Magazine Layout By Randy Torrecampo

VOL. 1, NO. 1

LASALLIAN

DIGEST

EXCLUSIVE

HOW HE THREW ME

OFFCENTER Speak like a pro

LAYOUT LINGO

LOOK GOOD IN PRINT

SPECIAL REPORT

BY RANDY C. TORRECAMPO

OUTLINE II. Layout Lingo III. Elements of Design IV. Your Noble Purpose V. Magazine Layout Guidelines

Layout Lingo

Speak the same lingo to avoid misunderstanding.

Layout Lingo

Bleed When an image or element on a page touches the edge of the page, extending beyond the trim edge, leaving no margin. Bleed allowance: about 1/8” beyond the trim lines

Layout Lingo

Short for cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), and often referred to as process color or four color. It is a subtractive color model used in color printing

Layout Lingo Column One or more vertical blocks of text used to break up large bodies of text that cannot fit in a single block of text on a page.

Layout Lingo Crop marks Crossed lines placed at the corners of an image or a page to indicate where to trim it

Center marks Vertical lines used to indicate the center of a two-page spread for folding or cutting

Layout Lingo

Grid The underlying structure of a page

12-grid layout Twelve is ideal, because it’s a multiple of two, three and four.

Layout Lingo Orphan A word isolated at the top of a column or page

Widow A syllable, word, or less than one-third of a line isolated at the bottom of a column, paragraph, or page

The Dummy’s Guide to a Magazine Dummy

Don’t plan on the screen PLAN ON PAPER

The Dummy’s Guide to a Magazine Dummy Every layout begins with a DUMMY

Not this dummy…

…but this dummy

Elements of Design Line Any mark connecting two points. It may be straight, curved, squiggly, thin, fat, and dotted. •Organize information •Highlight or stress words •Connect pieces of information •Outline a photo or set it off from other elements •Create a grid •Create a chart or graph. •Create a pattern or rhythm by drawing many •Direct the reader’s eye or create a sense of motion •Suggest an emotion

Elements of Design Shape Anything that has height and width has shape. Unusual shapes can be used to attract attention. Three Types of Shapes Geometric shapes, such as triangles, squares, rectangles, and circles, are regular and structured. These shapes work very well as building blocks for graphic design. Natural shapes, such as animals, plants, and humans, are irregular and fluid. Abstracted shapes, such as icons, stylized figures, and graphic illustrations, are simplified versions of natural shapes.

Elements of Design Shape Anything that has height and width has shape. Unusual shapes can be used to attract attention.

•Crop a photo in an interesting way, such as in an oval •Symbolize an idea •Make a block of text more interesting by setting the text into a shape •Create a new format •Highlight information

Elements of Design Space: The importance of breathing The distance or area between or around things. The absence of text and graphics •Give the eye a visual rest •Create ties between elements •Highlight an element •Make a layout easy to follow •Make type as legible as possible

Elements of Design Color •Highlight important elements headlines and subheads

such

•Attract the eye •Signal the reader where to look first •Create an image or a mood •Tie a layout together •Organize •Group elements together or isolate them •Provoke emotion

as

COLOR MEANINGS RED -

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is the color of fire and blood, energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. emotionally intense enhances human metabolism brings text and images to the foreground In advertising, red is often used to evoke erotic feelings

COLOR MEANINGS ORANGE - combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow - associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics - As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite - is the color of fall and harvest - has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design

COLOR MEANINGS YELLOW -

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is the color of sunshine associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy to highlight the most important elements of your design usually perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, 'childish' color, so it is not recommended to use yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety

COLOR MEANINGS GREEN -

is the color of nature growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility has strong emotional correspondence with safety has great healing power. It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision

COLOR MEANINGS BLUE -

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the color of the sky and sea often associated with depth and stability is considered beneficial to the mind and body is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness use blue to promote products and services related to cleanliness, air and sky, water and sea suggests precision when promoting high-tech products

COLOR MEANINGS PURPLE -

combines the stability of blue and the energy of red is associated with royalty symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic

COLOR MEANINGS WHITE - is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity - safety, purity, and cleanliness - use white to suggest simplicity in high-tech products - is an appropriate color for charitable organizations - is often associated with low weight, low-fat food, and dairy products

COLOR MEANINGS BLACK - is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery - is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown - denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color - a black background diminishes readability - , you can use a black or gray background to make the other colors stand out - contrasts well with bright colors

TYPOGRAPHY

TYPOGRAPHY The art and techniques of type design, modifying type glyphs, and arranging type. The arrangement of type is the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing) and letter spacing.

