It's been an exciting week. The new Vox summer editors and reporters have started to trickle in and the TAs and I have published our first issue. Though it is still evergreen content from last semester, we still had to go through the process, this time without the help of the outgoing TAs. I'm not sure what I expected, but it went surprisingly smoothly. Guess I can't really ask for more than that. The only hitch for me was getting my editor's letter finished. I had plenty of time, but I had to start from scratch when I realized the Google Doc I had created the night before was no longer in my queue. Ah well. I like what I came up with yesterday morning better anyway.
Still, as I'm sitting here with an actual printed issue in front of me, it still seems kind of surreal. I wouldn't have guessed this is where I'd be this summer, but I'm really enjoying it so far.
Also this week, I finally got my second feature published! I'm really happy with how it turned out. I felt like I had the time to really work on it, which was a nice change. Plus, I learned some Photoshop tricks that helped a lot as well. One of my personal goals this summer is to improve my software knowledge, specifically with Photoshop. It is my most underused program, and I think my designs sometime suffer because of it.
Anyway, check out my feature below. If you are interested in reading the full story (and other great Vox stories!) be sure to visit the site.
The New Yorker, known for it's illustrated covers, among other things, published cover art this week that was completely drawn with an iPhone. My experience with the iPhone is limited (sadly, I've yet to buy one), but I have to imagine this couldn't have been easy. I've tried typing on one before and it took me entirely too long. However, from the look of it, the Brushes app for the iPhone is kind of like finger-painting, only digital (and less messy).
After watching the video of the cover artist Jorge Colombo creating the artwork, I am dying to get my hands on the app so I can try it out. Naturally, Colombo makes it look easy. But is it? It's fun to think of designing "on the fly". Stuck in traffic? Whip out your iPhone and get some illustrating in. This definitely puts the idea of cell phone journalism in a new light and is something I could get into.
Check out The New Yorker's Web site for more on the cover and to see a cool video of the illustration as it is being drawn.
It feels like things are starting to slow down design-wise. At least for me, I feel like there aren't too many more weekly deadlines to worry about. Tomorrow marks the end of classes (the last in my educational career!) and it's all wrapping up. I still have a few (or a lot ... ) things to mark off my to-do list. One thing that's finished is my spread for Global Journalist.
I designed for a story on Twitter and how it might be a new form of journalism. There wasn't any art for the piece, so I was tasked with illustrating something for it. I decided to use the Twitter bird that is on the homepage and add a journalist element. Since the demographic of GJ is older (median age for readers is about 50, I think Aimee told me), I wanted to add more context to the story and what Twitter is. So, the bird has a speech bubble, where the deck is located; so, the bird is, basically, "tweeting" the story's deck. Also, the pull quote looks like an actual tweet and is very nearly 140 characters.
The main illustration is still my favorite, though.
I was really impressed with everyone's presentations. It was so great to see all the final products, especially after seeing so many pieces over the semester. And, after all that work, it was nice to hear the feedback from the Meredith representatives.
One of the comments Spoon got was on its pacing. In our group, we each worked on several pieces and then sent them to our creative director, Victoria, who compiled them into the correct order. Granted, the order of pages was determined long before we began designing. So, I really didn't give it a second thought. Our publishers handled the question well, though, and referenced to our idea of the book as a "foodie handbook."
All in all, it is a relief. Now I'm wondering what to fill the Spoon void with. (I have a feeling I won't have to look that hard to find something. The to-do list is still so long....)
If you haven't seen this yet, you should check it out: 14 things design geeks must have. It's a fun list of kitschy design-themed things. Check it out, especially if you need gift ideas for the designers in your life.
This is just too cool. Cooliris, an application you can download for your browser, let's you view all the photos on the website you are on, Flickr, or even your computer in a new, almost 3-D way. The application pulls up photos and let's you scroll through them on a "wall" quickly. You can click on a thumbnail and it pulls up a large, quality image.
It's hard to describe; I'm hardly doing it justice. You just have to check it out!
