OUGD405 | Studio brief 03 - Layout inspiration and analysis

Before looking at any magazines, books or leaflets, I decided to look on Pinterest as I feel this always provides some great inspiration for me. 

One of the first images that stood out to me was "The Star Trail". The way the elements have been overlapped in the layout is interesting and engaging. The colours are very simplistic using only pink, white and black (as well as the colours of the photographed which appear to have been edited to blend in with this theme).

All the elements don't appear in their usual place. For example, the title is not placed at the top of the page, but as three lines at the right hand side. 

I am interested in the use of circular images as this adds another dimension to print - especially since this circular image crosses the folds within the leaflet. 

From this leaflet I can see that the elements do not need to be kept separate but with practice can be overlapped and joined together to create something appealing. 

Trying to find the grid is fairly complicated but it appears to be based mainly on columns 

What attracted me to this second design is the quirky triangular photographs. All appear to have been cut differently added a new interest on each page. The grid system appears to use columns and the context is very simplistic, but with the aid of the images it becomes exciting. Uppercase headings appear to separate the headings from the body copy which aids the readability - the eye knows where to look next. 

 This design appealed to me because of the low opacity shapes that are layered across the pages. The way the images have been edited compliments this quirky feature. The shapes are used as focal points for headings and body copy and despite the increased detail, all is still readable. This is also a good example of how serif and sans-serif typefaces can compliment each other. The wide spacing on various heading gives an inviting feel. 

This is another good example of using shape to add interest to a design. All the photographs share a similar, harmonious colour scheme which I feel makes this successful. As well as the contrast between triangles and squares and the space the images take up in these. Perhaps I could display the photos from my research in a similar way? 

Unfortunately, this image has appeared too small to view. But the details can just be made out.
In this design I was inspired by the wide kerning used on the type and the grid form this takes around the page. I prefer how the body copy is very minimal, leaving the focus on the images themselves. It is obvious how the same column grid has been used on each page, yet every page is different and quirky.
The different positioning of text (headings)  on the page illustrates the variation of the publication -
-text framing the page
-text cutting across the spread through text and images
-text central across a spread
-text header half way down page
-text top and bottom
-text central on page
-text cutting through body copy

Likewise you can see the body copy appears in a different place each time. Some of the images have been edited in such a way that it is consistent with the colour scheme. For example some images have been given green hues or edited to blend in with the green background. Other images are greyscale which I feel is an image style that can work with any colour scheme. Some image have not had a hue added, however there is less colour in the rest of the layout on these spreads.
Finally, there is an interesting use of shape which adds another area of interest, such as the hexagon centred in one spread and rectangles centred on various pages. This adds a quirkiness to the pages but the organisation remains.

This is another good example of ways to display lots of images - using a combination of circular and rectangular frames. Some of which are filled with photographs, others with block colours. This keeps the image from becoming too busy. Again this is a good example of serif and sans serif typefaces working in harmony. Similar to the previous booklet, there is a wide kerning on the typeface. I think it is interesting how some of the frames contain textures, this draws attention in to the other photographs. 

The bright green strip at the edge of the page grabbed my attention on this book. I am unsure as to whether it is at the edge of the page or the book cover, but either way it is successful. The minimalist design is straight to the point without being boring. I think it is interesting how the heading and the body copy are framed within a thin box. Again, uppercase is used to separate the heading clearly from the text.