Intro to Graphic Arts Project

Art 1

Meg McDyre

• Background: Magazine publishers, editors, and circulation directors know the importance of the cover image as both a newsstand impulse buy and as a brand. 80 percent of consumer magazines’ newsstand sales are determined by what is shown on the cover, a fact that can mean the difference between a magazine’s success or failure over time. The cover image and design reinforce the brand, an important identification factor because the average reader spends only three to five seconds scanning a magazine cover before deciding whether to buy that issue. Magazine covers not only offer information about what’s inside a particular issue, they also provide significant cultural cues about social, political, economic, and medical trends. As both historical artifacts and marketing tools, magazine covers deserve closer study.

• Terms to Know:• Graphic design is a creative process—most often involving a client and a designer and usually created to convey a specific

message (or messages) to a targeted audience. A graphic designer may use a combination of typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce the final resultFonts

• Typography- The art, craft and techniques of type design, modifying type and arranging type on the picture plane•

• Visual arts - are primarily visual in nature using anything from traditional media (drawing, painting, etc), to photography or computer generated art. Elements of art and principals of design are considered in the final composition.

•

• Page Layout- The arrangement of elements (content) on a page, such as image placement, and text layout and style, page layout has been in existence since the Middle Ages with hand copied of the illuminated manuscript, and continues today with modern magazine and catalogue layouts.

•Banner- Attention getting element typically using color and is in the form of lettering

•

• Nameplate- Identifies the publication- name of the magazine•

• Open Letters- Letters created in outline, with space for color•

• Copy- Text/ words•

• Font- Style of lettering•

• Title- Name of the story•

• Blurb- Copy which relates to a title•

• Teaser- Copy that entices the customer to keep reading•

• Splash Balloon- Outline around lettering. Can appear jagged or curved, organic or geometric •

• Bold Lettering- The words in balloons that have more and heavier ink•

Can you tell the personality of the magazine?

Can you tell the personality of the magazine?

Does it attract a target audience?

Can you tell the personality of the magazine?

Does it attract a target audience?

Does it lure the reader into the magazine?

Can you tell the personality of the magazine?

Does it attract a target audience?

Does it lure the reader into the magazine?

it establish a visual identity (by use of format?)

Can you tell the personality of the magazine?

Does it attract a target audience?

Does it lure the reader into the magazine?

it establish a visual identity (by use of format?)

Does this magazine cover accomplish these 4 things?

Lets look at the other requirements….

Lets look at the other requirements….

A background…….

Lets look at the other requirements….

A background…….

A cover photo……

Photo (s)ArtIllustration(s)

Lets look at the other requirements….

A background…….

Magazine Name(Nameplate)

A cover photo……

Lets look at the other requirements….

A background…….

Magazine Name(Nameplate)

A cover photo……

Several Story Line Titles(Blurbs/ Teasers)

Lets look at the other requirements….

A background…….

Magazine Name(Nameplate)

A cover photo……

Several Story Line Titles(Blurbs/ Teasers)

Issue Date

Lets look at the other requirements….

A background…….

Magazine Name(Nameplate)

A cover photo……

Several Story Line Titles(Blurbs/ Teasers)

Issue Date

Issue Price

Consumer Information

Does this magazine cover have Unity?

Does this magazine cover Readable?

Compare these two for readability….

How about this one….. Is this magazine cover Readable?

Does this photo support the theme?

What do you think of the effort?

Does it have good craftsmanship?

Does it look professionally done?

What about the layout?

Are all the elements arranged well?

Would you do anything differently?

Hopefully now you have some ideas!

• To Support this, visit the following links:• Check out this website on the power of persuasion:

– http://braingames.nationalgeographic.com/episode/5/

• Check out this site for more tips on designing magazine covers:– http://www.designingmagazines.com/?page_id=488

• Another great site for composition ideas:– http://www.kimia.co.za/design-portfolio/graphic-

design/graphic-design-portfolio.php

• Site for tips on Designing a banner that works:– http://webdesignledger.com/tips/how-to-design-a-proper-

banner-one-that-actually-works

Your Assignment:• Your Assignment: You have a job; you need to design a magazine cover using Adobe Photoshop. You can either:• Base your magazine cover off of an existing magazine for example use the layout and name of teen or sport magazine, but use your own photos, titles and story lines• OR• Create your own magazine totally from scratch, around an interest you have. For example, create a magazine based on Rats, Shopping, a Boy/Girls Life in High School, or Fossils, etc.

using your own Photo’s, titles and story lines• A good cover needs to accomplish four things:• 1. Identify the personality of the magazine.

2. Attract the target audience3. Lure the reader into the magazine4. Establish a visual identity (consistent use of format)

• You must have: • A background (Original images, colors, textures, etc)• A cover photo (should dominate picture plane- may have smaller photos to show other features included in the magazine) • Magazine Name/Title (should be prominently placed on the page) • Several story line titles • Issue date • Issue price • Your magazine cover will be graded on if you included the above elements and how you carry out Unity in your magazine cover. • _____Unity can be achieved by carrying out a common theme in the type styles, photos, story titles and descriptions. Do all the parts work together? • _____Think about readability, can you read the type against the background? Is the type style readable? Are the sentences too long? Are the titles descriptive enough to make you know

what the article is about? Does the type size signify the importance? Do the colors work?• _____Does the photo or photos support the theme? Does the photo catch your eye? Is it too busy or too simple? • _____How is your effort and craftsmanship? You will need to be selecting, cutting, pasting and cropping. Does your cover look professionally neat and have clean edges? • _____Layout, how did you arrange all the elements? Is the type all lined up flush left, right, centered? Is the type over the picture or a background? Did you add a banner with the issue

date, web site, and cost? Does the layout make it easy to read or confusing?• The four cover elements:

Photo/Art/Illustration(s), Blurbs/teasers (cover lines), Nameplate and consumer information (includes price if for sale, date, etc)• Check out this site for more tips on designing magazine covers:• http://www.designingmagazines.com/?page_id=488• Another great site for composition ideas:• http://www.kimia.co.za/design-portfolio/graphic-design/graphic-design-portfolio.php• Site for tips on Designing a banner that works:• http://webdesignledger.com/tips/how-to-design-a-proper-banner-one-that-actually-works• Save work in your art 1 folder, save as: yournamemagcover.psd (you can also save as a .jpg, but you will not be able to work on your project in Photoshop if you do). When complete

print out a copy for your sketchbook, and drop your saved copy into my inbox for your block.