Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The theme or content of your information will also influence how you use these in-
gredients; you should understand your audience and design with their expectations
and experience in mind. A magazine aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds will take a different
design approach to one targeting an older, more conservative, audience. An article on
hip-hop music should feel different to one on classical music. This is where the de-
signer will need to conduct appropriate research, so that they can base their designs
on real facts rather than just intuition. The influences, feel and structure of the mu-
sic and the audience demographic could inform how you design your page, based on
what you uncover. The choice of typeface, how you use scale, colour, weight, etc.,
will all have an impact on the design and can create mood, pace and rhythm. They
can instigate both an interest and a response from your audience to the information
you are presenting. Remember that regular readers can willingly embrace any new
structure, and it is important to consider first-time readers too.
Three spreads from
Émigré
magazine by Rudy Vanderlans, 1994. This magazine was aimed spe-
cifically at graphic designers and as a result was able to 'push the boundaries' of layout, since it
was designed to appeal to a visually sophisticated audience.
Issue 32, pp. 12-13, 'In and Around'. This is a large-format (A2) spread that shows the grid in
action on the right-hand page. Notice how the large hand-drawn type on the left-hand page bal-
ances the spread. Also, how the 'swoosh' under the word 'fury' draws your eye to the large block
of copy on the facing page. The images within this block of text also break out of the grid to
provide some tension within the composition.
