February | 2014 | Tear-Knee Design

For this assignment, I created mock layouts for 5 very different design contexts: children’s storybook, non-fiction book, magazine, annual report and college textbook. Below are the pages for the college textbook, non-fiction book and children’s storybook.

For this children’s book page, I imagined it as being one half of a spread in which the opposing page would be a full-bleed illustration. The book I imagined would be square (6×6″). It seemed appropriate, considering the young audience, to limit the text and keep the type clear with large leading for easier reading. Colour coding of important terms also seemed like a good idea in order to help with optimal readability. The font I chose is Gill Sans Schoolhouse, which is a font that is used in many school environments for young children (signage, etc). Because of this, it seems like a font that they would already be used to seeing and digest more easily. As seen above, the point size is 14 with 19 point leading, and the line length is roughly 50 characters per line. This design is clear and highly readable.

The second piece is for a college textbook, and focuses including a wealth of information in close-quarters, as is typical for the average liberal arts textbook, much to most students’ dismay. For this piece, I decided to use Minion pro for its touch of elegance and for its readability. When used at 12/14.5, the density is not as apparent, and the line lengths are around 62 characters per line, perfect for flow of reading. In terms of layout, the sections are clearly distinguished with paragraph spacing, colour and font choice (Frutiger is used for accented type sections). Overall, students would be able to clear at all times which section they are in and what their reading progress is.

For the third piece, the non-fiction book, I decided to go with the classic Times New Roman. While not the most exciting of typeface choices, it has proven its readability time and time again (no pun intended!). With the type set at 10/12 points, in a one column grid and wide outside margins, the reader will feel comfortable with a standard reading experience for a dense, intellectual piece. With the way it is set, the line length is 57 characters which is perfectly fine and expected for this type of reading activity, where your interest is secured and it can be assumed that the reader has dedicated a certain chunk of time to sit down and actually consume the piece.

For this competition entry and class assignment, I chose to pick the category of a “How-To” for a young, hip magazine. With this target age group, and subject matter most read by them, I wanted to bring engagement with the material to the forefront of my design. After a lot of topic exploration, I became completely enamoured with the idea of creating a flowchart to help people navigate the large number of music festival choices we have here on the West Coast. I know from personal experience that the options become a bit overwhelming, and that an information graphic paired with this concept would be very engaging.

The final 2 spreads feature fun and bold display type as well as dynamic, colourful illustrations. These combinations seem both appropriate for the subject matter of music and summer festivals, as well as being especially attention grabbing when readers flip through the book. The lack of copy recognizes that for a topic like this, the reader will most likely want to meander through little chunks of information, as well as just spending time to appreciate and be drawn in by the illustrations.

Below you will find my process work, including layout sketches, flowchart progression, rough sketches, and illustration inspiration.

I hope you enjoy looking at the spreads as much as I did making them!

The Final Spreads: