Editorial Design

This is my final outcome for the last module, two double page spreads for my typography magazine 'TypEd'...

I used these images of Peter Crawley's beautiful typography artwork as the feature of this spread,

the idea behind the layout was to have one page dedicated to the artwork, un-interupted by the body copy which is positioned in frames on the opposite page, each equal in size and position to their corresponding image.

             I love the bold use of colour and shape in Alan Kitching's work so decided to dedicate this spread to it. I looked at the golden ratio a lot during my research and the principles of editorial design, the golden ratio, when used in editorial design, can be used to find the perfect position for the content of the page while leaving room at the bottom to hold the book or magazine. My magazine layout was square so I was unable to apply the Van De Graff canon to work out the ratio but I did adapt the principle of 'holding space' to my design which has worked really well and also allowed for the perfect place to position page numbers. I was keen to design the pages of my magazine together so that the spread worked as a whole, for these pages I followed a reverse symmetry theme, the copy steps up on the left and continues in to the air on the right, I balanced this idea by placing the image content in opposing corners. The final rule I introduced was white space, this was helped by the 'holding space' and added to the balance of the layout, I don't like to overcrowd a page and feel that there should always be 'room to breathe' when working your way around an article.

I have been working on my illustrator skills this week and have produced this ad for blackberry...

Portfolio Module

I have officially started work on my portfolio module. Task 1 was research in to what makes a good portfolio and examples of portfolios I like. I produced a presentation based on this research. 

I have evaluated my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to this module...

I am confident in my Indesign skills based on work in previous editorial briefs and for development layout. Existing software knowledge is also a strength and this was enhanced during the recent digital skills module. I have also started attending web design night classes, this could be beneficial in creating an online portfolio. Another strength is the existing work I have already produced, there are a few pieces that I am confident reflect my style and skills in my preferred areas... editorial and branding.

Weaknesses for this module would include areas that I have not covered or that I am not confident in the final outcome. This includes packaging, illustrations and branding. I need to decide what areas I would like my portfolio to include and develop some work to show these skills.

The weaknesses I have defined form the basis for my opportunities. The main opportunity for this module is the development of my creative portfolio. 
For this module I can work on a live brief that will showcase my chosen skills area.
This is also an opportunity to show the level of work I can produce in a broader skill set including photography and web design.

The main threats to the module, as always, are the time constraints. I have a heavy workload at the moment with two other modules running along side as well as some work for external clients. Time planning will be key in making sure I meet all of my deadlines with the best work I can achieve...

Time Plan... February

Adidas poster

This is the adidas poster I have been working on for digital skills using layer masks to bring images together.

Contextual studies, Digital Skills and D&AD

This has been my first week back at college after Christmas and there has been a lot to catch up on. My first priority was to get my UCAS application finished and sent off which I am pleased to say I have now done.

The next deadline I have is for my contextual studies essay on poster design. I had a meeting with my tutor John to discuss the essay in more detail on Monday and have devised a time plan in order to meet my deadline of next Friday. I have also done a SWOT analysis based on my essay writing skills...

Strengths:  I enjoy writing and conveying my thoughts on interesting subject matters.
Weaknesses:  I do not have any experience of writing a 3000 word essay. I do not have a lot of prior    knowledge about the particular subject matter.
Opportunities:  This is a chance for me to write a longer essay and utilise my essay plan skills. I will gain knowledge on interesting subjects relevant to my course through my research.
Threats:  Time management could be a potential threat with this essay due to the timescale I have before hand in.

I have spent a couple of hours today compiling research into poster design and new technologies, I will continue to look at this tomorrow and devise an essay plan.

I have had two digital skills lessons this week learning new photoshop skills and documenting them using inDesign, I have made a concerted effort to keep up to date with annotation etc so as not to fall behind on my time plan, I stayed an extra hour on Monday and Tuesday in order to finish of the annotation for the tutorials we have had and I now have everything we have done covered.

I have began looking at the 2013 D & AD briefs and there are a couple that stood out, I am interested in the brief for It's Nice That, Ted Baker and Batiste, I am still undecided on which route to go down but I  am going to concentrate on my essay for the next couple of days to get it under way.

Time Plan... January