Final 2-pg Spread and Elaboration of Choices

 

My Final 2-page Spread Mockup 

 

 

This is my final mockup for the 2-page spread of my Art magazine. The section head of this 2-page spread is called, “Art Insider”, as the content present in the text, talks about the deeper meaning represented in the featured art pieces and gives a brief explanation behind their production. The section head is placed on the top of the 2-page spread, so that the reader can easily identify which category this article/spread is from. This gives the reader an opportunity to select which category is their favorite, and helps them locate their favorite article more efficiently and effectively. Section/Running heads are usually placed at the top of every page of a magazine and aid readers in navigating through an article easily. A running head should be designed creatively so that it looks good, because it is present on almost all pages of the magazine and a reader sees it every now and then. So, it has to be visually attractive.The Headline of my 2-page spread is called, “Artists Of The New Generation”. As, Michael Bors is a relatively young artist, who makes digital art, which is very different and unique from other art styles such as paintings or drawings. Also, digital art is a very new concept in the art industry, and everybody is using it nowadays, making it a famous medium for artists of this generation. The headline is then placed on the right side of the image, so that the reader can clearly see what the article is about. Headlines are the most important element of a magazine layout design. It can be of various sizes, but should be set in a size bigger than the other text elements in the page. A headline should be interesting, meaningful and compelling enough as it increases the chances of an article to be read. The caption between my first and second image states, “Why do you think Bors makes his art digitally?” This is an interactive question for this 2-page spread. Its purpose is to keep the reader interested, and make them think, what the article was really about, and encourage them to indulge in deep thought. The captions are placed between the respective images. A caption should describe an image and should ideally be placed immediately below the image. The font size for image captions can be the same as that of the font in which the body copy has been written or slightly smaller than that. I choose to make the caption italic, so that the caption pops out more, than the other text included in the 2-page spread. The italic formatting, also evokes the emotion of connection, as the author/magazine designer of this 2-page spread, is trying to talk and connect with their audience, by using the interactive question as a medium for communication between the magazine designer/author and the reader. The subhead of my 2-page spread is called, “Breaking Reality: Digital Art” This is one of the coverlines that is included in my magazine cover. The subhead's purpose is to give the reader a glimpse of what the article is about, in this case, how digital art has changed the art industry and the ways an artist thinks. It is also included to make the article easier to locate for the reader, as the subhead is mentioned in the magazine’s table of contents, so that the reader can easily identify which page the article is located on. Subheads are used to break an article into various sections or compartments, indicating what the next set of paragraphs is going to talk about. It can be written in the same font in which the body copy is written, but it should stand out from the body copy at the same time. Hence, magazine designers keep it "bold" so that it looks like a mini-heading or headline. An important thing to bear in mind is that you should not place subheads below an image or a quote in an article.The body text/body copy of my 2-page spread talks about the articles featured and the deeping meaning behind them. It also gives a brief explanation of the production process behind the artpieces featured and talks about Michael Bors’ perspective on digital art, and how it has changed his thinking. Body copies/texts are a more lengthy and detailed part of a magazine article when compared to the introductory paragraph of the heading / headline of an article. A well-written body copy keeps a reader engaged to an article for the most part, generally till the end of the article. When one begins to design the magazine layout template, they should begin with designing the body copy of an article, because that takes maximum space, running into multiple paragraphs. Magazine designers set the right margins in terms of columns and rows to improve readability. A key point to note here is that magazine designers are consistent with the length of the body copy for all the articles in the magazine. Lastly, the folio/page number and bylines are located at the bottom of the last image or the bottom-right corner of the 2-page spread. The folio/page number is, “9” , the byline is called, “Artifice” which is the magazine’s name. I chose number 9 for my folio/page number as it is the same page number, I have included in my table of contents for this 2-page spread’s subhead, which is called , “Breaking Reality: Digital Art” Folios/page numbers are designed in such a way that you do not annoy a reader who looks into it on almost every page of a magazine. It is a way of arranging sheets of papers in your magazine, by folding them in a certain manner. Magazine designers tread with caution especially when they have many pages in your magazine containing full bleed images. A reader could be annoyed if you place folios on those pages. The purpose of the bylines is to credit the magazine company, website, or designer. It is very important to give them credit, as the magazine company is the one that is funding the production of the magazine in the first place.  Bylines are important as they acknowledge the person and the team which has worked on an article. Usually, the author's name is written under the headline of the article, which is also known as the byline. It can be written in the same font size as that of the body text. The byline of this 2-page spread is called, “Artifice” as it is the Art magazine’s name. Also, It is common for magazine productions to have the magazine name/brand as their own name, so that the magazine designer can easily give credit to them, without providing any unnecessary information. 

