ABOUT

Brief:
To design a magazine cover and double page spread of the UK's No.1 creative arts magazine 'Artists & Illustrators'.
Sticking to the target market and maintaining a professional overall design.

Concept:
Starting with initial sketches to consider text and image placement, I stuck with the layout of the basic elements however I reduced the amount of cover lines to simplify the overall look. This gave a rather premium look to the cover which would allow readers to feel highly privellged they have access to this magazine. My idea of imagery was to use highly contrasting artwork which would stand out on the shelves amonsgt competing magazines. Ideally, the double spread to follow the same style as the artwork for example, If I was to use a simple vector illustration as the image, then the layout of the text would be very minimal to maintain a flow.

Execution:
I used Adobe InDesign to create the magazine cover and double spread, following the sketches I had beside me. It was a simple task of placing suitable cover lines, linking to articles that would be inside, and finding high quality artwork online fit for purpose. Dependent on the image, I applied a complimenting colour palette to apply to the master head and cover lines, providing a comforting first impression. As for typography, I kept it simple and used contrasting colours to lift certain words off the page. The fonts varied between san-serif and script as it gave off a hand-crafted vibe.

Results:
After successfully completing the design, it was placed within a mock-up to feel it come alive. Produced of a high quality, I felt the design worked really well and matched the target market.