Editorial Design: Layout Research

Though researching designers and typographers has really helped me to know what has been called "revolutionary" and some of the aspects of Editorial I need to take into consideration, I feel that it is needed to look at actual editorial spreads to give me more of an idea of a direction I would like to take. Below are some of what I looked at.

The first image about has a nice use of typography, with the letter C being used in place of an image. They have used a backwards drop cap which is different to the norm: I personally think it is quite an interesting idea. They often use white space well, and the layout looks clean and tidy. The second image uses a different way of layouting their magazine: vertically, instead of horizontal across the page. It's interesting, unconventional and different, though possibly impractical due to the research into the way people read, especially in the western world. The image to the right is less of a magazine, and more of a brochure. The page numbers are striking and the use of white space is generous, making the colour look vibrant and eye catching.

The use of a small colour range, paired with focal points marked by quotation marks looks interesting. I like the idea of using a different colour for the page, especially black, which makes the images stand out. That being said, the use of Quotation marks may distract from a pull quote if used. I really like the bottom image spread, with black as the background colour: I feel it's quite striking, especially when mixed with the colour of the photographs.

Typography and photography go hand and hand in Editorial. The use of text in this highlights the face of the image, with text curving in the direction and spacing of cheek bones, spine, and the texture of the hair. I found often in Magazine covers, the writing of the title appears behind the focus of the image. Gradient has been used to create colour, and the type face is similar to bubble and embolden important names and words, with a serif font to describe. Though a cover, I feel incorporating text

into the image in such a creative, fitting way is a brilliant idea.  

The layout on the left is quite stunning: using a very minimal colour scheme, they use textures and patterns to create their emotion on the page. They also use pull out pages: I've not really thought about this before in terms of something I could use, and are not necessarily needled but are a break in the conventional pages all the same. With pull out pages you can't help but feel interested as to why they were so important to do this, and it adds another dimension to the page. The middle image is extremely modern: again i think the background colour makes the writing look somewhat striking when compared with the white. They have used negative space freely and the layout looks quite distinct, with a similar text and layout throughout.
On the right, they use monochrome and a rare use of images, favouring typography and letters instead. Personally I feel the use of no colour looks modern and futuristic. They use quite elegant typography and allow it to decorate the page, which is quite compelling: but even injecting slight colour into it might be more effective and make it look a little more engaging for a reader.