I want to own pretty much every magazine featured in these books. They are all beautifully designed and often far from conventional in terms of layout and format. The Derek Birdsall book has been really useful on a more practical level, helping to inform my decisions on typefaces and image placement within a grid structure.
My favourite book on print design was not available in the library, so I went out and splashed £30 on it. I don't regret it for a minute!
I love everything published by Gestalten. All of their books are so nicely made and the content is well-chosen and totally inspirational. The other massive influence on my project is the brilliant Little White Lies magazine:
I have a subscription to this wonderful mag and eagerly await each issue that pops through my door every two months. I'm not particularly bothered about the actual movie reviews and news, it's all about the wonderful editorial design and stunning illustration. Each issue is themed to a specific film, with interview and features as well as the review itself. In this issue there is a brilliant photo feature whereby someone has photographed the scene of celebrity death crashes on the exact date and time of day that they occurred.
Another great thing about Little White Lies is that it just "feels" lovely. Its one of those magazines that you just have to stick your nose in and give a good sniff when you open it. The paper stock is heavy and uncoated which really adds to the perceived quality.
I think I will take this approach on my astronomy publication. The feel of the paper is really important to me. Also, I think I will go for a magazine-style instead of a book, which will give me the chance to play around with different layouts, treating each feature/article as a separate entity. Of course, the real skill is to make sure the whole things feels varied yet still consistent.
No comments:
Post a Comment