I wanted to allow the design to be amazing for the LFB – I wanted them to really connect with the magazine. I did not just want the audience to be pleased with this design I also wanted LFB and a fire fighter to give their opinion on the design.
I asked my uncle and I told him to be as honest as he could – here is his response:
” I though it was really good Katie and very professional. Lots of accurate info and well researched. “
The page numbers for this magazine is slightly different to other designs I have achieved due to the fact it being so small. So the next DPS counts as page 2 as it follows on.
This page is dedicated to the person who inspired me through this design and the person I interview. My uncle has been a fire fighter my entire life its all I have known him to do, when I was little he was a hero to me and my brother looked up at him so much. I wanted to get inside his head – understand what its like to be a fire fighter and even if some of the things he didn’t tell me aren’t on here I did learn so much for him and made me realise a lot. I do have his permission also for this therefore i was able to use his photo and his name.
So the left hand page is dedicated to his interview. I wanted to now start making it a bit easier for the audience to understand the design. Now this a magazine but it acts like a leaflet almost as there is no context page and thats purely because its so small and I did not think it was needed. I started the page with a red square with a white type of interview – to allow the audience to have some indication of the design. I then decided. to add a small photo of the back of my uncle working and showcasing different elements of the fire equipment. I felt like this picture spoke a lot of words as it was able to show all different equipments and see a fire fighter in action without going into fire – preparation is key. Like the first about us page, I made his name in this space out type and this then became a running theme throughout the magazine for titles. Now that I am looking at this design over developing my magazine skills the writing angers me so much – but its too late to chance. I made the writing sit in red speech marks to fit in with the theme – and have two columns of information and this is word by word what my uncle said. I now wish I had edited the paragraph style as I think its so annoying as my skills have developed a lot and there is a lot I would change about this DPS. Underneath I wanted to add the location of his fire station because it deserved credit, I am taking photos of their station and without them this magazine would not have happened – also to make awareness as my uncle said a bunch of fire stations were cut due to the government and making awareness of them is important.
We then move onto the right hand side – this is the exact same as the page before in the meaning of the red background. I wanted to make sure there was a consistency throughout as it was dedicated towards the exact same topic and if they were different it would be awfully designed. When we had the first criticism I got told to change the type as as if you look below the image I explain why*
I made the type sit in quote marks – this was a quote I felt represented what being a fireman was like. This was the best way to describe it. I asked my uncle why he did it and this was his answer. I made this sit a lot larger because I felt it was important for the reader to visualise. I then made all the images sit down the right hand side. Like the first red page I left gaps a there is a lot of information in this magazine and sometimes leaving negative space allows the design to breathe. Having the type large also allows the page to not be as boring – not a lot of kids would read the paragraph but I feel like if they had a focus which is the quote they would actually want to read what its like being a fire fighter.
*
so this was how the type was at first – but someone said at the first crit that when printed they wouldn’t be able to read that. its not always true as depending if the size is large and its a small amount of text it can be read over the gutter but I did understand that it could be hard to read as its a few words. Also that the black wasn’t really fitting in which I knew. Therefore I changed that complexly.
At the bottom of the pages. Then began adding a did you know section. When researching into magazines for school kids (secondary) thy usually displayed a did you know factor. I added this because I think even if someone who hates reading only looks at the pictures and reads the big quote they come away leaning something. If they then read that small did you know fact they are being educated which links to design for good.
first mock up:
This is the final mock up for this design. I did do one like I said previously but I felt like throughout I want to show the finals I would off printed and this is the mock up I would off printed. Doing this also allowed me to see if the DPS actually linked with the front cover and if I was using all similar colours throughout.
1) Visual Communication:
In what ways does the visual communication/message of the piece meet the needs of the brief?
Within the app project we got advice to create our own proposal therefore within the project, as well as the original brief that comes along side of it. With the main brief, I looked into the word appetite which led onto poverty. Within the brief given to us it allowed us to create work that would fit into our portfolio design aspects. To allow us to open interpretation within the given theme and allow flexibility within chosen pathways. Therefore, we created our own proposals.
