4.1 - Double Page Spreads Research 01
Over the weekend, we were asked to explore a range of double page spreads that could help influence our brochure's final design. Here our my most admired double page spreads.
01.
This double page spread appealed to me, as I am a big fan of the use of watercolor to produce illustrations. The watercolor produces great texture and realism. I have little knowledge of watercolor and my strengths lie with digital illustration, however, discovering this has made me want to introduce a more stylized, watercolor texture in order to bring forth a better sense of realism.
This design, however, is not only successful because of the illustration, as the consistent use of a black font on the left page helps contrast from the slightly tanned white background. As a focal point, this spread has two; first is the green toned illustration which expresses a natural and fresh feeling, and then secondly, the sans-serif letter - 'C'. This second focal point is of difference in the page as it presents a modernist approach, which is different to the serif body text.
02.
The design shown above caught my attention straight away as simply the contrast between the light yet dull yellow contrasts well with the petrol blue. It is only until you recognize the spread from a far perspective that you then grain to understand a great idea surrounding the subject matter. The illustration of the man merges well enough in the background, however, is differentiated enough to make him a key and visible element in the page. This technique of almost hiding and not making an illustration in plain sight is an idea I quite like as it doesn't create a page that is too busy and vibrant (despite the colourful background).
Moving onto the text, the use of a bold, all caps title works well in the negative (yellow) space. Meanwhile, the body text is aligned vertically below it, successfully resulting in the flow of the page. The final element of this page which I like is the dispersed lettering that comes from the illustrative man's laptop and this idea could be followed in my own brochure, specifically on the peanut butter page. This idea could see an illustrative man at his dining table with some toast and as he opens the Fix & Fogg jar, the individual peanuts and ingredients travel out.
03.
I see this example as a double page spread that follows a much more grid and uniform approach. Most successful about this page, in my opinion, is the composition of elements and simple colour scheme; in particular, the clean, white line drawings of the shoes work very well on top of the green squares. This look could be one repeated in regards to my 'grading' system, which also features three symbols and not too much text. The design uses both photography and illustrations cohesively and I think this is massively down to the fact that the photograph is black and white, as with the illustrations. However, the use of both the green squares and headers help contrast this monochrome look. The technique also I feel puts emphasis on what the words have to say which isn't always the case in a magazine or double page spread designs.
04.
The above double-page spreads although not both by the same designer as one another are similar in their colour scheme and main fact that they use a photograph or image as their focal point. This simple design technique is one what that I like a lot, especially if the photograph is a good one and takes up most, if not all of one side of the spread. This is because I see little point in cluttering design elements over a nice image just to bring forward more visual cues. If the image is good and speaks then why do as mentioned. However, with this said, it is not a technique in which I want to pursue in my brochure as I feel too many lifestyle magazines and brochure follows this clean and minimal approach. Instead, I want to perhaps incorporate photography into my illustrative work, however not so much that the photograph itself is molded into something obscure and sees a reduction in quality.
Looking at the text in specifically the last example, I like the first page as the serif font featuring a persons figure straight away helps show the reader that visual elements such as photography are present in this design/magazine. The main header is bold enough for it to be seen, however, its rather skinny profile means that other elements such as the boxed photography, is not overlooked. This shows a good sense of hierarchy and coherent design.
