Critique: Spring Preview

Hello blog followers!

So this week in my capstone class, we had another competition to design Spring Preview.  I really did have a lot of fun playing with Illustrator and Photoshop for this assignment. Overall, pretty pleased with how it came out.

So here's how I came up with the design. I had been stumped all week, even asking my roommates for ideas. I had played around with a music/blues theme, but I wasn't satisfied at all with the outcome. Last Wednesday, I was sitting outside on my deck searching for theme inspiration. I was starving and really wanted a freshly grilled burger. My thought process then went like this: burger, grill, barbeque, outside... picnic! I then decided on a picnic theme, complete with the trademark red plaid table cloths and marching ants.


Here's what I came up with:

Cover

 

Splash Page

Sample Layout

I had checked out other Vox Magazine previews and I decided that I wanted my entire design to match. In my opinion, I think having a unified design makes it easier for the reader to find certain stories and packages. This is why I utilized the plaid pattern and ants throughout the spread.

For the cover, I decided to go for a magnified, large illustration of a plate and fork to show the picnic theme. I think the picnic theme exemplifies spring perfectly; it shows the outdoors, games, family gatherings and most of all, it's fun.


With the Splash page, I depicted as if the page were sitting on top of a rustic picnic table. I included some teasers to the spring preview on a napkin (typical picnic accessory). My favorite design would have to be the splash page.

Lastly, for the actual inside layout, I wanted to have a clean design that adapted the theme as well. I wish I could have been more creative with the text and if I could do it again, I would do it differently.


Overall, my biggest regret is not taking more risk. After seeing the other designs my classmates came up with, I realized that all of my designs are safe and predictable. I believe that will be the one thing I will strive to work on. This class and my peers are constantly pushing me to make better designs— and I love it.

As for new designs, I have been working on the cover competition for Feb. 16 featuring Lonnie Barker that you all will get to see tomorrow! I'm also working on some other design projects out of the class, such as the front page of the Columbia Missourian's Sports section tonight and I'm redesigning the Wellness Ambassador packet for my internship with Healthy for Life. Whew. Talk about a lot of design.

Keep up the good work y'all.