For this assignment, we needed to create two magazine spread layouts for our Typography course. We could choose from one of three articles provided to us or choose our own article and use the copy to create the layouts.
The prompt was to use Adobe InDesign to format the text with the following principles of typography: leading, kerning, and justification. Design headlines, subheadings, and body copy using font pairings and principles of visual hierarchy and emphasis. Organize our designs using grids.
First we had to choose one of three topics where we would use the text from the article as our copy text. I chose the article about Japanese Wood-Block Printing. For both magazine layouts, the first order of business was to design a mock layout to see what grid design would look best. I decided on a three column format for thinner bodies of text that are reminiscent of the Japanese vertical writing style even though this is an English document. All type face choices were based on Japanese fonts or fonts that resembled the Asian art of calligraphy which I think links the two articles to the same audience. This article uses Pristina for the title and Meiryo for everything else. Paying particular attention to the readability of the text, my decision to have such a simple layout and use of sans serif font was purposeful in providing contrast to the elaborate title and I provided hierarchy by use of color, font size, and font style. Sticking to only two colors, which match the color scheme of each magazine’s photos, allowed for a simpler look.