I think something that distinguishes us (as journalism students emphasizing in design) from graphic designers is the journalism background we get here at Mizzou. It strengths our design skills through teaching us not just how to tell a story visually, but how to tell a story, how to communicate and how to serve the reader/community.
That being said, I have a great big spot in my heart for really great journalism - especially when it comes from this school. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly encourage you to read this story about the Josh Kezer, a man who was freed from jail after 16 years of wrongful imprisonment. It is such a moving story; the descriptions of the little things he experiences in his first days of freedom are great. This was packaged really well, too. Lauren did such a great job with the site - I loved the splash page! And Aimee worked so hard on the print package, which came out so nice. Good job girls!
Another great piece of journalism that y'all just can't miss is "The Girl in the Window". This story just breaks my heart, but it is written so well - I couldn't stop reading. The story is about a young girl who was found in her family's home when she was about 5 or 6 years old. She had been severely neglected and she couldn't even speak. Here you can find a great multimedia version of this story which includes a follow-up story on how the girl is doing now.
One of the most rewarding feelings to me is finally seeing my work in print. I love having that tangible evidence of something I did. (I also love the feeling of magazines, and technology won't replace the feeling of reading a physical copy of a magazine for me). So, it was nice to finally have a printed copy of what we've been working on all semester: the Meredith project.
It's weird to think how much time we've all spent on this. Personally, the beginning of the semester feels so far away, yet I'm not sure where the time went. Either way, it feels pretty good to be done! Here's a look at my contribution to the magazine:
Yesterday I had the opportunity to watch this year's Student Society of News Design (SSND) judging. It was interesting, to say the least. I was surprised at the different things the judges discussed when it came down to the final few entries in each category. For example, in the tabloid cover category, the judges narrowed the entries down to just a few entries. They discussed whether the display type matched the images and/or concept, how well the package was executed and if they were solid concepts.
All of this really solidified a lot of things I've learned about design over the past few years. Something I've tried to work on this semester has been executing strong concepts. Easier said then done somedays. Today I was struggling with a design I'm working on for the Missourian. The story is about a local man who wrote an autobiography that centered around his childhood during the Great Depression. There isn't too much in the way of art: Two handout photos of his family in the 30s, cover art and a mug of the author. After an hour or so of moving around the different pieces of the story, I had to step back. I was treating all these elements as just that: pieces. I was having trouble picking a frame for the story, so I resorted to the random moving.
In regard to news design, something the judges looked at were overall design of front pages. My news design professor said that they didn't spend much time on the centerpieces. Rather, they looked at the page as a whole. Specifically, they looked at the other stories on the page. I thought that was interesting, especially since we place so much importance on determining the news of the day, but still having a clear, defined centerpiece. That just goes to show that you have to pay attention to what is going on in the rest of your page, not just what's the biggest.
I love the idea of typography as art. There are just so many possibilities. This is probably part of the reason why I prefer when a story has little or no art. It means anything goes.
But what about type as art? As in the actual characters themselves? Now that is something I'd really like to do. Check out Abduzeedo for some neat design things. (My favorite section is "daily inspiration" where there are really cool photos and illustrations selected by Abduzeedo's writers and users) Specifically check out this site where they showcase forty-five "type faces". All the art is made from letters arranged to look like faces. Seems time consuming, but the result is so cool. Here's a Marilyn rendition that is cool: In other type news, here you can find a fun article from the Wall Street Journal that interviews Vincent Connare, the typographer behind the much-hated Comic Sans. According to the article there is a wide-spread movement to ban Comic Sans from use (and would that really be so bad?) The best part of the article? "Comic sans walks into a bar and the bartender says, 'we don't serve your type here.'"
As I'm sure everyone feels right now, it seems like I've been designing so much over the past few weeks. Most of my weekend was spent on the Meredith project. A lot of our copy hadn't come in until recently, so it's been a bit of a scramble. It's been fun watching this all come together, though. I'm excited to see it all in print (if only because that means it's finished!).
