BRIEF 02: EVALUATION

Overview

After much contemplation the Thread brief will no longer be created. Although is was a promising project, myself and the rest of the group didn't realise how much time and effort it would take to create it, along with gathering information, designing and sourcing printers. 

With our own briefs and studio set briefs we started to loose time to produce the magazine when we initially wanted to. Even with time management the brief was still a big task for us all.

What skills have you developed through this brief and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I think my research skills have developed in actually going on visits to find out further information about magazines, visiting village and colours may vary was really insightful to see whats out there in the market and how we could of interpreted it.

What approaches / methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

N/A

What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I think the strengths within this brief was the overall concept, Leeds is lacking a modern and directed magazine about the city. Although the brief in incomplete it was a fun task researching and visiting magazine shops for inspiration, which heightened my knowledge in print finishes, layout and styles.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

The weaknesses in this brief was evidently not completing it and realising the scope and time it would take to produce.

Identify things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

Take into consideration the time, scale and dedication needed before taking on brief and better time management.

BRIEF 02: USP

Jasper asked the group to come with some USP ideas and any visual styles for inspiration for the brief. I made a small PDF of ideas to share with the group and could possibly develop further.

BRIEF 02: GROUP MEETING 2

Issy and Jasper were set the task of looking into how the magazine could be produced and the pages needed.

After looking at their ideas we decided to go with jaspers idea of creating a small publication but using full colour which was proposed buy Issy.

With out magazine having a multitude of fields to focus on, we decided to appoint some roles for the group.

Fashion / Shops
- Jasper / Victoria

Food / Coffee
- Issy / Rinesh

Events
- Rinesh / J'nae

Bars
- J'nae / Victoria / Rinesh

Lifestyle
- Jasper / Issy


I decided to go with events and bars as this is my field of interest and would be the best area for me to excel and develop within the brief. With the roles asserted we now all have something to focus on and develop with.

BRIEF 02: PRIMARY MAGAZINE RESEARCH

For primary research, myself and Vicky went to the library to look at and analyse the layout and content of a multitude of magazines as a source of inspiration.

EXIT

The glossy stock on the magazine gives it a really professional and tactile quality, this is something we need to consider when the magazine goes to print. Also the minimal layout and style is really contemporary and flows cohesively throughout the publication.

Surface

The use of white space on the front cover is really contemporary and leaves room to experiment with type on the front cover without it being distorted. The magazine overall is really minimal and clean which will go with the style of magazine that the group would like to produce.

Flash Art

The different use of stocks, pictured in the second image, I think it makes the publication stand out, this could be introduced into our magazine to divide the different sections.

ArtReview

The type layout in the articles are really different and space conserving, I like how there are shapes within the columns to allocate important quotes which make the articles stand out.

Love

Oh Comely

Dazed

This publication heavily uses photography and the contrasting shape and layouts within the publication give it a visual variety! Again this is something we could definitely experiment with in our publication

Overview

Today has been  beneficial again in seeing the different types of layout that can be produced and experimented with in regards to type and text. I will tell my findings to the group and see what they think.

VISIT: VILLAGE BOOK STORE

Today I visited The Village Book Store, for primary research to get an insight into different styles of layout, type and formats that could influence the design of my publications.  Village is an independent book store and gallery based in Leeds, UK, specialising in self-published zines from local and international artists. As well as a curated selection of contemporary art, design, fashion and photography books and magazines from established and independent publishers.

Although I couldn't take much detailed photography of the books I did note down the ones that caught my eye and researched into them further which are listed below.

Not Today

Not Today magazine focuses on the space between art and life, inviting those with passion and creativity in space to partake; what it really tries to convey is the relationship between space and people. — The magazine had a flap on the front that was really interactional that I have seen with other magazines I've researched online I think this could be an interesting feature with my publication for interactional purposes and also bringing more focus to photography.

Cereal

Cereal is a quarterly travel and lifestyle magazine based in Bristol, UK. — I think the use of clean open space and minimal colour also allows the photography to dominate in the publication which is a feature I should consider.

Nourished Journal

Nourished Journal is a new food and lifestyle publication from Melbourne/New York based Made Publishers. The journal features interviews with inspiring individuals, uplifting and informative editorial, recipes, travel stories and practical information on health and wellbeing. — Again the bold use of photography and overlapping layout really allows the images to stand out.

Cafe Royal

Craig Atkinson documents the stunning 1960′s brutalist Barbican Estate. — I really liked the double page spread aspect for the images, the black and white is also really minimal but highlight the details / textures within the photography.

Aperture

Aperture is a quarterly published photography magazine. — Again it uses more stock for an interactional front cover that add more depth and tactile quality to the publication.

FIN

FIN is a publication about creative, unafraid, passionate and modern women and men who inspire us by the way they live, work and think. — I like the white space around the images which creates a frame for the image, also the texture of the magazine was really soft, which again adds a tactile quality to the user experience.

Overview 

Looking at magazines + publications that are not strictly about travel, fashion, ect. has given me the opportunity to look into the different styles and layouts I could replicate within my designs. I feel that this was really beneficial in me seeing whats modern and contemporary in regards to print.