How do you get a better chance at the job you want? Well there are many ways to do this, but a very smart way is to Tailor what you show them. Don’t bombard them with everything in your portfolio. Let’s say you were applying for an editorial design spot. Do you think that showing them you can make business cards really helps them? Given, it is good to show off your work, however make it a bonus not a demand. If they see more of what they are looking for chances are they will view yours and see that you are interested in it.
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Color changes Meaning through different areas of the world. Not only that but even if you are in the same area the common religion can also matter. Don’t just assume that the colors you are using mean the same thing everywhere. Some mean the complete opposite of what you might believe. It’s most commonly found/used for logos. It can really set you apart if you show in your design brief that you took this into consideration. It’s important to keep this in mind especially if you have an international project.
There is so much more to cover! It takes a lot more than one month. Don’t worry children. I will sporadically throw some here and there. -Grin-
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The baseline grid is one of the most important parts to your editorial design. It creates a grid that allows for text to sit upon it. The same grid line is used throughout the whole page. Without the baseline grid your audience’s eyes would sort of detect something is off. Even though the text might have a wide column gutter they can still tell it’s a bit off. They might not put down the magazine for it. However, it just lends itself to attract the eye more instead of less.
There is so much more to cover! It takes a lot more than one month. Don’t worry children. I will sporadically throw some here and there. -Grin-
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We live in a world where color is always seen in Context. The perception of every color is always changing. It is never fixed to one thing. Any color appears brighter when there is a black background behind it. However, a color that is put behind a white background tends to be a bit duller. Since there are warm and cool colors, you can make powerful color combinations that seem to trigger a reaction to the eyes. Furthermore, when there are two colors side by side they sometimes change our perception of them. Anything will look a bit lighter when it is placed next to something dark and visa versa. It is also warmer when they are placed next to something cool and vice versa as well.
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Live area is the place where the printer marks it safe from not being cropped. Let’s start from the inner most border. This border is your margins. This is initially your safe zone, a place where no chance of cropping can occur. They go all around your page. Margins that are usually .5 inches are a safe bet. Keep in mind to leave room for any markers you may have as well. There is one more slight area that I think needs to be mentioned. That is your gutter. Your gutter should usually be .1667 inches to avoid from words creeping into it. The next border you will face is your document size. Everything you create will be put here. This is also where the printer will cut the page. If you want something to come off the page you need what is called a bleed. That is your next border. A bleed is an image that not only goes off the document page but also extends past it by at least .125 inches. You do this in case the page moves slightly. Without it you would have a small white sliver running along where the image is not present.
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Color also has other values. You don’t just get what you see on the basic color wheel. There is Hue, Saturation/Brightness (Intensity/Value), and Contrast. Hue is referred to the pure spectrum colors that are on the color wheel. A pure hue color is one that has no saturation/brightness. Itβs just the pure form of the color. Saturation/Brightness is referred to as the absence or presence of black, white, or gray within a color. A very vivid color has full saturation. A very dull color is one that’s desaturated. Ultimately, Saturation/Brightness is the measure for the richness of a color. Contrast is referred to as the difference between two colors. White and black are not really colors. However, they represent achromatic contrast. Black and white are also deemed the king and queen of the highest level of contrast possible. It also is the most sensitive to human eyes. Complementary colors also represent high chromatic contrast.
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Your Gutters and Margins are very important aspects of your editorial design. In your layout you will always have to deal with them. There are two types of gutters. The first kind of gutter is your main one. This is the center fold of any editorial design. It’s formed from simply folding or cutting. It is smart to just stay away from the gutter. It can cut off a nice sliver of a design, cut a few letters from body text, and overall be trigger for a headache. Also keep in mind that the thicker the issue the bigger the gutter is since the fold inwards is deeper. The second type of gutter is your column gutters. This is the space between your columns. It is very good to be in place due to some words being a little longer than others. Margins usually are the open space around the body text to help it feel more open and welcoming. Be sure to always stick to your margins. Not only does it help you stay more organized, but it helps you stay away from your cut off edge. (Which we will be going over later.) Furthermore, it’s okay for your page numbers and any other markers you may have to be in your margins.
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The Temperature of color is very important. Colors are divided into two groups. The first group is Cool colors. Cool colors usually seem to be receding, passive, and dark. Cool colors usually consist of greens, blues, and violets. The second group is Warm colors. Warm colors are usually bright, upbeat, and active. Warm colors usually consist of Reds, oranges, and yellows. It’s good to get the right color temperature correct if you want to enhance and set a certain mood in your composition.
