The story that I chose came from Sports Illustrated Kids Magazine. I’m a big Jorge Posada fan and the article has actually hung on my bedroom wall since it’s publication in 2003, so forgive it’s rugged appearance!
As for the typefaces, I used several. My main body text is ITC Berkeley Oldstyle. I chose this because it was my favorite of all the typefaces that were listed in class as the best typefaces for body text because it’s readable and clear. The magazine nameplate was another story. I wanted something easily readable, but also something that stood out on the page and could be versatile enough to be used on several different magazine covers, instead of just on the one I designed. This font is Strayhorn MT Standard Extrabold Italic.
The type I used for the story name on the front cover of my magazine is Penumbra Std. I chose this typeface because it is simple yet eye-catching. I also think it serves well colored white against the black background of the photo. The typeface that I used for the deckhead is Optima Regular. I also put the deckhead in capital letters because I feel it makes the Optima typeface more masculine, since SIKids is a male-targeted magazine.
For the one caption that I did include, located on the second spread, I used the font Helvetica because it was a clear distinction from the body text. Helvetica is a sans serif, while Berkely is a serif. I used the same logic when deciding typeface for the pullout quote, as well. That font is Goudy Sans. The last typeface decision I made was for the sidebar. I used Frutiger Std Bold Condensed because it was a sans serif and was bold, so it stood out against the dark colors of it’s background.
As for colors, I used black for the main body text because it is easy for the eye to read. I used white for the type in my deckhead, which was a hard decision for me. Because of the baseball diamond lines, some of the type is unreadable in the deckhead, but the text stands out much more in white than black, so I decided that the unreadable text was worth it. Lastly, for the sidebar I used colors pulled directly from the picture next to it. The blue comes from Jorge’s vest and both grays from his jersey.
I think you did a great job with your magazine! I like the name of the magazine, Baseball Now, because it caters to a targeted audience of baseball fans. I like how the cover is in black and white because that would stick out among other magazines in a store or on stands. The only complaint about the cover is that the white "IN" on the bottom doesn't really stick out because the background is white as well. Maybe it printed out differently on paper. Also, the image is a little bit stretched, but I still think it is pretty strong.
ReplyDeleteYour first spread is really strong. I love the image of the baseball diamond--it stands out from other spreads because it's not just a typical picture of a celeb, but it shows action, and also mimics a typical baseball game. The bolded "generation" captures the reader's attention and makes them want to read the article to find out why. I like the baseball bats that cover the headline of your spread, and how the outline from the type looks like the lines in a baseball diamond.
The first part of the second spread is absolutely perfect! I love how the Q&A alternates color and is tilted. It really adds dimension to the page. The text wrap around the action shot of him swinging a bat is really cool also. The pull quote on the right is a little awkward, maybe make the type evened out on all sides. Other than that, the pictures are really nice and well-placed. I like how the bottom right picture goes past the margins. I like the typeface choices throughout the magazine.
Overall, great job!!!!
--Jennifer Alberts
I really like the typeface you used for your magazine title. The italics of it give it a look like a swinging baseball bat. Your placement of the magazine issue date by the capitalized "B" works great by matching the same height of the "B." The only thing on the cover and first spread that I would change is the choice of typefaces (aside from the magazine title). The sans serif-like typeface makes it look a little less interesting. Maybe a font with more cross strokes would have attracted the reader's eyes more. Also, some of the "After 14 years" typeface on the first spread gets lost in the white lines. But I do like the use of the white color on the sandy background. It makes the font pretty easy to read. The bats on the next spread look really neat and easily separate your headline from the rest of the body text. The bats really show the reader where to start. I like how on the next spread the catcher is facing right into the sidebar, which will easily navigate the reader to the sidebar. However, I would try to move the sidebar a little further from the body text. It looks a little crowded as it is. And overall, I would tighten the leading in the body text. It looks really spaced out right now. Overall, however, the layout looks pretty good, and the use of the baseball players within the body text really connects with your theme of baseball.
ReplyDelete- Michael Boren (comment post)