What are
the roles of layout and style in leading fashion magazines, and why are they
significant?
Layout and style
of a magazine play significant roles within the design process, and
understanding the layout and arrangement is extremely important. The sizing,
spacing, and placing of contents in the design form, is what we call the
layout. An effective layout consists of flow, focus, alignment, balance and
consistency; the fundamental principles of design must be also applied when
considering layout and style. The styling of specific magazines is significant
in how the content within the design is displayed. Magazines such as Vogue, GQ,
Harpers Bizarre are all recognisable, these iconic magazines all have a
particular styling. “Vogue places fashion in the context of culture and the
world we live in, how we dress, live and socialise; what we eat, listen to and
watch; who leads and inspires us. Thought provoking, relevant and always
influential, Vogue defines the culture of fashion.” The elements of the cover
design contribute to the success and durability of Vogue magazine; the printed
cover of a magazine has a major impact on the consumer’s likelihood of
purchasing it. The typography, colure and magazine identity play a significant
role in the design of the magazines. “The focus of vogue was on the traditions
of high society, and fashion was only mentioned when giving advice on what was
appropriate to wear to an occasion” (History of vogue, 2012). Vogues brand
identity remains clear and concise even though layout and image placement alter
slightly; “over a century ager the magazines auspicious debut, Vogue’s covers
continue to compel and influence” (Kazanjian, 2011). This suggests that the
durability of the magazine is sustainable and will continue to be a leading
trend setter for other magazines. The first issue of vogue was released in 1892
in America, the publishers Conde Naste then acquired the magazine in 1909, the main
focus of the magazine was turned on to women; Vogue’s role was not to just
reflect fashion trends, but it actually resulted in effectively shaping these
trends.
Layout has great
significance in magazine design as it communicates to the audience through the
use of type, image, and other visual components on a page. The canons of page
construction are a set of principles in the field of book design; used to
present the ways that page proportions, margins and type areas of books are
constructed. In the mid to late twentieth century Jan Tschichold was
responsible for the mass appeal of notion of canons, and laws on page
construction, based on the work of J.A van de Graaf. The van de Graaf canon is
a method used in layout design for books, it allows the designer to divide the
page in to pleasing proportions. “Though largely forgotten today, methods and
rules upon which it is impossible to improve have been developed for centuries.
To produce the perfect books these rules have to be brought to life and applied.”
(Jan Tschichold). Looking at the secret law of page harmony, Retinart, it
explores how certain stylistic attributes and approaches form the ‘perfect
book.’ The method to produce the perfect book existed long before computer
technology and the printing press. Jan Tschichold was the one who described the
system as ‘the perfect book.’ The secret canon and page harmony illustrates
‘harmoniously’ blocks of text and the pages they were printed on which agree
with one another and collectively become a harmonious unit. ‘Faces looking
toward the spine create harmony, looking out they cause tension, if two images
face in opposite directions even greater tension is created.’ The layout isn’t
just a case of making the fundamental elements on the page fit nicely together,
the layout has a purpose to communicate effectively to the consumer, “For the
commercial world, design has always been a a matter of legitimate concern.”
(J.Mckay, 2006) Jenny Mckay discusses all crucial elements relating to magazine
design, and emphasise the importance of structure.
“Note the
interaction, study how balance has been achieved, pay particular attention to
the white space, cut up pages and rearrange them, see how a simple change of
position of one element can transform a design.” (Walker, 1992: J.mckay) The
role of copy and layout components, and the principle components of a specific
layout all influence the design and the design creates pages people want to
read therefore the importance of the layout is crucial. The headline, body copy
and images all contribute towards the overall layout and style of design.
Headlines are important because they create a strong bond between the
publication and the reader, the type intends to stimulate curiosity about the
feature and encourages the reader to continue, body copy also has a great
significance; the study of the way words and images collaborate as symbols is
know as semiotics. The images on a page, are the key visual element and their
relationship to the story is crucial to the design. When designing, a
compelling dialogue between text and where the image is placed is necessary,
these elements create a visual narrative for the viewer. The layouts of vogue
magazine covers do not exist for their aesthetically pleasing, and decorative
design, but they do have a specific role, they make a significant impact on the
on the consumers. It could be argued that the popularity of magazine is down to
the cover. Consumers and social media also play a part in the overall success
of vogue magazine, as they have made the popularity of the magazine increase.
The women of Vogue magazine are represented as very empowering, iconic figures
however there is always controversy as to whether these icons are being used as
a product and selling tool for the consumer “the way we see things is affected
by what we know or what we believe” (Berger, 1972). Vogue magazine is
considered to be one of the most influential fashion magazines of our time,
“Vogue is to our era what the idea of God was, in Voltaire's famous parlance,
to his: if it didn't exist, we would have to invent it. Revered for its
editorial excellence and its visual panache, the magazine has long functioned
as a bible for anyone worshiping at the altar of luxury, celebrity and style.
And while we perhaps take for granted the extent to which this trinity
dominates consumer culture today, Vogue’s role in catalyzing its rise to
pre-eminence cannot be underestimated."