A challenging piece for me was a non-narrative piece about cooking without a recipe. The editors basically wanted an infographic type of flow chart to illustrate the process. I saw an article in a recent issue of Esquire that had a similar concept, so I thought I could take this story on. Initially, I tried to emulate the Esquire spread too much. I overestimated the similarities between the two stories and was trying to force our story into the Esquire format. Obviously, that didn't work so well.
So, I scrapped that and started over. It still took some time, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I think this layout works much better with the content, but still gives a flowchart feel.
I've also started working on a feature spread about a themed date night. Right now the title is "Bollyfood" and the theme is, of course, Indian food. When I think of Indian food and culture, sari fabric is one of the first things that comes to mind. I love the rich colors and ornate decorations that they have. From a design perspective, I am excited to use those saturated colors in my design. So far I just have an opening page and it's very rough. Here's what I have so far: There is still work to be done, but I'm happy with where it is going so far. I think it gives a lot of options for continuing the theme throughout the spread. At this point I need to walk away with it and just let it sit for awhile. We'll see if I still like it in the morning.
Finally, in my world of design, I had an illustration for Vox that printed last week. It was for the screen department's story on actors and actresses that have played God or Jesus on screen. It was a tricky to get art for the piece. The editor and I spent spring break searching for photos that we had rights to publish. Originally, I wanted to draw the body of Jesus and have a cutout photo of an actor. In the end, I illustrated the whole thing and put a cutout where the face would be. I think this illustrated the concept well.
Finally, we had some gorgeous weather today. Over the past few weeks, it's been cold, rainy and not very Spring-like. It seemed that just as the flowers were beginning to pop up, the temperature dropped. I was worried the flowers wouldn't make it, so when I saw the tulips around town fully open it put me in a good mood. And, as pretty days like this are likely to do, I was hit with a bout of senioritis. It's getting close to the end! With so much to do, it can be hard to focus. There are so many pretty things around town, however, it's a great source of inspiration.
For more Spring-time inspiration, see this post from Smashing Magazine. It showcases some great photography that will hopefully inspire you. Here are a few of my favorites: This looks like a perfect, sunny afternoon. For me, nothing says Spring like daffodils. Love the color of that flower. This would have been a fun way to spend the afternoon!
Hope this brings y'all a little bit of inspiration. If nothing else, we'll get to play out in the sun soon!
Though it might not feel like it yet in Missouri, it's April already. Time seems to be flying by these days. Must be because there is so much to do!
One thing that I'll be able to check off my list soon is the Meredith project. Our group is planning on going to press next week, so that means we've been spending a lot of time getting everything finalized. At the beginning of the semester had I been told I would have been a part of essentially creating a magazine, I might not have believed it. Overall, it's been a lot of work. However, it's been a beneficial learning experience.
One big thing I've learned is the importance of marrying the words and images within a magazine. Our group has run into communication problems a few times, including a miscommuication about changing copy. That led to designs that were misinterperted and concepts that didn't service the story. When the stories lacked strong focus, the designs suffered as well.
I've had fun designing this, too. I enjoy reading food magazines, so actually working on one is a treat. Since our publication is targeting the edgier foodie, we've been able to have some fun with things, too, rather than find a ton of pretty food shots (though, we've done our fair share of that). One of my favorite contributions to the magazine so far is my illustration for a feature of a vegetarian. Here's what I came up with: In other design news, I've finally made some headway with Flash. Nothing like learning a difficult program on deadline! Let's just say it was a long, frustrating project. I made a little slideshow about Holy Week, the week preceding Easter, for the Missourian. I had fun designing it, because there are so many symbols involved. Since light plays a large, symbolic role in the death and resurrection of Jesus, I made my slides go from light to dark to light again. I spent a lot of time searching for just the right pictures. And by that, I mean I spent a lot of time shying away from starting in Flash. Just when I started to get the hang of it, I'd preview my work and nothing would play right, even though all my code looked right. Frustrating, to say the least.
