Unit 16, Design & Layout Paul

Unit 16: Design & Layout

You must prepare an analysis of 4 graphic design products which are related to magazines. Choose from the following:

Poster linked to your magazine content

Display advertisement - full page or double page in a hobby or lifestyle magazine

A flyer, postcard or leaflet insert found in a magazine

A programme for an event that might be covered in your magazine

Brochure for a product that someone who buys your magazine might also buy

Web pages for a hobby and lifestyle magazine

A hobby or lifestyle feature article

A cover of a book that could be advertised in your magazine

A CD or DVD cover

Design & layout task 1

awareness and accentuate medical cross to subliminally evoke ideas of health. Promote - this directly promotes the product, which is a website dedicated to providing healthcare products to professional vocalists. It does this using a clear font , a brand name on the side and a selection of the products that the website provides. Large font and colour are used to directly promote the brand name and website (which are identical). Logo is placed at 90 degrees to enhance audience

Inform - in addition to the main header copy, there is additional copy to further inform the target audience (consumer) of the actual products and service provided .

Advertise- This is very effective as an advertisement as it is attractive to a niche market of professional singers. The colour green is used to promote the idea of the products being healthy; the image of the singer also helps the audience identify with the product. The 5 th product shown covers part of the image of the singer, drawing the eye between the image and the copy.

Also, directly states good value of products sold, and advertised various types being offered on sale.

Educate- Does not really have any educational value; although you could argue it educates vocalists that these products exist, this is not its intent.

Target Audience

Age- 21- 35 – Has to be an internet-user and professional vocalist, and is therefore likely to fall broadly into this category

Location- This is difficult to define, as the target consumer is, by definition, a web-user and not bound by geography

Gender- Most likely to be female, given the predominance of women in the vocalist industry, but the ad does not deter men.

Interests- Singing, music (could be any with vocal), internet

socio-economic status- Likely to be in middle-class, as professional singers are affluent, if they are spending money on this type of product;

Checklist: when you have finished your analysis, check the list below. If the element is there then you must identify it and comment on its effectiveness. Justify the choice of formats in relation to how effectively the content is communicated by covering the following Content: Text e.g. copy, captions, headings Images e.g. photographs, line drawings, diagrams, logos, cartoons Format : Size Paper quality or resolution of web page

Design and layout: e.g. Image selection Proportion of text to image Juxtaposition of text and image Direction Colour Font style and size Use of upper or lower case Use of white space, gutters and margins Use of tangible and assumed borders Use of columns and paragraphs Use of bullets, asterisks and numbers Alignment of text

Design and layout: Designers refer to C.R.A.P. when putting together graphics Contrast Elements that aren’t the same should be very different so they stand out, making them “slightly different” confuses the user into seeing a relation that doesn’t exist. Strong contrast between page elements allows the user’s eye to flow from one to another down the page instead of creating a sea of similarity that’s boring and not communicative.

Design and layout: Designers refer to C.R.A.P. when putting together graphics Repetition Repeat styles for a cohesive feel — if you style related elements the same way in one area, continue that trend for other areas for consistency.

Design and layout: Designers refer to C.R.A.P. when putting together graphics Alignment Everything needs to be visually connected to something else; nothing should be out of place or distinct from all other design elements.

Design and layout: Designers refer to C.R.A.P. when putting together graphics Proximity Proximity creates related meaning: elements that are related should be grouped together, whereas separate design elements should have enough space in between to communicate they are different. See http://www.thinkvitamin.com/features/design/how-crap-is-your-site-designprint/ for further explanation. It is about web design, but the principles are the same.