For more of the things that have inspired me - have a look at my Pinterest boards here.
20.2.14
18.2.14
SKETCHBOOK COVERING
For the final major project I wanted everything i created to feel part of the ‘brand’ that comes with the magazine, which meant trying to think of a creative way to display my work and something that was in keeping with the style of the magazine and reader - as well as suiting my own personal creative style.
Because I’m always a fan of simple and minimal designs i decided on keeping the colours of the magazine to monochromes, a select palette of muted colours and wood. So everything feels natural and neutral.
I decided to cover my sketchbooks in grey wool felt with a nude suede band round the middle so that they had their own distinctive style but helped to begin creating a sense of a ‘Small Town’ brand.
16.2.14
12.2.14
FONTS
Trying to make font choices for final header / logo and the debate over creative vs. minimal.
I feel like for the cover of the magazine the brush font would work better in a white over a full bleed image. But then for online as well as within the magazine, the simplistic sans serif, Orator STD or Oswald font would work better.
- WORK IN PROGRESS -
10.2.14
MOODBOARDS
Breaking down who exactly my reader is by using separate mood boards for each aspect of their life.
1.HOME
2.STYLE
3.SPORT
4.... a bit more home / design taste.
5.LIFESTYLE
9.2.14
7.2.14
5.2.14
25.1.14
CEREAL ETHOS
Meet Cereal Magazine by Cereal. A short film introducing the Cereal team and explaining the ethos of the magazine.
A really effective way to explain the ethos of the magazine and get across to the reader who they are and what they stand for... It's also beautifully filmed.
23.1.14
KINFOLK SATURDAYS
FILM INSPIRATION
Because the online side of Small Town will feature short films linked to the shoots and features in print, I have been looking for inspiration for the type of style I would want the films to be, which led me to Kinfolk Saturdays. Each film is upbeat and shares an emotion, lifestyle and atmosphere using setting, lighting and camera angles and although simple narratives and short pieces they're all really effective.
The film above seems to be shot on a go pro and reminded me of some of the stuff i've recorded simply for fun in the summer with friends on adventures we've gone on, so that sort of style and informal, personal diary type videography is something I'd like to recreate.
CEREAL
Cereal magazine, is incredibly similar to Kinfolk in my opinion, purely in the way they share similar design values and aesthetic integrity. They both have that type of ‘book feel’, the photography is always beautiful and conveys a personality and lifestyle with it, and their features are always carefully tailored to keep a strong sense of the ‘Cereal’ image.
One of my favourite ever features from Cereal was a feature they did on Santa Barbara in Issue 3. The first page of the feature is a huge fully bled double page shot with the text laid over the top which i think makes any image 10 times more effective and striking, especially with landscape imagery. The next page has two skinny portrait layout, palm leaf images sat side by side on one page followed by the grid of four (pictured above). I like the varied layouts in each feature they have because it guides your eye round the page slightly differently, and although the layouts differ, it's the colours and the photographic mood that makes it stay in keeping.
Another thing I love about this feature is the writing, it's informal and relaxed as if your friend was telling you about a trip they took, but so descriptive it feels like you're there with them. This is 100% the sort of feel I want to create with my magazine, and I imagine that if 'Small Town' was to hit the magazine shelves in a shop, Cereal would be a competitor.
MORE LAYOUT INSPIRATION FROM CEREAL
18.1.14
LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING
At work the other day my boss had a meeting with a woman from a lithographic printers and asked if I'd like to sit in as it's something I'm really interested in. It meant I got to see lots of different samples of work and printing techniques and results that can be achieved with the traditional printing processes and how it can completely change a publication in a way digital will never be able to.
Although you can't do short run printing with lithographic for simple cost effectiveness, it has made me consider for the final magazine attempting old school practices and doing things like screen printing covers or printing and binding the magazine myself.
Here is a sample the woman gave me from Ross & Bute. I particularly liked this one because of the simple high quality print, paper grade and the foiling technique on the front.
16.1.14
15.1.14
KINFOLK
One of my favourite magazines is Kinfolk, not just because of it's beautiful layout and carefully curated design aspects, but also for the sense of lifestyle it conveys and the personal feel you get when you're reading it.
I think the photography is the most effective aspect as it always gives the right feel relating to the topic in hand / feature / editorial.
I've been inspired a lot by Kinfolk in the way that it kind of blurs the lines between a book and a magazine, not just because it's advert free, but the layouts, images, paper and design has a familiarity to a style you'd usually only fine on a bookshelf.
"Kinfolk magazine is a quarterly, 144-page, ad-free print magazine that collects ideas from a growing international community of artists, writers, designers, photographers, cooks and others who are interested in creating small gatherings and finding new things to make and do.
Printed in Canada on uncoated paper, each issue is filled with lush photography, lyrical essays, recipes, interviews, profiles, personal stories and practical tips along with a keen attention to design and details. Founded in 2011, Kinfolk has published nine issues and Kinfolk Issue Nine has also been translated and published in Japanese and Russian. Issues One through Seven will be released in Korean later this year. Designed to fill a void on the newsstand, Kinfolk appeals to a young, photography-intensive audience full of artists and food enthusiasts. Whether you’re looking for a new cooking skill, road trip route or camping guide, Kinfolk is a blueprint for a balanced, intentional lifestyle."