Within my proposal I discussed that I was going to create an advertising campaign within poverty, therefore not discuss what I would create just anything to link with an advertising campaign. Within my campaign, I created posters, and editorial pages that connected with a poverty campaign. As well as the actual finals, the main visual communication that portrays my design as an advertisement campaign is the logo that features within the design.
In what ways does the visual communication/message of the piece fail to meet the needs of the brief?
Personally speaking, because I had the chance to write my own brief it was easier for me to meet needs of the brief. In the past sometimes it has been harder because you have to follow a certain brief which sometimes limits you. However, this time round just like FMP, I had a clear visualisation in my head what the outcome was going to be therefore I feel as in comparisons to other projects it had a higher level of achievement towards reaching visual communication because I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve. *****
What are the strengths of the visual communication? Why?
Within the designs, and from the feedback from the crits, the strong point within the visual communication was the sensitivity that came along with the process; each design portrays a black and white photograph which portrays a sense of depression and loneliest that comes along with living in poverty. I research black and white photography and the effect it has on the eye, and it enables the audience to focus on the subject with each individual photo. I wanted to use a colour against the dull black and white to portray a sense of hope, and this in case was orange. The colours made these designs work so well and really enhance the images.
What are the weaknesses of the visual communication? Why?
explained here ****
In what ways could the piece be mis-read or mis-understood by the audience? Be specific about who the audience is.W
When I was printing my designs. There was one poster that could off been mid read and understood due to the type and this was the case in a few posters. Changing words, highlighting different words and using certain punctuation made the finals posters not be misread and make sense to the reader when looking at the posters.
In what practical ways could the piece be developed or improved?
I achieved what I wanted to within this design, and cerated an advertising campaign for a poverty charity. The only thing to mention is when I printed page 6 of the magazine, I noticed a repeated sentence on this blog and the post about the magazine pages, the updated one is now in the portfolio however in portfolio is the repeated word one. I am able to reprint it but just for examine purposes I wanted to highlight this.
2)Good Design? Evaluation
Please note you are asked to describe and make analysis of your thoughts and actions about the topics below. If you have been able to act upon your considerations of Good Design you should give reasons for your design decisions. If you have not been able to act upon your considerations, nevertheless give reasons for this and reflect upon your thoughts about the actions you would have liked to have taken further. Honest evaluations are required as this reflection is to help you move forward.
In what ways did you consider Designing Backwards or application of Systems Thinking to your project?
In what other ways have you considered the sustainability of your project process and outcomes?
Test prints was something I started doing. I noticed that printing on smaller paper allowed me to see hw the images would print. Previously I would waste so much paper and time as I did not test print them noticed how something was wrong; however this time round I did test prints and this allowed-me to develop ideas and be considered sustainable through my designs.
In what ways have you considered the ethical implications of your project process and outcomes?
With a sensitive topic like this thinking of the ethics was important and something that followed through each design aspect.
In sustainability and ethical terms in what ways was your work in this project an improvement or a backward step for you as a socially conscious designer?
As years go on I think I am becoming more aware of being a sustainable and ethical designer making it socially conscious. I am allowing myself to think more logically and if you compared this to Katie in first year its a massive difference. Graphics is not just about designing on a Mac, it is about the other elements that fall into it such as sustainability and ethics and this is what makes your design process excel more.
What targets can you make at this point for your work in the future as a socially conscious designer?
Develop more towards ethics within design as I think this would develop myself as designer for design for good.
3) Reflection of own working practices:
Be very honest with yourself in this section. Please feel free to approach a member of staff for help finding ways to develop skills.
How was my time keeping?
Considering I had a lot of work to do such as the dissertation etc, I think my time keeping was pretty good. Discussing poverty within my dissertation allowed me to actually analyse through my design. I was able to work through my dissertation then use the APP as a stress realise as I was able to design. I do think I could off achieved blogs better for time keeping as this was difficult when also writing a dissertation.
How was my analysis of the brief?
Like every design brief, we get I analyse it and highlight. This time was slightly different. We got given the brief, then had to pick a certain word/phrase and this allowed us to explore different meanings of these words which led us to a topic and a brief. I then wrote the proposal for my poverty design. Writing my own brief, allowed me to justify what To design and what to write and I found it so much easier but also allowed me to understand how to attack each and every brief given to us.
How was my research?
Through this project I did a lot more in depth research in comparison to other projects in the past. I analyse existing material related to the topic , also looked more into colour and black and white photography which had an impact on the design final. I think I could off researched a lot more at the beginning, I found it quite hard as I was researching for dissertation but sometimes the researched crossed over which helped a lot. An example of this being Dorothy langue Migrant mother design portraying poverty which I mention in dissertation but this also linked with the way poverty is displayed to the eye.
How did I draw conclusions from my research?
Researching allowed me to draw conclusions as it enabled me what a poster for poverty should entail and what information provided. Researching into poverty house hold in general, and facts about the UK was the first key set of information displayed and this then allowed me to understand what I was going to portray within designs. Knowing your topic well, and putting yourself in them persons shoes allows your designs to expand and become more personal.
How did I use research to generate and develop ideas?
researching into designs really helped generate ideas, and also looking into how posters and editorial designs in generalise portrayed. Research towards the design, allowed me To develop the way photos were portrayed, how type was portrayed and overall how the finals were portrayed. I wanted to portray a sensitive meaning through my posters, and without the general research of poverty, designs and anything else linked with the process, I would not achieved the outcome I have today.
How did I use evaluations to help with my ideas generation and development?
When we had the critiques and the class and tutors would evaluate our work it allowed me to develop a lot of my designs. When I first started the critique, the designs are so rushed and not well thought through however compare to the final presentation the development has progressed and I do not think it would have so much if we did not evaluate as a class. I have noticed when analysing my work, when writing the design process this was at the time I noticed spelling errors or design issues as I had to physically sit down and write the way the page was design and how each element formed the design. Evaluation the work when I had time left, allowed me to test print and change things accurately to make sure the design work was up to professional standards.
How did I use experimentation during the project? How can I make this more effective?
I knew I wanted to do photography in comparison to illustration as Its more my strong point. However I sketch a lot, but never to the detail, this project I sketched a lot more design aspects which helped me develop my ideas and develop my techniques even if they were not used int the final outcomes. I also experimented with all different layout forms, all different angels of photography and the black and white theme was an experiment that turned out well. To make my experiment more effective, I will test a few more ideas before concluding to the first one. Sometimes I get an idea and run with it as I get too excited but that’s when things go wrong and a lot of design elements change along the way.. my target for the rest of the projects is to start small, start sketching etc and then start creating on the Mac as this would then not only advance my techniques but also allow me to really refine designs due to the experimentation used throughout the project.
In what ways did I show that I had achieved the Learning Outcomes? How can I improve this next time?
like every project I always read the learning outcomes and make sure I have a clear understanding of them. I made sure I kept referring back to them, however with this project and whenever we have our own brief I find it hard to focus on the learning outcomes as you focus on anything else. As years have gone it I almost know the outcomes of each brief quite well but do feel as if I should pay more attention to them as time goes and projects become harder.
What parts of the project did I enjoy most? Why was this the case?
writing my own brief. I think being able to finally design things that fit into my style and the things I want to link into my portfolio is the best thing. I was able to create magazine editorial designs, and poster designs which is what I have always wanted to achieve within graphic design, and by doing this my layout skills have developed so much. Being able to test myself, and ensure I was designing to bets of my ability was down o the fact I got to choose what I was designing. I loved being able to put my own spin on my designs and over all this was one of my favourite projects ever within graphics HND and BA as it was what I wanted and what I knew best making me so confident in the designs.
What parts of the project did I enjoy least? Why was this the case?
I found blogging this time round harder as said before due to dissertation also. However there was not any part of this project I didn’t enjoy. Overall a fab project to get my teeth into.
At what times did I work best? Why might this be the case? How can I ensure that I work well at al times?