Finally, I got it figured out, but it was definitely up to the very last minute. Check out the finished product here. And, finally, if the week hasn't been crazy enough, I've secured a job for the summer. This summer I will be serving as editor-in-chief of Vox. Not at all where I thought I'd be, but I'm pretty excited (and nervous!) about the opportunity.
Over the past week I've had some big design clips come out. Instead of beaches and sun, my spring break consisted of deadlines and work. No worries, I had a little fun (and possibly found a roommate in NYC if I'm heading that way after graduation).
My biggest project for the week, aside from spring cleaning, was designing a cover story for the Thursday edition of the Columbia Missourian. Since we were light on stories for the week, my editor and I combed through wire stories. There were several we could have used, but the one that stuck out to me was a piece on the economic situation. Basically, what do we call this mess? I had the opportunity to search through Great Depression Era photos, which was really interesting. I decided to frame the story as a comparison from then and now. The story highlighted some of the parallels between unemployment rates, for example, so I wanted to show readers a comparison of numbers. I did that through my use of display text.
In addition to my first front page design, my first feature for Vox came out. It was part two in the series, "Columbia's Vices" and covered the city's smoking ban a few years later. I discussed my process a bit in this previous post.
Here's what I came up with: Also, I worked a bit on a side project for my roommate. She's an English major and for her postmodernism class she had to put together and book of quotes and arts that explained postmodernism. Although she isn't graded on the design of it, she asked me to come up with a fun, quirky cover for it. In her book, she used a lot of Andy Warhol pieces and quotes. So, here is what I came up with:
Like many of my colleagues this week, I have been hitting the web design hard recently. I had hoped to have my portfolio ready to send to potential employers by now, but it has been slow going. I have been logging the hours on it, though there doesn't seem to be much to show for it. Instead, I've spent my time learning Dreamweaver, Flash and the mechanics of web design. It'd also help if I hadn't changed my overall design three or four times so far.
So, while attempting to modify my design processes for the web, I found this entry from Publication Design to be very helpful. This post helped me change my thinking about the differences between print and web design. Before, I thought web differed in terms of space (limitless), navigation (simple) and possible font/color choices (limited). (Also, my design skills online? Limited, but growing!)
However, this slideshow by Khoi Vinh, brings up another good point: control. When designing for web, designers give up some of their control. Instead, the control is given to the users, who are able to determine how they get content (to an extent). That can be hard to adapt to, when one is used to the control of print design.
You can find his slideshow on the differences between print and web design through the link on Publication Design's website. I've also included it below.
It's been a busy week design-wise (and school-wise, work-wise and life-wise...). Because spring break is a few days away, it's been double production for Vox. Inititally, I was a little worried about the extra work. Primarily because I had to switch my department design week with another designer when I had my trip to New York City. And it was my week for feature design. So, only three things to get in (all before running to work at two). Thankfully everything got turned in on time.
I'm eager to see my feature in print. One of the crtiques I recieved on my portfolio was a lack of feature design. So far, I'm happy with how this has turned out. Once I pull pdfs off the server, I will post them here.
Since they decided to use the cigarettes mimicking flipping someone off on the cover, I had to move that from my splash page. Instead, I featured a photo of a woman exhaling smoke. With guidence from Meredith, we rearranged the title to look as if it were smoke coming from her cigarette. Although I really liked my initial splash page, I think this works really well, too. The cigarette formation probably works better as a cover image, since it reads quicker. On the splash page, however, I had the opportunity to be a little more abstract, which I like.
I found this article in the archives of Publication Design. Since a lot of you mentioned in class that you will be working on resumes and web portfolios over break, I thought it would be helpful. Personally, I plan on putting in a lot of work on my site. I have been working on it slowly whenever I have time, but I'm still not very far. My biggest hurdles thus far have been program limitations (which I'm overcoming) and design indecision. I've had about two or three different layouts since I've started. It's either been too cute, too bland or too feminine. Since I am interested in men's magazine (such as Esquire) or another not-strictly-female magazine, I'm definitely trying to stay away from too cute. It's a hard thing to balance, though. I do want to make something that is represenititve of me and my personality ( which does include "girl" and "feminine"), but I also want to appeal to certain audiences.