3.1.14
INSPIRATION
DESILLUSION
I've been looking at loads of magazines to help inspire me with my project and Desillusion is one of those visually awesome magazines that you want to jump in to the pages of.
I'd never heard of Desillusion until I started my internship at Coffin and with tons of magazines at hand to flick through Desillusion really stood out with it's amazing photography and stories that make you pissed off at your boring life and inspire you to go out and live.
For anyone that hasn't looked at Desillusion before. go. here. now.
"Desillusion is a Bi-monthly “!?#%”, and if you love to have your feet on a board, and your eyes open on everything, it's a safe bet, that you will love being a part of our World."
"Performance without Style mean nothing."
Peace
x
23.12.13
CONTENT
"Breaking free from the norm, neon wetsuits was born from the love of surfing, design, colour and doing things the way founder Elsie, wanted to do them.
Function is key, with design simple and effective, whereas the look can be as bright or as subtle as the owner desires.
All of neon’s wetsuits are made to order in a studio on the Cornish coast of England.
Keeping the manufacturing of neon wetsuits in-house is so important to us. For our customers to build their own colours into their own suit and have it made to order is a unique experience we hope you will enjoy."
[IMAGES TAKEN FROM NEON WETSUITS WEBSITE]
18.12.13
RESEARCH
HUCK MAGAZINE
I found Huck about a year ago when scrolling through [Newsstand] and straight away knew it was something I'd want to keep picking up and buying. To begin with I was more just interested in their layouts and photography because I hadn't seen a lot of titles out there that had any of the same aesthetic values.
"Huck magazine is a bi-monthly lifestyle magazine which focuses mainly on surfing, skating and snowboarding. There will be brilliant interviews with the top champions in the sector which are complimented by the best photographs and writers to get the message across. The magazine is packed full of features. Huck magazine recognises the fact that there's a wider dimension to life, and that many of us have a strong interest in so many different things such as art, pop culture, the environment and fashion."
Applying it to my own work and research I want to take elements of the Huck vibe and twist it to fit it into my own ideas. Although Huck magazine is gender neutral I almost want to create a Huck with more of a female voice and know to fashion.
The content features everything from boarding to interviews creatives, music and events. Plus everything else in between. In recent issues they created 'The Working Artisans Club' a collaboration with O'neil,which is made up of a series of interviews and profiles on people creating amazing work and products in the simplest but best ways.
"In 1952, with a needle and thread in one hand and eyes firmly on the surf, Jack O’Neill invented the wetsuit, just so that he could stay out in the water longer. His simple ambition led to an extraordinary future, both for himself and the surfing world as a whole.
The Working Artisan’s Club is the next chapter of that story. Continuing Jack O’Neill’s legacy, this is a project about the makers of today and the future that they’re shaping.
Some people are built to create – to shape their future with their own two hands...The Working Artisans’ Club is a celebration of modern-day makers. They shape boards, sew wetsuits and hand-make beautiful objects inspired by their passion for the outdoors. And they make life better for us all. Over the course of this year HUCK met six artisans who are shaping their future with their own two hands.”
From 'The Working Artisans Club" I became really interested in two of the artisans, Elsie Pinneger of Neon Wetsuits and Joe Lauder of Satta Skates. Neon Wetsuits for the original shapes, designs and the inspiration of a small business start up and Satta because of the awesome identity of the brand and the beautiful woodwork.
I like the idea of doing profiles on small and relatively new but amazing businesses and creatives and trying to find rad products that haven't really been thrown out there yet. I feel like Neon Wetsuits would be a perfect feature as the brand is for girls that want to get out in the sea but still want to look great.
16.12.13
12.12.13
11.12.13
6.12.13
PEN PORTRAIT
This is a rough pen portrait I hope to improve on to give a better visual idea of my target reader/audience.
My target reader/audience is a female between the age of 20 and 30. She is a positive thinking individual with a passion for learning and trying new things. She enjoys being outdoors and would choose a weekend of surfing and getting out in to nature than a weekend in the city shopping and clubbing. She is either studying a creative course or working within the creative industry and passionate about her work. In her free time she likes to explore tucked away, independent cafés and shops with her boyfriend, visit galleries with her friends, plan for adventure holidays and throw herself into her favourite board sports.
Although the magazines target reader is female, it will also appeal to males too through the board sport orientated focus, and cultural content. Sport features will be gender neutral so not to be patronising to a female reader as well as broaden the appeal. Fashions will include a lot of unisex and basic pieces that can cross over into a male wardrobe from brands such as, Carhartt, Quiksilver, Vans and The Quiet Life. The women in the magazine will be the type that other women want to be like and men want to be with.
Peace
x
5.12.13
CLEAN WORK SPACES
Tidy desk . Tidy mind to begin my new sketchbook.
Actually excited to get creating something I'm really passionate about.