I now live with Jack, and strangely we worked better together. We would work down stairs on the table and have to focus we helped one another but also had time to do it ourselves as we are different workers. I was able to complete my work at university and at home, and felt like thistle round I have more control where ever I was working because I knew what I was going to create at the end. I personally cannot work at university all the time, hearing what other people have done or not done detract me working at home alone or with jack helps me a lot more as no distractions occur.
What areas inspired me? Why was this the case? How could I follow these up?
I knew I always enjoyed design for good, but this project it really stood out so much more. I have a compassionate heart well I like to think and finding a love for design for good and layout designing and mixing them together personally made this project stronger. I was inspired by my parents. I recently moved out of my home, and with my boyfriends family who are more well off than my family, my mum always says do not forget where you come from. And I haven’t. my parents struggle when I was younger because they had me so young, but I always had a holiday and sat visited my house, and I never knew they struggled until this year when we spoke about for the first time. I regret being that horrid teenager bugging for money when I knew they did not have it and one day I can pay it back. I was inspired how far my parents have come and the life they have built as they are so stable and happy now but they did not use to be with money. I wanted to show case to my mum I do remember where I come from and those moments in my life have shaped me who I am today. Poverty is horrible, it breaks my heart. Some people do not realise how lucky they are, I want to be the person who makes a difference through my designs and thats is what inspired me. I also looked into what is so typical with poverty and went against that so weirdly that was a form of inspiration; going against the stereotypical designs.
What areas were challenging or difficult? Why was this the case?
The hardest areas, was making sure I was not being stero typical within the designs and photographs.There had to be a sensitivity that formed around this topic, which I hope does show now. But when taking photographs you have to be careful because you are describing some peoples lives therefore you do not want it to be a persona attack, I found the key is to act like you are in that situation and how would you feel if someone designed this about your life and then rom this you Ould alter things etc.
How can I go about developing and improving the parts I found difficult?
I think for next time with a topic like this, interview questions would be amazing. I think with any project dedicated towards a personal, sensitive topic having people experience it makes it worst. Not making the stories up, actually experiencing them first hand. This would then enable me to not worry about sensitivity and if the design is stereotypical as I would get that personas opinion.
Do I need to develop certain skills? Do I need these now? Or later?
READ EVERYTHING 500 MORE TIMES THAN YOU ALREADY DO. Check grammar and spelling more within magazine designs.
Any other points?
No:) fab project, and had help when needed it 🙂 enjoyed it a lot.
If you look closely on the last page of the magazine, there is an indication of what benefits you the consumer when donating to the company and helping people within poverty. You should want to help anyway but some people do not want to see another ad not doing anything, and them not gaining anything… therefore the membership card.
I work in the co-op near my house, and the manager said to me the other day that the co op is expensive what brings people back is the membership cards as they gain points. Thats when a spark went off and I thought about using the co op member ship card as a template to then create one for poverty uk aid so people come back
I simply used the image of the co op member ship card, the one I have and the one thats online and remembered what is portrayed on them at work to then create my own.
The poverty uk aid member ship card
Below is the final member ship card. The left side is the front and the right is the back. The theme throughout is grey and black and white and orange and this is displayed within the member ship card so people know it’s us. You have poverty uk aid on the front of the member ship card in bold with the member underneath then the logo and the name for the member on the back. It relates to the company, the colours and the designs associating this card with this charity. They can collect points and this is explained in the magazine.
mock ups
The final page for the editorial design was one in which enabled the audience to understand ways in which they could help the families and people who struggle with poverty in the UK. It is all good and we’ll designing to make people aware of poverty but what are you actually going to do to stop it. I make designs to benefit people and help communities and issues in the world. I hope these designs show that.
I made this page about how you can help, how to donate and how it benefits you. A lot of the time if a company says to you donate, you go ok yes but what do I get out of it. Not me personally I think its nice to donate without getting anything back. But when advertising big companies I feel as if you need to portray a benefit the consumer gets so they actually take action.