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The Feature article is the reason most people pick up, read, and buy your issue. (That is if you reflect it on your cover) The first two pages of your feature will have a spread. When designing the feature spread treat it as if it was one, even if the pages do not correlate with each other. Your feature spread always had a headline. It’s usually the title of a section, story, or article. It is usually the most dominant piece of typography in the spread. Decks of a feature are like the subtitle. They provide the reader with a longer but brief description of the headline. The byline of a feature spread contains the name of the author and/or photographer. It almost always sits under the headline. The lead of an article is used to draw a reader in. It does this by having a few paragraphs of the feature article. The picture used for the spread can be an illustration, photo, graphic, etc. However, make sure it engages the reader. The picture that is used for the feature usually has a caption explaining what is going on. Overall make sure your feature color matches your pictures. It’s a very good idea to pull your color from the actual images used. Other things to include in your feature article are pull quotes. They allow for a short break in your body text without intervening too much. They can be quotes taken from an interview, special events, addresses, or simply text that you feel needs a little extra attention. Subheadlines are added in as just informational markers that indicate the beginning of new section. They can also address new paragraphs or columns. Sidebars are always placed on the side of a page and are primarily used for more detailed information.
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The Nameplate of a cover is one of the most important aspects that make it known. It makes you different from everything else on the rack. It also develops a visual relationship between you and your audience. They will always look for the nameplate rather than a cover image. You want to create a nameplate that is distinctive from others, recognizable to your audience, ensures the feel of it is appropriate for your topic, and is also able to be used in many places. It’s main job is to make your cover have an unique identity. Some things to consider while making the nameplate would be to have enough weight so that a busy background won’t dilute it. Stay away from many small details like an illustrative interior and very thin serifs. The nameplate should also have the ability to still be recognized even if a portion of it is covered. Furthermore, don’t you dare let me find out you forgot about your type month principles, because those should also be applied.
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Triadic Colors are combinations of any three color pairs that are spaced evenly around the whole color wheel. A triadic color pair is very easy to use since usually two of the colors share a common primary. It makes for a much more pleasing color scheme. It also hold it’s weight on contrast with the others. However, you must be aware not to let any color over power the other. One main color should be used and the other compliment it, not compete with it.
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A Cover should always maintain the same style every month. It must keep the same format and represent your brand. However, it should have some differences to keep it constantly different from your previous issue. One can achieve this by designing a template for your cover. This format can allow for what needs to be the same and what needs to change to be different each time. The issues cover lines might always be the same size and the same font each issue. However, the one that must change every time must be the feature article’s cover line. Usually the feature article’s cover line is stylized or colored to match the article itself. Good things to ask yourself about your cover would be if it attracts any attention (and if it does what is it that does? The image, text, nameplate?) , does it have continuity from issue to issue, and does it contain all the necessary information?
(I just realized I have been a day behind. This is what happens when you pull an all nighter. -Frown/Grin-)
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There are many type of Grids. From complex to simple and swiss like. However, every grid fits into certain categories. Imagine a grid name for every grid out there? It’s simply not ethical to organize them all in that fashion. Thus, out of these categories is where they all stem out from. Listing from left to right.
-The Manuscript Grid
This is the most simple kind of grid. It usually is used for large amounts of text. You see this mostly in books, long essays, and legal writing. It mostly revolves around the text block being its primary focus. The secondary focus is used for other things such as the headers, footers, chapter titles, page numbers, etc.
-The Column Grid
This is a very informational type of grid. It’s usually for information that has many interruptions or breaks. It benefits. The columns can also be used for pictures, design, or various blocks of text spilling over multiple columns to make a larger column.
-Modular Grid
This grid is for more complicated layouts that require more control beyond what column grids can offer. Modular grids are essentially column grids with horizontal lines that make the columns into rows and in the end result create modules. Each module can be used to display almost anything. They are usually used for magazines and newspapers.
-Rule of Thirds Grid
This grid is used for a more appealing layout for images. The rule of thirds grid is a compositional rule used in photography, film and design. Furthermore, when working with layout it lends itself to bring the reader in, and focus more on images. They are usually used for the cover page of a magazine and advertisements.
-Alternative Grid
This grid is used for a layout that doesn’t exactly fit into any other grid system. I like to think of it as the abstract grid (Sadly that is not the technical term). Sometimes a layout calls for a grid that can not be achieved by having perfect modules and columns. They tend to try and fit the content they organize. Furthermore, they are based more on a visual placement and alignment instead of repeating intervals of lines.
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