 

 

Process Behind My Final 2-page Spread Mockup

 

 

This is the first step, where I added the images needed for the Final 2-page spread mockup in my Art magazine. I chose these magazines because all of them were made using digital software and then were printed on a piece of paper. These images are very bright, vivid, colorful and bold, which follows the conventions of an Art magazine. Because these images are so colorful and bold, they serve as accurate examples of professional and meaningful digital art. 

 

 

This is the part where I started formatting my images. I did this, in order to make them look clean, appealing, attention grabbing and professional. I was able to achieve this by changing the brightness, contrast and saturation for each image. I also cropped these images, so that they could properly fit the page. Contrast and saturation are two very important elements, in relation to photos. This is because, contrast manages the amount of difference there is between the colors of the image, as if the colors are clashing together, then the image becomes painful to see, which is a very bad sign. The saturation is what makes the colors bright or dark. Saturation and Contrast go hand in hand, as if the saturation is too much, then the contrast has to be enough to balance it out and vice versa. The balance in this image results in it being very beautiful and visually appealing, which is good for catching the audience's eyes and peaking their interest in the magazine.

 

 

This is the step where I started positioning my images for the Final 2-page spread mockup in my Art magazine. By positioning the images in such a way, I am making sure that my body text has enough space to fit in the 2-page spread, in a professional and appealing manner. This is very important, as if the body text looks confusing, the reader will quickly lose interest, and the magazine will not sell. Also, it is important to keep adequate white space between the images, as if the images are clustered and not spaced properly, they they will look very unprofessional, unappealing and will also impact the information included in the body text, making the content, unrelatable and boring, So, in order to make the article meaningful and impactful, positioning the images correctly is required. 

 

 

This is the part where I included the textboxes for the elements of my 2-page spread. The section head is placed on the top of the 2-page spread, so that the reader can easily identify which category this article/spread is from. The headline is then placed on the right side of the image, so that the reader can clearly see what the article is about. The subhead is then placed right below the headline, so that the reader is kept interested in the 2-page spread. The subhead also gives specific information about the article. Then, there is the body text, right below the subhead, which will talk about the deeper meanings behind these art pieces and will also give a brief explanation behind their creation. Next, are the captions, which are placed between their respective images. The captions are most likely going to be interactive questions and facts about the art pieces featured.  These captions are responsible for keeping the reader interested in the 2-page spread, and make it more informational in a fun and appealing way. Laslty, there is the page number and the byline, which are always placed in the bottom corner of a 2-page spread. The page numbers are responsible for maintaining the continuity of the magazine, while giving the reader an idea about which page number they are on and the total number of pages in the magazine. The purpose of the bylines is to credit the magazine company, website, or designer. It is very important to give them credit, as the magazine company is the one that is funding the production of the magazine in the first place.  Bylines are important as they acknowledge the person and the team which has worked on an article.

 

 

This is the step where I inserted the actual content for my 2-page spread. The section head of this 2-page spread is called, “Art Insider”, as the content present in the text, talks about the deeper meaning represented in the featured art pieces and gives a brief explanation behind their production. The Headline of my 2-page spread is called, “Artists Of The New Generation”. As, digital art is a very new concept in the art industry, everybody is using it nowadays, making it a famous medium for artists of this generation. The caption between my first and second image states, “Why do you think Bors makes his art digitally?” This is an interactive question for this 2-page spread. Its purpose is to keep the reader interested, and make them think, what the article was really about, and encourage them to indulge in deep thought.  The subhead of my 2-page spread is called, “Breaking Reality: Digital Art” This is one of the coverlines that is included in my magazine cover. The subhead's purpose is to give the reader a glimpse of what the article is about, in this case, how digital art has changed the art industry and the ways an artist thinks. The body text/body copy of my 2-page spread talks about the articles featured and the deeping meaning behind them. It also gives a brief explanation of the production process behind the art pieces featured and talks about Michael Bors’ perspective on digital art, and how it has changed his thinking. Lastly, the folio/page number and bylines are located at the bottom of the last image or the bottom-right corner of the 2-page spread. The folio/page number is, “9” , the byline is called, “Artifice” which is the magazine’s name.

 

 