A designer will
always apply the use of a grid system to their work particularly when creating
layouts; they allow concise placing of key elements and attributes such as
columns, margins and repeated rules, devising the grid is the initial stage and
most significant when creating layout designs. Grid systems enable the graphic
designer to organise whatever content they are working with consistently and
precisely onto a page, using any combination of margins, guides, rows and
columns. “Devising the grid is probably the single most important stage in
determining how a magazine will look, and some commentators give it a heavy
weight of significance.” (J.Mckay 2006). Grid systems are commonly seen in
magazine layouts with columns of text and images. Grids can also be used across
an entire project so that the structure is consistent throughout. The grid will
not be noticed once the finished product has been printed, but before print, it
enables a consistent design to be produced allowing the designer to organise
the content suitably for the layout. There are several types of grid systems a
designer can use; the simplest method is to use the rule of thirds. The rule
consists of dividing a page into thirds with two equally spaced
vertical/horizontal lines so that the important compositional elements can be
placed along these lines or intersections. This is commonly used in
photography. The golden ratio is another popular method (approximately 1.618)
for proportioning. Mathematicians have studied the ratio and architects,
artists and book designers for its aesthetically pleasing qualities have used
it for centuries.
Within the
layout, each page must have a consistent structure; the designer needs to
consider the role of copy and layout components. The headline and heading is
usually the largest type size on the layout, it aims to stimulate curiosity
about the feature, enticing the viewer to read on, and the body copy is also
another main feature of the layout. Body copy, can be arranged in multiple
ways, the columns of text can be justified, aligned left or aligned right. The
designer will adjust the body copy so that it looks as aesthetically pleasing
as possible. Editorial design often shows left aligned text, as it slightly
more pleasing to the eye when reading a larger quantity of print, the column
widths should also be made narrow enough to read easily yet still allowing the
right amount of white space. To make the overall readability easier, the more
extensive blocks of text can be broken up, which will also make the page much
lighter. Drop caps and initial caps indicate where the story/article begins,
the drop caps and initial caps can sit within the body copy or outside. When
choosing the font for a drop cap or initial cap, the designer must consider how
it will compliment the rest of the body copy style. Something else that forms a
main focal point on a page can be the quotes, and pull-quotes, and they can
sometimes be an interesting addition to the overall page design. Most magazines
include the quotes and pull-quotes, they are aesthetically pleasing and break
up columns of text effectively, which makes the story/article slightly easier
to read, they can be incorporated by running them in a separate column, running
them as bands across a whole spread, or using them with images. To give a good
structure to the layout, strap lines and section headings are used, they
emphasise and identify what the subject matter or feature is about, captions
also inform the reader about certain content related to an image. The captions
usually appear on the image or near the image; they identify the reason for the
images presence and relationship to the story. The images are key visual
elements within the layout, and their relationship to the story is crucial to
the design. The image illustrates the story, or the text is driven by the
image, and it is important to create an interesting dialogue between the text
and visuals. There are many different ways to approach image use. The position
of the image on the page creates an expression and visual narrative for the
viewer, faces looking toward the spine create harmony, looking out they create
tension.
Magazine design
has always been one of the major determinants of success of any magazine, and
when creating a magazine layout it is crucial to keep a good balance between
the white space, images, and text. The magazine cover helps sell the magazine
first then the content comes second. The cardinal rule in magazine design
should be “we always sacrifice design on the alter of content.” (Samar Hushi
2001). The magazine cover is also significant part of the design, and the
visuals seen on the cover are also what the reader sees first, this will be
recognised more than the title of the magazine; it should combine creative uses
of colour and type within an organised layout that is pleasant to read and
compliments the art work used to tell its stories. “Vogue has pioneered a host
of aesthetic, technological and commercial advances, virtually all of which
inform the fashion and media industry” (Weber, 2006). The page layout of the
double page spread (fig.1) shows the entire key components discussed. Vogue
tends to use a white background for the layouts, which allows a greater focus
to the focal points being images, or text columns. The text has been displayed
in a three column structure, with the opposing page displaying a full bleed
image. The drop caps used segregates the different portions of the story,
allowing the reader to have ease when looking at the article; it creates an
aesthetically pleasing layout. The body copy has been centre aligned, creating
a concise structure for the layout. The pull quote has been used as focal point
in-between the second and third column, this creates a nice focal point for the
viewer and is an interesting addition to the overall page design as it breaks
up the text effectively. A contrasting double page spread (fig.2) shows a very
text heavy layout style, allowing only the pull quotes and one subtle text
based image as the visuals to accompany the text. The drop caps add an
aesthetic touch the page layout, even though it is very text heavy the article
still works, as it is very legible and does not strain
the eye to read.
Overall I have
learned that the role of layouts within magazine design have a significant
impact on what the magazine as a whole communicates and how the reader
perceives the brand. Structure of a layout consists of much more than meets the
eye, the technical processes of determining the most suitable grid system is
the basis for any design work, the grid acts as a platform for the content and
story making the grid the most significant component. The visual aesthetics of
the layout rely on the use of images and arrangement of body copy; it is
crucial to keep a good balance between the white space, images and text. The
fundamental principles if design must be applied when considering the layout
and style, in order for the finished publication to effectively communicate to
the reader. The secret law of page harmony has taught extended my knowledge on
the principles of editorial design and role of layout within design; type,
grid, colour are all important components when constructing the layout. “Faces
looking toward the spine create harmony, looking out they cause tension; if two
images face in opposite directions even greater tension is caused.” One of the
main reasons design is important to a magazine is that it communicates the
values and aspirations of a title before the potential consumer has read a
single word, the design hierarchy of needs suggests that a design must meet
basic needs before it can satisfy higher level needs, in order to be
successful. Looking at the De Graaf canon, it has allowed me to identify myself
what a successful, aesthetic layout needs to consist of. The styling of the
specific magazine is significant in how the content within the design is
displayed. To conclude, I have found that the relationship between the
fundamental processes of the design and the design itself, have a strong
partnership. The finished layout design all stems from the initial technical
processes of creating the foundation for the layout, including the grid and
content.
Fig.2
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