TYPOGRAPHY TYPE MEASUREMENTS – One Point = 1/72 of an inch – One Pica = 12 points – One Inch = 72 points or 1 pica

TYPOGRAPHY PARTS OF A FONT

TYPOGRAPHY TYPES OF FONT – Serif – Sans Serif – Decorative (script, decorative, digital) – Dingbats

YOUR NOBLE PURPOSE

YOUR NOBLE PURPOSE Organize large volumes ofcontent into related parcels of information Craft the typography to make it comfortably readable over many pages, yet lively enough to continually engage the reader

YOUR NOBLE PURPOSE Structure the parts of pages and sections to accommodate a variety of content, whether image- or text-based Integrate images with typography to achieve a unified form that builds a communication much bigger than its parts

Magazine Layout Guidelines Before you begin your layout: •Determine the purpose of your magazine •Identify your target audience

Keep in mind: There’s no one right way to create a good layout

A good layout and design is: •Attractive •Convenient •Easy to the eyes •Helpful

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN CONTRAST Using italicized or bold text to create emphasis is a sample of contrast. Contrast of line, shape, size, tone and texture.

Successful pages will have vertical and horizontal elements, dominant and secondary elements (heads, boxes, lines, etc).

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN BALANCE An effective design balances the visual weights on a page. Symmetrical and assymetrical balance.

Assymetrical

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN PROPORTION Two-thirds –The most visually alive are is the first one-third of a page (optical center). It is important to have one dominant element on a page.

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN SEQUENCE Every design should have a logical sequence. Large to small. Color to black and white. Irregular to regular.

PRINCIPLES APPLIED

PRINCIPLES APPLIED UNITY The way layout, design style, typeface and color work together to communicate the same content. Your choice of layout, color, and typeface is important.

PRINCIPLES APPLIED CONTROL Identify the center of visual impact a.k.a. the focal point. It gains impact by the use of contrasting elements. Similarity Proximity - how elements are grouped together. Closure

PRINCIPLES APPLIED COHERENCE Use text and visuals in a consistent way throughout a publications to create an identity. Project conference Style guide

PRINCIPLES APPLIED CONTINUITY Sequence of events – pages are like a sequential series of events Prime viewing areas should be fully utilized

PRINCIPLES APPLIED SIMPLICITY Crystal clear simplicity is harder to achieve than a crowded, busy design. Fewer elements – If you can remove it without losing anything, it is not needed. More space is less crowding Group similar elements in close proximity Don’t use more than three typefaces. Use variations.

PHOTO GUIDELINES Clean, clear center of interest Looks natural Has a cutline Bordered Relevant Face is big enough

PHOTO GUIDELINES

The grip and grin BAD PHOTOS

PHOTO GUIDELINES

The execution at dawn

BAD PHOTOS

PHOTO GUIDELINES

The guy at his desk BAD PHOTOS

PHOTO GUIDELINES

The bored meeting BAD PHOTOS

PHOTO GUIDELINES How to salvage a bungled photo

Edit carefully Crop aggressively Run a sequence Reshoot Use alternative art Retouch mistakes Bury it Do without it

PHOTO GUIDELINES A GOOD CROP Eliminates what’s unnecessary Adds impact Leaves air where it’s needed

PHOTO GUIDELINES A BAD CROP Amputates body parts Forces the image into an awkward shape Changes the meaning of a photo Violates works of art

A

B

Surprise the reader Give readers a surprise so outstanding they would pass it along for another person to read.

The secret: Make it special

Guidelines are made to be broken, but only for a valid reason. If the rules are constantly broken, consistency goes out the window. Don't be so predictable as to be boring.