This is the final step behind the process of making my final 2-page spread mockup. In this step, I changed the color of my 2-page spread’s headline to read. As, the color red evokes the emotions of richness and boldness. The color red, will be the first thing to catch the reader’s attention, directly emerging them inside the magazine’s content. I also changed the font color of my subhead to orange, as it evokes the feeling of warmth and comfort. This is very important, as when reading the subhead, the reader will experience warmth and satisfaction, further emerging them into the 2-page spread. The font I chose for all of my text, is Open Sans, as it is a sans serif font, which is used in mostly all Art magazines. This is because sans serif fonts are very powerful, bold and professional. By making all of the text open sans, I am giving them more power and definition, in order to make an impact on the reader’s mind. I also choose to make the caption italic, so that the caption pops out more, than the other text included in the 2-page spread. The italic formatting, also evokes the emotion of connection, as the author/magazine designer of this 2-page spread, is trying to talk and connect with their audience, by using the interactive question as a medium for communication between the magazine designer/author and the reader. Lastly, this is where I made my final tweaks to my Final 2-page spread mockup. It is very common for designers to revise their 2-page spread and look at it from a reader’s perspective, so that they know whether the 2-page spread is going to benefit or harm the magazine’s sales. This is a very important method, as it gives the designer the opportunity to reevaluate their magazine 2-page spread, to make sure that it aligns with most of the conventions of their selected genre, correct their mistakes, if any, so that it looks professional, appealing, and attention grabbing, in order to ensure that the reader is interested in the magazine’s content. 

 

Summary 

 

My final mockup for the 2-page spread of my Art magazine includes the following magazine elements: Section/Running head, Headline, Caption, Subhead, Body text/copy, Folios/Page numbers, and Byline. The section head of this 2-page spread is called, “Art Insider”, as the content present in the text, talks about the deeper meaning represented in the featured art pieces and gives a brief explanation behind their production. The section head is placed on the top of the 2-page spread, so that the reader can easily identify which category this article/spread is from. This gives the reader an opportunity to select which category is their favorite, and helps them locate their favorite article more efficiently and effectively. The Headline of my 2-page spread is called, “Artists Of The New Generation”. As, Michael Bors is a relatively young artist, who makes digital art, which is very different and unique from other art styles such as paintings or drawings. Also, digital art is a very new concept in the art industry, and everybody is using it nowadays, making it a famous medium for artists of this generation. The caption between my first and second image states, “Why do you think Bors makes his art digitally?” This is an interactive question for this 2-page spread. Its purpose is to keep the reader interested, and make them think, what the article was really about, and encourage them to indulge in deep thought. I choose to make the caption italic, so that the caption pops out more, than the other text included in the 2-page spread. The italic formatting, also evokes the emotion of connection, as the author/magazine designer of this 2-page spread, is trying to talk and connect with their audience, by using the interactive question as a medium for communication between the magazine designer/author and the reader. The subhead of my 2-page spread is called, “Breaking Reality: Digital Art” This is one of the coverlines that is included in my magazine cover. The subhead's purpose is to give the reader a glimpse of what the article is about, in this case, how digital art has changed the art industry and the ways an artist thinks. It is also included to make the article easier to locate for the reader, as the subhead is mentioned in the magazine’s table of contents, so that the reader can easily identify which page the article is located on. The body text/body copy of my 2-page spread talks about the articles featured and the deeping meaning behind them. It also gives a brief explanation of the production process behind the artpieces featured and talks about Michael Bors’ perspective on digital art, and how it has changed his thinking. Lastly, the folio/page number and bylines are located at the bottom of the last image or the bottom-right corner of the 2-page spread. The folio/page number is, “9” , the byline is called, “Artifice” which is the magazine’s name. I chose number 9 for my folio/page number as it is the same page number, I have included in my table of contents for this 2-page spread’s subhead, which is called , “Breaking Reality: Digital Art” The byline of this 2-page spread is called, “Artifice” as it is the Art magazine’s name. Also, It is common for magazine productions to have the magazine name/brand as their own name, so that the magazine designer can easily give credit to them, without providing any unnecessary information.

 

Tools And Sources:

Art, Scholastic. “Jan/Feb 2022 Issues – Articles, Activities, and Videos: Scholastic Art Magazine.” Scholastic Art, Scholastic Art, 2 Mar. 2022, https://art.scholastic.com/issues/2021-22/010122.html. 

Franz, Laura. “Drop Caps: Historical Use and Current Best Practices with CSS.” Smashing Magazine, Articles, 4 Apr. 2012, https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/04/drop-caps-historical-use-and-current-best-practices/. 

C, Aditya. “2-PG Spread - Voice, Language and Audience.” 2-Pg Spread - Voice, Language and Audience, Blogger, 10 Mar. 2022, https://adityachhabria.blogspot.com/2022/03/2-pg-spread-voice-language-and-audience.html. 

2India, Outsource. “10 Key Elements of a Magazine Layout Design - outsource2india.” Outsource to India, Outsource 2 India, 9 Mar. 2022, https://www.outsource2india.com/creative-services/articles/10-key-elements-magazine-layout-design.asp.

C, Aditya. “Planning the 2-PG Spread Layout.” Planning the 2-Pg Spread Layout, Blogger, 10 Mar. 2022, https://adityachhabria.blogspot.com/2022/03/digital-layout-1-this-is-first-digital.html. 

Canva, Canva. “Collaborate & Create Amazing Graphic Design for Free - CANVA.” Canva, Canva, 2013, https://www.canva.com/.