Due:
Two weeks

Project:
Lay out the content of a magazine article in two (or more) text-heavy magazine spreads (i.e. at least four pages) using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop and (as needed) Adobe Illustrator.

The subject/content of the magazine spreads is up to you.

Objectives:

• Improve skills with digital photography (arrangement, working with models, lighting, composition, color, exposure, expressiveness)
• Combine text and image appropriately
• Skillfully use Adobe InDesign to lay out a multiple page document.
• Apply knowledge of effective layout techniques in a text-heavy document.
• Employ the use of a clear visual hierarchy to guide the viewer through a two-page spread.
• Apply an understanding of leading and kerning.
• Apply the the grid system for organizing a multi-page document.
• Define and utilize lorem ipsum.
• Define and demonstrate an awareness of the gutter.

Materials:

• Digital cameras
• Examples of magazine spreads
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Photoshop

Parameters:

• Size: 9" x 12"
• Pages: 5
• Margins: .75" all around
• Bleed: .25" all around

Process:

1. Critique professional magazine spreads: What makes a good spread?

2. Brainstorm ideas for the magazine content and visuals.

3. Select the content and headings for your spread.

4. Draw a series of thumbnails, color schemes and rough drafts of the spreads.
        Plan for visual hierarchy, use of the grid, gutter, bleed, etc.

5. Decide what your photos need to look like.

6. As a group, help each other take photographs for your magazine cover.
                Fill roles: photographer, assistant, lighting, model(s)

7. Create a grid in InDesign.

8. Lay out the magazine spread. The two pages on each spread should feel like one, but you must also pay attention to the gutter so information does not get lost.

9. Incorporate the following elements:

• Heading
• Standfirst
• By-line
• Subheads
• Body Copy using Lorem Ipsum (www.lipsum.com) or your own writing
• Pull Quote
• Drop Cap
• Text Wrap
• Captions
• Photo Credit
• Sidebar / Box-Out

10. In addition to photographs taken by you and your partners, you may use images that are clearly in the public domain. We will discuss these types of images.

11. Consider appropriate typefaces and type size for each part of your layout. See the "Typefaces for Layout" page for help.

Grading criteria:

• Participation/collaboration
• Quality of photographs
• Effective use of visual hierarchy
• Skillful application of InDesign
• Utilization of design tips - grid, gutter, bleed, leading, kerning, lorem ipsum, etc.
• Craftsmanship/ Technical Quality
• Work habits

Resources

20 Great Magazine Layouts:
http://slodive.com/inspiration/showcase/magazine-layout/

Magazine Spreads -- Cargo Collective:
http://cargocollective.com/search/magazine-spreads

Inspiring Design Print Spreads -- Pinterest
http://pinterest.com/TWRI/inspiring-design-print-spreads/

36 Stunning Magazine Layouts -- Inspiration Hut
http://inspirationhut.net/inspiration/36-stunning-magazine-and-publication-layouts-for-your-inspiration/

The following information has been taken from the following websites:

http://reniermedia.wordpress.com/2008/01/02/parts-of-a-newspapermagazine/

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/et650_online/mapps/glossary.html#L


For Body Copy

If you have have long articles with lengthy blocks of text, go with a calm, classic serif font. 

• Times
• Garamond
• New Century Schoolbook
• Bookman (easy on the eyes)
• Palatino
• Minion Pro
• Goudy

If the articles are short and punchy, then you'll probably be fine with a sans serif. 

• Helvetica
• Arial
• Gill Sans Light 

For Headlines and Standfirsts and Subheads

You don't need to limit yourself to just using San Serifs there. But if you are going to use San Serifs, here are some good ones.

• Helvetica Neue
• Futura
• Gill Sans
• Aksidenz Grotesk
• Univers
• Myriad Pro
• Swiss
• Eurostile
• Franklin Gothic
• Folio

Type size

Basic Guideline

• Body Copy - 9 pt
• Standfirst - 14 pt
• Headers - vary
• Subheads in copy - keep 1-4 pt. bigger than size of body copy
• Footnotes and captions - 7-8 pt
• Legal footnotes - no smaller than 6 pt

Really, you need to just look at fonts together and give yourself a style guide to go buy. Something like:

• Body - Palatino 9.5pt, 11pt leading
• Head - Futura, Rockwell, Fling Plain <36pt, 
• Subhead - Futura book, 14pt, 16pt leading. all caps
• Credits - Futura Book, 6pt, All Caps

A common mistake is that people make type too big. Remember: Always view onscreen at about 130% (this is about actual print size) and watch your kerning and tracking!

​

The following information has been taken from the following websites:

http://reniermedia.wordpress.com/2008/01/02/parts-of-a-newspapermagazine/

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/et650_online/mapps/glossary.html#L


Gutter - 
In double-sided documents, the combination of the inside margins of facing pages.
The gutter should be wide enough to accommodate binding.


Bleed - 
An element that extends to the edge of the page. 
To print a bleed, the publication is printed on oversized paper which is trimmed.


Slug - 


​Lorem ipsum - 
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. 
Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
www.lipsum.com


Copy or body copy - 
Main bulk of text


Tracking - 
reducing space uniformly between all characters in a line


Kerning - 
Variable reduction of space between specific characters


Kern: to squeeze together characters, for a better fit of strokes and white space. 
In display type, characters almost always need to be kerned because the white space between characters at large sizes is more noticeable.


Leading - 
The space between lines of type
For magazine readability, keep your leading fairly loose, usually 3-5 pt. over the font size. 
For a more "designer-look" you can air it out even more.


Box-out - 
A small part of the page, shaded in a different color


By-line - 
Name of the reporter


Block quote -  
A long quotation -- four or more lines -- within body text, that is set apart in order to clearly distinguish the author's words from the words that the author is quoting. 


Caption - 
Typed text under photographs explaining the image


Crosshead - 
Subheading that appears in the body of the text and is centered above the column of text.


Headline - 
Main statement, usually in the largest and boldest font, describing the main story


Sidebar - 
When a main feature has an additional box or tinted panel along side of it.
A related story or block of information that is set apart from the main body text, usually boxed and/or screened.


Spread - 
A story that covers more than one page


Standfirst - 
Introductory paragraph before the start of the feature. Sometimes it may be in bold.


Strapline - 
Introductory headline below the headline