography.com). 

I used a cluster of images on the table of contents that had natural affinity with one another, as well as a floor plan to dictate the content categories, which I feel is an interesting design element that could be explored further as a navigation and marketing tool. 

The images I used for the interior spreads jumped the gutter and had a common visual theme, and were all taken using my Canon Rebel SLR camera at the same waterfront location on Brunswick beach, which is stated in the credit/caption on the final page of the interior spreads. For the caption I used a different and smaller font than the body text, and it is sectioned off using line markers. 

If I could change anything about my final image I would adjust the leading to 12.5/14 as opposed to 12.5/15. I would also correct the duplicated page number on the verso side of the TOC and Editor’s Letter/Masthead. Furthermore, I would delete the duplicated period that appears twice on the final interior spread. I might also find a higher resolution image for the front cover. Due to time restraints and cost restraints, I was unfortunately unable to make these changes. 

The evolution of my design from thumbnails to iteration has been a rewarding process. I struggled to find the perfect fonts and images, and am happy with my final results. I feel that this is a successful redesign of Homes & Land, creating a fresher, more elegant appearance, resembling that of a consumer magazine as opposed to its original state as a quaintly designed trade magazine. 

Final Cover

Final Table of Contents 

Final Letter from the Editor and Masthead

Final Interior Spread Opening

Final Interior spread

 Mockup Cover

Mock up Table of Contents

Mock Up Editor's Letter and Masthead

Mockup Interior Spread Opening

Mockup Interior Spread

Cover Rough 1

 Cover Rough 2

 

 Cover Rough 3

Rough Table of Contents 1

Rough Table of Contents 2

Rough Masthead 

 Rough Editor Letter/Masthead/TOC

 Floor Plan TOC hand crafted in Photoshop

HL Logo hand crafted in Photoshop

Magazine Poster

This project was created for my Publishing Design In Transition Class with Mauve Page. This class thoroughly advanced my Indesign skills. Not only did I learn Indesign skills in Mauve's class, I learned about the design process, which has been invaluable in the creation of subsequent projects. Each project we completed for Mauve's class was submitted in a number of steps:
1. Draw thumbnail sketches of anything that comes to mind related to the project
2. Take the thumbnail sketches and turn them into 3 separate rough drafts
3. Choose your favourite/most effective rough and create a mockup
4. Get feedback from your client/teacher/advisor on the mockup and create a final draft
5. Submit final draft

The purpose of this project was to create a promotional poster for a book or magazine. Because I was working for Adbusters at the time, I decided to create a poster for the 100th issue, which was due out the same month. I was awarded an A+ for the project.

While I do not have each step of the design available in electronic copy (I have a USB Drive Error occur mid project), they are available in hardcopy for your reference. I have included the steps that I do have electronic copies of.

1. Rough

2. Mockup

3. Final Project

Design Rationale

To prepare for this project, I researched multiple back issues of Adbusters magazine, paying particular attention to covers. I also researched posters made by Adbusters Media Foundation for their different initiatives, and tried to adopt a similar design aesthetic; in particular, a “non-design” design.  

The cover that I based my project off of is issue #29, Spring 2000, as showcased in my Graphics Log. The cover represents a generic box with the generic brand name “Magazine.” However, I wanted to communicate that Adbusters is not your typical magazine, as it is known in the commercial industries; instead, it is a Journal of the Mental Environment. To do this I incorporated a distressed, hand-written font over top of the generic “Magazine” font. 

Because of the “non-design” design aesthetic typically used in Adbusters, I used the principle of asymmetrical balance, skewing the images and lettering around the centered “Magazine” title. 

The visual hierarchy intended to attract the viewers’ attention enough so that they were encouraged to read the type on the note paper. The viewer should see the elements in the poster in the following order:

1. Issue #100 starburst (what the poster is selling, only use of red on the page).

2. Title (use of contrast between generic serif font of “Magazine” and the distressed, handwritten font of “this is not a / this is a / Journal of the Mental Environment). 

3. Note (unified with “Magazine” title, viewers eye is drawn from title to note page in a vertical downward motion).

4. Logo (orients the viewer, tells them the name of the magazine)

I chose not to include the cover image of Adbusters #100, as I felt it distracted from the message. The Adbusters as a brand name is recognizable on its own, and there is no coherent trend used on the covers; each are unique in their use of images and font. The star-burst, however, is used on the cover of issue #100, so I used this to unify the poster and the magazine, along with the logo. 

I limited the colors on the poster to contrasting blue and yellow and white and black, with a pop of red to call attention to the “issue #100” message. 

