My project explores the primary goals of design highlighted by Ann C. Tyler in her essay ‘Shaping Belief: The Role of Audience in Visual Communication’. In particular, the ability of formal devices such as image, typography and grid to “induce action, educate, create an experience”. This was also informed by the grid principles identified by Timothy Samara in ‘Making and Breaking the Grid’.

The project is a monthly magazine titled ‘Curio’ where each issue focuses on a specific event in history. For this task, the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival was chosen. Editorial design was the best way to present informative content whilst also incorporating formal devices such as image, typography and grid systems to achieve project goals. The purpose of this project was to encourage teenagers aged 14+ to learn and engage with history via an exploration of grid structure, typography and image. For the content, I re-purposed an article from website ‘All That’s Interesting’:

I chose to explore 3 concepts that focus on grid structure. Although image, typography and grid structure combine to meet design goals, the exploration of grid in particular was of great interest to determine how information is portrayed, read and remembered to induce action, educate, and create an experience. Therefore, I focused on 3 different grid styles that have developed over the last century - modernism, post-modernism and ‘no grid’. The same content was utilised across each of the 3 concepts, with variations of type, image and grid to truly explore the goals of design highlighted by Ann C. Tyler.

To view documentation of project development: