Practice P8: Magazine Analysis and Style Sheet
Practice #P8
Magazine Analysis & Style Sheet
(2 points)
Objective: In this
assignment you will carefully examine how a PRINT magazine (that you choose) is
laid out and replicate a 4-page article.
Before starting any
digital work do the following.
- Decide how the pages hold style continuity within a particular grid system.
- Create three separate thumbnail sketches of your ideas.
- With a ruler, pencil, a few pieces of paper, and your sketchbook set up a document and create a master style sheet.
- Watch the video on magazine document set up at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cu5FuAdOVY&feature=related
Step 1.
Measure and Create an
Accurate Style Sheet.
Examine your chosen
magazine for its page-to-page, article-to-article continuity for both
departmental columns and a feature article. Find the imaginary flow lines used
by the art director to create the design grids. Note the consistencies--what
repeats--and the small variations that seem to be within an acceptable range.
(Note that the grid for a department versus a feature article are often
different.)
Take notes and make a
visual guide as you study the publication, writing notes and column/gutter
measurements directly on the pages of your magazine, a copy, or a piece of
tracing paper. You will be turning in the original magazine plus your notes and
a final style sheet along.
Magazine Style Sheet
The Style Sheet is
intended to guide you through the process of notating such details as page
size, folio location, column widths, typographic and stylistic continuity, use
of horizontal anchor-lines, etc.--all things that make up a publication's
unique "look." In summary, you are to write down your observations as
you go, take notes, sketch your observations, and attempt to understand the
"science" behind your chosen publication's continuity and layout. You
should also indicate your understanding of feature articles versus departmental
news columns. (On Project A8, you will choose to replicate a feature article
from your magazine and be evaluated on your attention to detail for things such
as point size and style of body text and accurate measurements throughout such as alley widths, common headline sizes, and consistent artistic styles--such as
BW vs. color photo vs. illustration, etc.).
Step 2.
Once your style sheet
and/or notes are completed, you should find an example of an article in
your magazine that begins on a right hand page and replicate the grid. This may
be either a recurring departmental section of your publication or a feature
article. Adhere as precisely as possible to your publication's measurements and
stylistic conventions to create a 4-page article that might appear in the
magazine. Plan / Think / Gather your art, choose your display fonts, and get
ready to follow the layout as you interpret it.