Aesthetic issues aside, the article linked above helps a lot with the technical aspect of designing for web. For instance, taking into consideration the use of scroll bars. Something I've changed in my design is my vertical navigation bar. I had used large, round buttons that required the user to scroll to see them all because the initial window only showed about half of them. This was a problem because instantly half of the links to my work are hidden. Generally, users are unlikely to scroll very far down, so it is good to have the bulk of your information within the paramaters of the initial window.
This week we ventured in to logo design and explored our creative design processes. Trying to design a logo was not easy for me. When the assignment was presented to the class, I had a few ideas and images that came to mind. I jotted some things down, but pretty much forgot about it until earlier this week. As much as I have to do on a daily basis, this isn't too unusual. Unfortunately it doesn't always bode well for the creative process. So, my initial go at this assignment was not terribly pleasant.
It was frustrating because I had looked at a few articles on logo design and that pigeon-holed me on what a logo was. It has to look good in black and white and color. It should be able to run large and small. Use simple shapes. You get the idea. Rather than helping me, these "rules" started to restrict me to the point where I wasn't really coming up with anything. Eventually, I stepped away from the articles and my computer and started flipping through magazines, looking specifically at different logos for inspiration. Also, it was a chance to kind of relax so I could let myself think. I finally came up with a few ideas that I like.
I plan on looking more into my process and how I work as a designer. I think having that sense of awareness when I am approaching a project will help. Plus, putting a little more thought into my process will hopefully help me put more thought into my designs. Here are a few of the logos I came up with for the "Show me dharma" program. Also, this week I've been putting more work into my website. I am trying to get something done as soon as possible, so that I can start applying for jobs. I feel like I have to have that done before I can even think about sending out a resume. I've purchased my domain name and started uploading basic skeletons for the various pages. I went through a few drafts before I landed on the current design. I've gotten decent feedback from the people I've shown thus far. There is still a lot of work to be done, so I'd love to hear any and all feedback you have on it. I'm still learning the ins and outs of web design, but I think I have a good start. If you'd like to click through the different pages, you can here. Below is a screen shot of the basic format I am using for the site.
I love typography. It is such a great, simple way to set a tone for your design. A professor I had for class a few semesters ago put it best: When thinking about or choosing type, open your eyes and listen. He described type as the voice of a design and encouraged us to think about how the typeface would sound if it had a voice. It may sound silly to you, but I think that is such a great way to view choosing a typeface. While functionality, readability, etc. are all important things to consider when picking a typeface, the character, or voice, of the type can be just as important.
In talking with a few colleagues about design, I've found that choosing a typeface is difficult and frustrating for some. I agree. As with anything in design, there can be so many variations that it is hard to find that one that fits just right. So, when I found a post on Publication Design claiming to have a list of 60 good fonts for just about everything, I was definitely interested. It never hurts to have a good list of fonts you know work. Publication Design's post links to the list, which was published by Smashing Magazine. There are some really great typefaces included in this list. Although it is titled "60 brilliant typefaces for corporate design" I there are a lot of versatile fonts on this list that can be used in feature or cover design.
Here are five of my favorites.
1. I love the serifs on this typeface, especially in the first weight shown. It just seems to have a lot of character.
2. Candy Script is just fun. It makes me think of an old soda shop or ice cream place. And now I feel like having a burger and a giant chocolate shake.
3. Ealing is just gorgeous, particularly in the lighter weights. I've been really drawn to this thinner typefaces recently. This one is very clean and orderly looking as well as sleek, which I really like.
4. Here's one with a ton of character. I like the rough, handwritten quality of it. There are a lot of standard handwriting fonts that I don't care for, so it is nice to see one that actually works. This one looks a little historical as well, especially in the first line of the example. I feel like it belongs on old, yellowing paper.