The black, distressed, handwritten font is in sharp contrast with the yellow serif font of “Magazine.” The yellow type and notepaper contrast effectively with the blue background. 

While the handwritten title font and the handwritten notepaper font are different, they are similar enough to still look unified. The black font of the Adbusters logo and the black stars within the red starburst are also unified with the black handwriting.

I tried to create a somewhat jolted rhythm, making the images and font on the page seem as if they were scribbled and taped on half-hazard, staying true to the Adbusters design aesthetic.

I feel like this poster effectively communicates the aesthetic personality of Adbusters. I enjoyed the process of moving from thumbnails to a final project, and really saw my project evolve with each step. 

Image Sources:

Issue 100 Starburst retrieved from Adbusters headquarters, original digital file. 

Adbusters logo retrieved from Adbusters headquarters, original digital file. 

Yellow notepaper retrieved from www.bigstockphotos.com 

Fonts retrieved from www.dafont.com and www.misprintedtype.com

For more information, please view graphics log.

A Visitor's Guide to Kruger National Park

Please visit the link below (copy and paste it into your Firefox browser) and press the play button to view my Visitor's Guide to Kruger National Park, created in Photoshop. This project was created before I was familiar with Indesign, which is a much more effective layout tool than Photoshop. If I were to re-do this Visitor's Guide, I would use all of the photos, which were taken by myself in South Africa in February 2011 with a Canon Rebel SLR and manipulated in Photoshop (usually for tones and contrast to increase the intensity of the colours), and create the book in Indesign, which would add a more professional feel to the overall appearance. While the project could definitely be improved, I still feel it showcases my ability to use digital photographic equipment, photoshop, and dreamweaver. Please note, the link will only work in a FireFox browser. It will not work in Safari. 

http://www.sfu.ca/cmns/courses/2011/325/class/20renee/assignments/final%20folder%20bridge/Final%20Project%20Images/

A Visitor’s Guide to Kruger National Park

Renee Thomson

South Africa’s largest National Reserve, Kruger Park, is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals (Map Studio, 2003). To cater to its visitors, the park’s shops carry pamphlets identifying each species with a hand-drawn visual. These pamphlets are what Barthes calls “informational;” they communicate a message. My objective was to redesign this pamphlet using the images I took with the techniques provided by the Canon Rebel T1i manual and the Scavenger Hunt lab assignment while visiting the park. Within the photo book is a removable leaflet, titled “Table of Contents” that organizes animals by type and identifies which page to go to in the book to find more information and photographs; therefore, the intended use of the design is for visitors to keep track of their sightings and learn additional information about each animal while visiting the park. It also serves as a keepsake that visitor’s can treasure for a lifetime. 

Each individual page is 11x8.5in. Most of the documents are created to represent two pages at 22x17in. If the book were to be printed, I would use 100lbs gloss cover pages without coating, and the inside pages would be printed on paper made in Africa from elephant dung, with perfect binding (Johnson & Prijatel, 2007). All images are original, taken in Kruger National park with a Canon Rebel T1i, with contrast and brightness adjustments done in Photoshop. The green colour accenting the black pages was chosen based on “Cedar” from Pantone’s fall 2011 fashion colour pallet (Pantone, 2011).  

 The design problem I am addressing in this project is the representation of small multiples, which Edward Tufte deals extensively with. Small multiples are thumbnail sized representations of multiple images displayed all at once, labeled and ordered by data not used in the single images themselves, which allows to reader to compare differences (Tufte, 1990). Tufte claims that 

“At the heart of quantitative reasoning is a single question: Compared to what? Small multiple designs, multivariate and data bountiful, answer directly by visually enforcing comparisons of changes, of the differences among objects, of the scope of alternatives. For a wide range of problems in data presentation, small multiples are the best design solution.” (Tufte, 1990)

The thumbnail graphics used on the Table of Contents in my Visitor’s Guide depict comparisons and contrasts between each animal in the book. As Tuft says, “Clear and precise seeing becomes as one with clear and precise thinking.”

The images are organized on the Table of Contents by type. The mammals are organized according to their taxonomic order: Primates, Carnivora (Felis Catus and Canis Lupus), Herbivora (Proboscidea, Artiodactyla, and Perissodactyla), while the birds are organized by Birds of Prey (Vultures, Owls, and Eagles) and Birds (Hornbills, Rollers, Other). The remaining pictures are organized by vegetation and insects. This organizational scheme communicates meaning that doesn’t exist in the photos themselves, as well as provides a coherent context for the design idea. Within the photo book, the images are loosely ordered by type, with each species appearing near each other. 

