Gianna Mariani
student | leader | creative marketer
self care in a global pandemic
problem
This project challenged me to create a magazine spread that followed typography and design rules while covering a topic that I am interested in. The end goal was to use all the skills on InDesign we learned in class and apply them to a creation that would be both aesthetically pleasing and print-ready by the end.
research
The first phase of this project included sketching, brainstorming and researching. As soon as I received this project my mind immediately went to creating a spread about self care. Self care is a topic that I am passionate about and could speak on, which made the project all the more interesting to research. After selecting my topic, I knew that I wanted to write for a millennial/young adult reader, which lead me to select Cosmopolitian as the perfect magazine given their target demographics. Finally, I sketched out what I wanted my spread to look like (pictured below), as well as conducted research on self-care to make sure I was a trustworthy source for this information.
process
I began selecting potential images that I wanted to use in my spread, adjusting them to print-ready form (CMYK color profile and 300px resolution). I also wrote out the introduction paragraph of the article, trying out different wording to ensure the voice was authentic and relatable for the Cosmo audience. I combined these elements and moved to InDesign, creating my initial comp seen below.
challenges
The biggest challenges I had within this project rose after I created my draft. I realized that the photo I had selected was not great quality in the end, and that everything did not flow together seamlessly. I overcame these challenges by searching for better quality pictures that had the same tone and by experimenting with layout. I received great feedback from my peers in class, which ultimately lead to my final spread.
outcome
In the end I decided to utilize pictures I had collected in the research + brainstorming phase, amplify my use of white space and hone in on grids. I also switched the text from the right side of the spread to the left in order to help guide the viewer's eye across the spread starting at the title.
takeaways
This project taught me the important of presenting a clear hierarchy of information, how to achieve a certain tone through a design piece, and how to play with contrast to make a design pop. I realized that just because I had a design in my head at first does not mean that is the design I must stick with until the end. I also realized how important white space is to contribute to legibility and comprehension.