Well first you must continue to understand the Grid before you can even fathom breaking it! Don’t forget that grids do not make the design or its final look. It only dictates clarity to the reader, efficiency and continuity. You should never make your grid too obvious. It should be the layout structure without being the center of attention and taking away from the text and images. After all the grid is used to help a reader through the layout, not notice it. Not only that but, the grid allows for you to layout massive amount of design and text since margins, and horizontal and vertical spacing have already been predetermined. There are several parts of the grid. Listing from left to right.
-Columns
They are vertical spaces that hold type and images. The width and number of columns per page can vary depending on the information.
Modules
They are the individual divisions separated by consistent space. They are repeating ordered boxes on the grid. Combining them creates columns and rows.
Margins
They represent the amount of space between the trim size (including the gutter) and the layout. Margins can also be used to provide secondary information (such as notes, captions, dates, design (mostly bleeds), etc.).
Flow-lines
They are the alignments that break the columns into horizontal rows. They are a method for using space and design elements to guide readers across the layout.
Spatial Zones
They are the groups of modules or columns that form areas that are just for type, ads, images, and other information.
Markers
They are there to help a reader navigate through the pages. It Indicates placement for material that appears in the same location. Usually they include include page numbers, running headers and footers, and icons.
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Split Complementary are three color pairs in which one color goes along with two others that are spaced equally from the first color’s complement color pair. The advantage a split complementary color pair has over a regular complementary color pair is the use of another color. This allows for the contrast to be toned down thus providing less tension than a complementary color pair. However, a split complementary is harder to balance than any other color scheme.
The Grid. The biggest aspect of Editorial Design. (Even above typography and color.) Grids are used for the arrangement of the elements of a design. They mainly give a strong foundation to the layout and design. A grids primary function is also used to communicate, it organizes space and information to the reader. They are also used to guide and help to obtain design consistency. Setting up a grid is smart since you lessen the need to go back and fourth with placing design elements, since with a grid you know where they need to be placed on a page. Not only that but, it correlates with the space they take with an overall aesthetic frame pleasurable to the eyes. It also shows how one goes about managing space and form. You tend to notice it over a series of pages.
This is not all there is to the grid! More will be elaborated on!
Complementary are the color pairs that are always directly opposite to each other on the color wheel. They will always show and represent the most contrasting relationships between the two colors. We use complementary colors because they cause a visual movement/vibration that bring excitement to the eyes.
Layout is a pretty vast topic. So I will be breaking it up over the next few days just like the color wheel. Always try and maintain the same size body text for all your articles. It lends itself to the overall editorial. Imagine if you were reading a magazine and every paragraph was a different size than the one before. The eye would not flow through it as easily as if they were the same size. However, the only possible time you should break this rule is for special editorial pages that you want to distinguish from the rest (such as a feature). What happens if your body text doesn’t fit on the page? Well it depends. You can get away with changing some letters by changing their Vertical and Horizontal scale by no more than 3%. You should also adjust the leading, kerning, columns, and sometimes reword some things. If it still does not fit, you might just need to rework your layout in a way where it does.
You’re on the right track. The visual sensation that we know of color is a response to different light waves. When looking at these different wavelengths the rays that our eyes can distinguish are called the visible spectrum. These range of colors consist of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue-violet (also known as indigo) and violet.
After the next few days you will understand the Color Wheel completely. Let’s start with the basics today, and we shall elaborate as the days go by. There are 12 colors on the most commonly used color wheel.
Primary colors which are red, yellow and blue.
Secondary colors which are orange, green, and violet.
Lastly, are the Tertiary colors which are red-orange, orange-yellow, yellow-green, green-blue, blue-violet, and violet-red.
So how does one go about handling Body Text? Well first off you never want to have you body text be smaller than 9 point. You also should keep in mind that the older your audience is the bigger the point sizes should be. Furthermore, your point size should rarely be larger than 11 point unless a large portion of your audience is over 65. Additionally, you should limit yourself to just design with 9, 10, or 11 point and always provide a minimum of 20% leading. It’s also always good to remember the wider the column, or the more dense the type, the more leading you need. If your line lengths go beyond 45 characters it’s a very good idea to make your leading 25%.
Color schemes (also known as relationships) are sometimes described as Harmonies. When used in this context a color harmony is meant to relate to color attracted to the eye/brain’s constant visual strive for balance. When all the colors in a composition add up to gray we are then lead to believe that harmony is achieved. Furthermore, the composition feels as if it is now complete. Whenever you use the color wheel you will always find a color that balances the other. Sometimes more than 1 color can be used or a combination of colors.
Not exactly… The Stylebook for a magazine is what truly sets magazines apart from one another. Without one you would have several designers working on different pages coming up with their own style. To avoid this a strict stylebook is followed. Not only that, but it should also appeal to it’s audience. What good would it be if you used dark blues and grays for a cooking magazine directed towards woman? Things that are typically included in the stylebook are the page size, margins, number of columns per page, photography, graphical style, color palette, typography, and the big one the nameplate.
The psychology of color is of great importance for us designers. It is the basic principles on how certain colors make us feel subconsciously. Some colors subconsciously make us hungry, safe, warm, cold, and much more. However, can colors actually stimulate our vision enough to affect our brains to subconsciously feel certain things? It’s widely thought that yes this is in fact the case. As you make your color choices be sure to keep in mind what colors tend to do to the brain when recognized. (Maybe in the future I will elaborate on each color itself. As of right now though, go study!)
Like every company and product out there a magazine is its own identity. The magazines identity has to indulge and influence the audience. Every magazine is recognized and picked up due to their identity since it’s distributed through many places. It’s the way it strikes home or interest with an audience and sets itself apart from other magazines of the same genre. What sets it apart? It’s the way everything is represent as a whole. This includes it’s typography, color palette, content, audience, structure, and images that represent it.
Color Influences everything we encounter in the world. We can’t hear color, or taste it, we can’t even smell it. Thus, it affects the way we see things through our sense of sight. Sometimes by accident, or most of the time through design. It helps us recognize things in association with objects. Some colors are programmed into our brain to mean certain things. The classic example of this is a traffic light. Green is go, yellow is caution, and red is stop. However, this does not mean you can only use this color for that purpose alone. It can also be used to catch your eye, or move through your composition.
The first and most important step of editorial design is thinking about how a publication becomes reality, and what it says as it’s own form of design. You must find a niche in the market that your subject matter will strive in. You must also focus on the message of the subject matter, and what you wish people to perceive it as. The primary function is the subject matter itself. It must achieve a way that can be read easily. Furthermore it must also be reliable to your audience.
I beg to differ it’s very simple. What is color theory? Color theory is about being exposed to the theories and application of color through different mediums. It shows the logical reasons and the emotional reasons to use color in design. It can mean certain things in different cultures, help push your concepts, and even enhance your message. Although color is subjective, everyone has a pretty good general sense of color that works. We can thank nature for that. The idea that color impacts the way we do things is important to know. As a designer you can take advantage of it and use it for a purpose that benefits you.