I also referred to Tufte’s principals of analytical design when creating this pamphlet, in order to convey the information as logically and systematically as possible. Comparison (between animals), causality, multivariate analysis, integration of evidence (words, numbers, images, diagrams, graphics, charts), and documentation (see bibliography for thorough references) are included in the design and played a large roll in the process of creation. I believe these design conventions, along with the conventions for small multiples, are highly effective in representing the data for this particular design. I believe I could have benefited from leaving more time to fit in the descriptions of each of the animals on the pages in a more uniform manner. Dealing with as many words as I had proved to be more difficult that originally thought. 

I referred to different sources of information and inspiration for the design process of the Visitor’s Guide, other than Tufte’s principles of analytical design and small multiples, as well. The inspiration for the design came from Map Studio’s Official Visitor’s Guide to The Kruger National Park (Map Studio, 2003), which contains illustrations of each species in the park. I felt that photographs would communicate the information more effectively and accurately, as well as provide visitor’s with a sleeker looking keepsake than the original Map Studio book. Prior to starting the design, I did some research on the environmental history of South Africa by Jane Carruthers. The book I have created celebrates Kruger National park, and as Carruthers claims, “celebrating places is a way to negotiate African identity, pride, and vision and to take ownership of past, present, and future” (2006). Furthermore, she claims that current popular literature about Africa’s national parks and other protected areas continues to reflect an ideology of African inaction, inertia, and helplessness. I believe my design will not reflect these negative qualities, as it will be made by Africans and much of the information within it was provided by Africans (for example, the tour guide I had on my Safari imparted much of knowledge that I included in the writings). Carruthers also claims that “National parks … are instruments to enhance human economic development and to provide local, regional, and national services of many kinds” (2006) and I believe my book plays a role in this enhancement. 

These readings encouraged me to focus my design away from notions of commerce and the cultural legacy of colonialism, as initially proposed.  Social and cultural situations in Africa, such as poverty, lack of jobs, and racism encouraged me to think of ways that this visualization could give back to the community from which the animals come from. Many black South Africans feel the game parks are merely hobbies for affluent white tourists, and do not benefit the livelihood of the people who are the original residents of the territory. This influenced my decision to use elephant dung paper; on average an elephant will eat 200-250kg of food a day, which translates into 50kg of dung a day. 50 kg of dung can make 115 sheets of paper which is chlorine and bacteria free. Elephant dung is a waste product, which if left, creates more pollution, so turning it into paper has positive effects on the environment (Elephantdungpaper.com, 2009). Members of the community can be employed to make this paper, which will provide jobs.  

Visual images and concepts can be used instrumentally to forge new consciousness. Poaching of animals is a reoccurring and detrimental problem in South Africa, and by socializing visitors to the animals and the culture through an informative photo book, it will hopefully teach them to advocate for these animals. 

Resources 

2009. Elephant Conservation Center: Elephant Dung Paper Facts. Retrieved from 

http://www.elephantdungpaper.com/

2010. African Wildlife Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.awf.org/

Map Studio. (2003). The Official Visitor’s Guide to The Kruger National Park. South 

Africa: New Holland Publishers Ltd.

Carruthers, J. ( 2006). Tracking in Game Trails: Looking Afresh at the Politics of 

Environmental History in South Africa. Retrieved from http://envhis.oxfordjournals.org/

Johnson & Prijatel. (2007). The Magazine from Cover to Cover. New York: Oxford 

University Press. 

Pantone. (2011). Pantone Fashion Colour Report Fall 2011. Retrieved from 

http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20834&ca=4&utm_src=redfall2011

Shermer, M. (April 2005). The Feynman-Tufte Principle. Scientific AmericanVol. 292 

Issue 4, p38-38.

Tufte, E. (1990). Envisioning Information. Graphics Press. 

Tufte, E. (1983). Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Graphics Press.

Tufte. (n.d.). The Fundamental Principles of Analytical Design.

Photography Skills

Photography Skills

The purpose of this assignment was to develop skills in digital camera operation, including framing, lighting, focus, and composition. We were asked to take photos that highlighted the following technical specifications: focus, aperture & focal length

I used a Canon Rebel SLR to take these photographs when I was in South Africa in February of 2011. 

All photographs are original - Photoshop or any other post-production materials were not used to enhance these photographs. 

Exposure

Ambient Light a.

Ambient Light b. 

 Depth of Field a.

Depth of Field b.

Exposure a.

Exposure b.

Exposure c. 

Exposure d.

Shutter Speed (fast)

Shutter Speed (slow)

Focal Distance a.

Focal Distance b.

 Focal Length Perspective a.

Focal Length Perspective b.

Focus: In Focus

Focus: Out of Focus 

Framing a.

Framing b.

Golden Ratio