5. Here's another really nice scripted typeface. I don't really have a good reason for liking it; I just thinks it's fun. Also, it seems as if it would be a useable scripted font that doesn't look like it came from a wedding invitation.
There was also a link to My Fonts, a website I'm not very familiar with. From an initial scan, it looks like there is a lot of good content there. And a lot of pretty type pictures. Who doesn't love looking at those? Even better, you can register and gain access to free font downloads. Here is the link to one featured on the 60 Best list (three of the weights are free). Enjoy!
Finally, one last thing to convince you that typefaces really do have great personalities.
This week, I resurrect an older favorite: GOOD Magazine. For those of you who don't know, GOOD is a non-profit magazine that focuses on environmental issues and making a difference in the world. If you are an avid coffee drinker, such as myself, then you might have noticed a smaller version of GOOD magazine in Starbucks in the final months before the election in Nov. GOOD partnered with Starbucks to present customers with a different political issue each week. Among the many interesting things in this napkin-sized publication were the even presentation of both sides, the commitment to getting readers to understand the issues and that the issues were presented graphically. It was a great and approachable way to understand the political issues of the election race.
The graphics for this mini-publication were primarily made by graphic artist Nigel Holmes. If you aren't familiar with Holmes' work, then definitely check out his website. The site alone speaks to his design aesthetic (which is a great thing to keep in mind when designing portfolio sites).
This video explains what "vampire energy" is and how it affects our daily lives. I really like how simple all the illustrations are and how it gets the information across. Information graphics are a good source of inspiration for me because I think they showcase how best to visually explain something.
Though I am still eagerly awaiting the arrival of the latest issue of Vanity Fair, I've seen a little bit of buzz about this issue's cover. The cover features, as V.F. calls them, the new legends of comedy: actors Paul Rudd (love), Jason Segel, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill. Also, as part of their photo shoot, the comedians recreated a well-known V.F. cover. Some of you might be familiar with the cover, which featured actresses Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightly and American fashion designer, Tom Ford. The cover was shot by the Annie Leibovitz, of course. Leibovitz returned to shoot for this month's issue and recreated the cover. I'll leave it up to you to decide which one is better. How anybody on this shoot, especially these men, kept a straight face, I have no idea. Spoof covers are always fun. I also love that Leibovitz shot the cover in tribute to her own March 2006 cover. Interestingly, the V.F. site doesn't seem to be calling this a spoof. Can you really call it a spoof if it is being done by the same photographer and publication? I'm not really sure, but I appreciate that V.F. is able to poke fun at itself.
For more fun photos from this shoot and more of V.F.'s new legends of comedy, click here.
I spent most of last week visiting New York City with the Magazine Club. It was my first time in the city, so there was a lot to take in. I wish we would have had more free time to explore the city, but the time was well spent. We had the chance to sit down with editors of different magazines in the city and saw how many of them operated. Some of my favorite visits were GQ, Real Simple, Gourmet and Spin.
That whole world seems daunting to break into. I was surprised to learn that most of the editorial assistants we spoke to had actually majored in English. I still wonder how pertinent a journalism degree actually is, especially when all these non-journalism majors have gotten jobs without one. On the other hand, I have to wonder what they really knew about working on a magazine before they got their jobs. I guess it gives me a little hope about getting a job in the future. Also, I was happy to hear from industry people that grad school is pretty unnecessary in this field. Glad to have that decision validated.
Finally, here are a few photos from the trip:
First, the Conde Nast building. During our tour with Gourmet, the editorial assistant, Chris, showed us Anna Wintor's power table in the infamous cafeteria.
Second, I had the chance to see the Museum of Modern Art on their free night. MoMA is so huge and we didn't have a lot of time, so we just started wandering. How funny, then, that we found a print exhibit. (Fitting for a Magazine themed trip, eh?) There were some neat photos showing how CMYK printing works, typography examples and my favorite, an exhibit of George Lois' Esquire covers. Also included in this display were the outtakes from the photo shoot for Esquire's well-known Andy Warhol cover.
