Analysis' of Existing Editorial Design

I've been doing a bit of research online looking at some existing editorial design, in order to see how they've used grid systems, font choices, imagery, and other FADP's such as scale, balance, and composition. Attached to this blog are a couple of images found online, and there are some good things I like about some of them, then other aspects which I don't admire as much. 

First up, is the above spread. A lot of architectural books tend to go for this style of one page covered with a photo, and then text on the left hand side. The reason for this, is to catch people's attention. As a user flicks through a book, the first thing they see is the picture on the right hand side, and if they like the look of it, or find it interesting, then they are more likely to go onto reading the article. Although the type is simple and placed within two large columns (on what appears to be a four column grid system), I really think it suits the feel of the page, and gives it a nice, crisp look. This feel is greatly enhanced by the main header type, which is a nice, thin sans-serif font. The dark blue of the font also matches to one of the blue shades in the image, creating a clever link between the two.The page feels very clean, crisp, and modern, and would definitely draw me in to read the text or at least skim through a few lines of the content. 

Again, much like my last write-up, the above double page spread uses one large photo taking up the write hand page, with text on the other. Accompanying the text this time are two further photos, and no heading, which would suggest this is the inside of one of the chapters or sections within the book. The composition is quite nice, and the two smaller images on the left match together nicely to meet the colour scheme set in the large image on the right, with the mixture of fresh green grass and blue skies.The text has again been placed into more of a traditional two column fixture, which helps keep the page nice and balanced, easy to read, and fits in with the intended style.

The composition of the above double page spread is somewhat different to the previous two. The images still take up the whole right hand page, while the text predominantly covers the left hand page. The book this time consists of square pages as well, rather than the typical rectangular or A4 sized paper that many are accustomed to. The squared pages allow a shift in approach to the compositon, and has allowed 9 different images to be placed on the right hand page. This one also features a pull out quote, which is the main focus of the left hand page, due to it's large scale. I quite like the layout of the images, although I'm not the biggest fan of the text page, and the font of the pull quote isn't my favourite either. I'm also unsure if this style really suits Studio Pacific Architecture either, as they seem to be a lot crisper and cleaner looking.

The above spread is another neat twist on a composition, consisting of three images, and some body copy. This one they have reversed the order of the pages, by having the images on the left hand page, with the text following it on the right hand page. I quite like the placement and scale of the images, although I feel like the type could be manipulated a lot better, with a lot more thought put into the composition and breaking up of the body copy. At the moment it just looks like one massive clump of text, with random rags. It' doesn't really seem to be designed at all.

The above spread goes back to the typical large photo on the right hand side, with predominantly text on the left. There's something quite interesting about how the large image doesn't quite fill the whole page, and instead leaves a blank white column by the centerfold. The three images stacked on top of one another has again been a popular theme throughout my research, which allows the text to be neatly compiled on one side of them. I quite like this layout, and the composition of the photographs themselves are very interesting, and would draw the viewer in while navigating through the book.

This spread, placed directly above, is actually one from a Studio Pacific Architecture book. I really like how they've gone for the large image on the right hand side, although uniquely stretched it beyond the centrefold and half way across the left hand page, until it meets the body copy. This is allows the smaller images to be tucked up alongside it in a small column, and not look out of place at all. The border around the edge of the large photo is quite nice, and definitely helps to create the crisp, clean, and modern look that Studio Pacific Architecture seem to exemplify.

After this research, I have definitely started to come up with some of my own possible layouts, and I will look to draw inspiration from some of these. On Thursday, we have a Q&A session with an employee from Studio Pacific Architecture, which will allow me to get further insight into their beliefs and ways of design. This will further help me conceptualize a style that I'd like to use for this book design.