For this magazine, I focused on the color "Burgundy," in the shade #640b20, and that which the color offers. Therefore, all of the magazine content is curated around this color, with articles on Burgundy's influence on cooking, fashion, people, science, and makeup.
For the Table of Contents spread, I kept it relatively simple. I used the stripes thematically, as blocks of color are used throughout the entire magazine, played with the hierarchy of the type, and tried to just make the spread feel elegant and balanced.
The article below is that of a department one focused on cooking and where Burgundy is found within it. The article features a recipe, which I made the focal point of the spread by using the rule of thirds for the image and balancing it with the other text. It also has an end of story mark and a burgundy color block behind the introduction to the article. Another element this spread has is the lines that are utilized with the subheadlines, which is something that is consistent throughout the entire magazine.
Again, the article below is that of a department page, with its focus being on Burgundy's influence in the Fashion industry. It features the Burgundy lines for the subheadline, as well as to just connect the spread in the bottom middle of the spread, etc. This spread features quite a bit of alignment, in order to bring about visual hierarchy, a smooth look to the spread and the moving element, etc.
The next three spreads below are that of the first feature article, focused on why introverts are drawn to the color Burgundy. This feature contains several graphic elements that are soft and elegant with pops of the Burgundy color, color blocks, large Burgundy pull-quotes, the lines that coincide with the subheadlines, etc.
The next three spreads are that of the second feature article, "Burgundy: A Deep Dive into its Psychological Impact and Symbolism," which contains information on why people are drawn to Burgundy and how Burgundy affects people's lives. These spreads again have the same thematic elements, however they are oriented differently for variation and in order for them to connect without being too similar to the other articles and spreads. Somethings that are explicitly different within these spreads than the others are the use of images that have had their background cut out, and Burgundy bullet points to highlight some specific realms the color Burgundy exists and plays a role in.
This mockup (below) shows the last page, being an "icon" page, the back inside cover, and the back cover. The icon page shows the icon being that of a Burgundy lipstick, because that is a staple in many people's makeup bags. The page describes why it is so "iconic," and is just simple in order for the icon and Burgundy color to be the focus. The back inside cover models that of the front inside cover, yet is inverted in terms of the colors for added interest and variation. The back cover is very simple with it consisting solely of the Burgundy block, and references to the fonts I used, ChatGPT, and myself as the designer.
The Process:
Once I had chosen the color "Burgundy," I had to do some research on what the color represented, what elements it had, etc in order to recognize what I could do with the color for my articles, graphic components, and more. Following the preliminary research, I used ChatGPT (as approved by my Professor) to generate two feature articles, an Editor's letter, two department pages, and an icon page. Once I knew what my articles would be about, I could focus on designing the type and graphic elements.
Ultimately,
- Fonts used:
Body Copy: Trade Gothic in Regular and Italic
Headlines: Bodoni 72 in Bold or LTC Bodoni 175 Pro in Regular
Subheadlines in Body Copy: Trade Gothic in Bold
Pull-Out Quotes: Trade Gothic in Bold Italic
Page Numbers: LTC Bodoni 175 Pro in Regular
- the Thematic Elements are: the use of bleeding images on almost all of the spreads, the burgundy color blocks and lines, the burgundy titles, etc.
