Project Four
Publication Design / NYT
Publication / Editorial design is a fascinating field that combines our abilities for creative typography, smart layouts and clever compositions. All around the world people wake up early and stay up late creating compositions that millions get a hold of in the form of newspapers, magazines, books, ebooks, iPad magazines. The amount of content included in the publication of things like books and magazines demand strict guidelines and rules for the use of typography and layout within the volumes and periodicals produced. The success of these publications depends on clear communication and consist story telling, both of which demand rigorous applications of grid layouts and the establishment of visual hierarchies in order to keep readers entertained while they consume the content.
The principles about what makes a good layout or series of spreads are the same design principles when you design a brand story, website, motion/animation, etc. Publication today is not restricted to print. To practice these principles we will be using print at the medium.
Project Learning / Goals
— develop a tool kit
— leading grid: margins, alleys. modules
— hierarchy, contrast, composition,
— type size, type color, line length (column width), leading
— parts of a magazine: headlines, subheads, call outs, page numbers, running heads
— paragraph breaks, justification, letter and word spacing, hyphenation, widows, orphans
— dashes, quote marks and apostrophes
— vertical and horizontal pull (clotheslines, flow line, hang-line)
Article Restrictions
Article must be a feature story from the NYT or NYT Magazine
Article must be 1000 words or more
Article must have 6-8 images
Question to ask: Are you interested in the topic or did you find the article interesting. Did it make you think? Are there any images or links that you could add to the article?
Editorial Technical Restrictions
Design the first 4 (four) spreads of your article. Opening Spread plus the three following spreads (a spread is comprised of a left and right page) If your article is over 1,000 words you will not have to use all the text. Don’t jam the pages. All the text DOES not all need to be used the article would just go on you just are not designing it all of the article if it is over 1,000 words.
Size: PAGE = 9 wide by 13.5 tall -> SPREAD = 18 inches wide x 13.5 inches tall. (pages, make spreads)
Color: Black + 3 colors tints OK
Fonts: One sans serif and one serif family can be used from By Classification
Images: use 6 - 8 images (from the article or find new — credit images)(1 - 3 per spread)
Call outs/Quotes: incorporate 2 - 3 call outs/quotes (in total not per spread)
Typographic Rules: You may use rules, bars, and color fields, but avoid using them as decor.
Grid: 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 columns You decide what works for you but no less than 6.
Deliverables
DELIVERABLES:
Process Book (Digital PDF) (Keep file size under 150 MB) (Keep and organize all handouts lecture notes, sketching and process.)
Final Spreads (Printed) Spread in Color (Grid turned off)
Final Spreads (Printed) Black and White with grid turned on
SCHEDULE:
3 / 30 / 23
HOMEWORK
Watch at least (5) Behind the Cover videos.
Gather the following information about your article.
1) The title (and subtitle)
2) What is the article about? A Summary. Think elevator pitch!
3) Why did you pick it?
4) From the images which one do you "like best"
5) Describe the article in 5 words (one sentence)
6) Create a word list of 40 words that have to do with article topic or feelings assoicated with it.
7) What are 6 words to describe it? individual words and include at least 6 synonyms for each word
8) Create at least 4 word combos: foggy-nightmare, gloomy-cloud, somber-mist
9) — How can visualize the idea of the article in typography thinking about what you saw in behind the cover, etc?
4 / 3 / 23
IN CLASS
Review Word Combos
Review Research
Examples of Typographic
Tests / Sketches
HOMEWORK
Continue to build word combos that help you.
Make, Make a lot! At least (25) different tests, ideas, explorations on how to treat your title using the computer. (could be just one word or two words you don't have to treat the entire title or if you want to explore a new title, words). Not Sketches. MAKE STUFF!
Make at least (10) different tests, ideas, explorations on how to treat your title using analog methods or analag/computer hybrids. (Black and White Only)
You do not need to make each idea perfect, just enough to test your idea and show it. If it is a good idea then you can refine it. Now is the time to explore. Put each exploration next to one of the images from the article. Think back to what you saw in Behind the cover and thinkg conceptually!
Look Up / Research the following designers:
What is the tread that connects all of these people? Select at least 2-3 examples from each and from that select a favorite to dissect: concept, form, materials, why you "like it". Did their work lead you to any other designers? Include all research in your process book.
Gail Anderson
Tina Smith
Chloe Scheffe
Matt Willey
Claudia Rubin
Tibor Kalman
Neville Brody
David Carson
4 / 6 / 23
IN CLASS
Review Type / Headline Studies
HOMEWORK
Part 1: Type Specs
(Use this InDesign document)
Create at least (8) different type spec studies
For body text... please use choose from the 18 typefaces listed here (PDF) and make all body text 8.5/12 point.
For the headline, subhead, call out you can pick from any typeface but have a good reason for your choice and why you think it is a good visual combination with the body text. (don't use the same body text on all 8 studies. Try out different ones.
Find/select at least 6 - 8 short quotes/sections of text that you could/could use as a call out. Color code them in your text so you can find them later. You want options. For the Type Specs just pick one to use as part of the study.
Think about all the typography, legibility and appropriateness. What makes a good font combination? Keep the studies black and white. Using typographic color would be a good idea (font style (reg, bold, italic etc), case (uppercase/lowercase, tracking).
Part 2: Pick your best (3) Typographic studies and continute to iterate and explore them.
4 / 18 / 23
HOMEWORK
Create opening spreads in InDesign using this grid structure.
Taking your best ideas create 6 different opening spreads.
Use your headline typographic studies that you have been working on.
Working in InDesign. Look at Technical Restrictions. Work in the proper document size. Pages make spreads. Use 1 photo and at least the title, subtitle, byline, photo credit on the opening spread. Also try with more content. The goal of the opening spread is to visually communicate the idea of the article, the feeling, mood, tone... How can you visual communicate?
Minimum Content for Opening Spread: name of the article, subtitle, by line, photo credit line. Use the real text, real image. Don't use place holder text or placeholder images.
4 / 20 / 23
IN CLASS
Review Opening Spreads: ideas and text treatments do they match the mood/tone of the article. do they "say"/visually express the the message you want to express?
Lecture: Tool Kits
Tool Kit Examples
Lecure: Photoshop Basics
HOMEWORK
Tool Kits
Make tool kit(s): What sort of visual system can you put together to use when designing your article? How can you expand the visual language and typography. How can you use typographic color, type styles (reg, bold, italic, condensed, expanded, caps, lowercase, tracking), graphic elements (keep it simple). How can you treat photographs? Black and White? Colorize? Bit map?
Take your time and develop 3 different tool kit ideas (one page per tool kit idea). Print them out for class.
Following Spread Thumbnails
Explore how to layout the entire article. These are just sketches by hand. Look at your opening spread (that is the first one). Look at your tool kit and now think about how the rest of your article could be laid out. Consider sequence/ pacing/ surprise/ use of the page and contrast/SCALE. Think about your call outs, image (image treatment), captions...Sketch out your ideas now before we move to the computer next week. Remember you have the opening spread and then 3 more spreads to work with. Don't make your sketches on the computer. Bring to class to pin up. (4) Sets
Opening Spreads.
Explore refine 3 different opening spreads. Have all the required content and try some with some text. Print each as a spread to fit onto 11 x 17.
4 / 25 / 23
IN CLASS
Review Toolkits
HOMEWORK
Refine your chosen toolkit.
Design 2 different distinct directions for your article. (all 4 spreads: 2 different ways) . Design your entire article. Save it and then try a different direction... do you need to pull back the design? Do you need to add more things? These are studies on how your article can look. Now is the time to explore it on the computer.
RANGE of exploration is the work is key! Do not come into class with similar ideas with minor differences, changing font colors and small moves.
* Please keep your body type to 8pt or 8.5 or at most 9pt. Do not use larger for body type. Define Character style so you can make changes easily.
Things to include in your spreads (Use your toolkit)
Call outs have at least 1 per spread. Maybe 2. Use the same size for all your call outs. Then see if you need to use 2 sizes.
Use 1 - 3 photos per spread.
Running head you don't have to use the NYT logo but you can. Page numbers.
Intro text? How can you treat the intro text a bit differently than the body text?
How can you use Paragraph Breaks...
Design Tips
How can you draw the reader into the article?
What are different ways to show a new paragraph?
What can you do with call outs... the title, subtitle, author, intro text
How can elements align?
How can you make the text have the same feeling as the images?
How can you design the spreads without cropping the images?
How do type and images work together?
How can design work with imagery to tell a story?
Be cautious of/avoid
_ avoid making your type into organic shapes, type in circles, text on a curve
_ avoid checkerboard layouts
_ avoid too much space between elements
_ avoid filling the page, start with the text lower on the page
_ avoid a symmetric spread, think as spreads not pages.
Please do not stuff images in the body text and wrap text around it.
Tips
_ avoid all the text being "high" on the page - works better lower on the page
_ have elements align on the same baseline
_ avoid white more white space "inside" the page.
_ have your white space on the outside of the elements
_ do not crowd the page
_ do not have too little on the page
_ take your time be neat
_ explore some layouts conservative/traditional, other really push scale, tension, overlap,...
4 / 27 / 23
IN CLASS
Review 2 different "full" article look and feels
HOMEWORK
Design and Refine
Choose your final direction. Refine your opening spread, refine the layouts (and then do it again how can you make them better?) Design your entire article 4 spreads.
Please print your 4 spreads for class. Fit on 11x17
5 / 2 / 23
IN CLASS
Review solutions and pick one /
put together to refine.
HOMEWORK
Refining your final spreads
-Refine and start getting the typographic details set.
-How can you add more typographic color, contrast, unity across all your spreads?
-Hang punctuation
-Kern headlines when needed
-Indent or space between paragraphs not both
-Make sure you are using REAL quotes (smart quotes) not inch marks (check your text)
-Make sure you are using apostrophes not foot marks
-Use en dash
-If you are justifying text, use hyphenation and adjust Justification settings.
-Avoid hyphenation in the header, subhead, call outs/pull quotes. (need to hyphenate body copy)
-Running heads and page numbers should be the same size as the body or smaller.
-Odd page numbers on the right.
Other things we will look for:
Use of the columns, column width for reading.
Use of multiple hang-lines
Clear hierarchy.
Consistencies in type usage.
Multiple levels of hierarchy.
Visual Space, flow, contrast, scale and surprise.
5 / 4 / 23
IN CLASS
Work Day
(No Class)
HOMEWORK
Continue Homework from 5/2
5 / 9 / 23
IN CLASS
Please print your final spreads to fit
on 11x17 sheets and use the laser printer
Project Due @ 3:30
HOMEWORK
Enjoy your Summer!