Within this page there was not really a certain photo I would use, just one that pretty much I haven’t used already and one that sort of summed out poverty as a hole. I decided to use a picture that was taken in the first set of photos. With the subject leaning against a rough area and him looking slightly sad. What I think makes this photo work, is the fact that it is not portraying living on the streets it portraying getting on with your day like everyone else but showing that glimpse of poverty that surrounds you, preventing you from doing certain things. At first this image had a lamp post in it however after the second critique I got advised to remove that and since I did that it made the page become more professional. I decided to make the image sit on the left hand side and continue over the gutter to be seen slightly on the right hand side. I lowered the opacity of this image just I felt as if it was way too bold when a 100% opacity was displayed – it gave the design a nice sensivtive vibe about it and did not clash with the other design elements that I later added.
I wanted to make sure this page involved all the important information that was needed to be displayed to the audience. The key aspects I wanted to display was ‘how can you help’ ‘donate’ and ‘benefits for you’ Each of them sit in the separate BEBAS type face ad feature colour usage of black and white. I wanted the key words that I thought would stick out toe the audience therefore the words ‘how’ ‘donate’ and ‘for you’ as then the eyes automatically see these words and can have a brief description of what they can do etc.
Within each one you can see quite clearly what each one is about therefore I am not going to over it however I am going to discuss what the benefits are for the audience as this is quite unique.
When you donate, you get a member ship card form us completely free. (as I have typed this I noticed a spelling mistake within the benefits for you section which I am now currently changing), this entitles you to become an active supporter. With this card you can collect points with certain activities through the company (e.g charity events) these points add up to events and vouchers for you. ( we also pass this on to our families / individuals who need support)
At work, we have member ship cards and this was something that then inspired me to create for this company in order for people to actually make a difference. (this will be discussed at the end of the blog)
The final design:
This design process was actually quite easy as I did not spend so long on it due to the fact I knew what theme I would be using knew what I wanted to portray therefore was quite a simple process. This is the final page… On the left sits the image which continues over top the right hand page to display that the two pages are connected and telling the same story. Then on the left sit the titles of ways to help and donate. I made sure each paragraph had the same amount of space between the designs and made sure everything was in line with one another. The audience want to quickly navigate ways they can help not read a long winded paragraph therefore the titles allow them to navigate it quickly and efficiently and help poverty Uk quickly.
Mock up of design
The final mock up turned out so well. The way the image continues over the gutter makes the page have a story and a meaning. Not only do you see the subject in the photograph but also the surrounding which portrays a lot of emotion. Removing the lamppost worked wonders and made it go from tacky to professional on minutes. I think the type is easily navigated for the reader and overall a simple clean effective way to end the magazine.
The next page featured an image that has already been displayed within the posters. I wanted to show a link between the magazine and the posters and I thought by using one iconic picture that feature on the poster as well as the imagine would show the link. creating this page also made the picture have more a story and a real personal meaning and that’s explained when you see the design process.
Within the magazine, I thought of the idea of presenting personal stories so people could get an understanding of what it’s really like and how it effects the norm. When I used this photo for the poster, I thought it presented a lot of emotion within Jack’s eye and symbolised a more personal approach towards poverty. I then decided to use this within the magazine as the photo to me displays life through poverty and relates well to personal stories and struggles. I made the photo go across the entire page as it gave it a bigger and deeper effect to the audience.
I used a personal story from my mum and dad this would then be featured over the entire page. Even tho the story is not related to the image, the image it self portrays what is said in the story.
At firs I wrote personal stories, but then I wanted a one story that I felt was personal and more heartening then random fake small ones. I made the type agains sit in the space BEBAS type face therefore would so consistency. I then decided to make the ‘person’ in white so it was easier tor reader and the ‘story’ in orange as this is what the type is like on other pages. I decided to make this type sit on the left hand side because this is where there was no image contrasting the type, and I wanted the left hand page to be vigilant to the eye at all times.
The person story:
People are affected by poverty in the UK every day, Sarah and Paul experienced this first-hand and kindly shared their story.
We had our children very young, but we always have worked hard to provide them with the best lives, they always had food on the table, presents from Father Christmas, and clothes and holidays. But obviously times were hard. When our oldest was first born in 98 that’s when it was tough – struggled with paying gas and electric and the basic essentials, borrowing money became a habit. Years went on and we had our youngest, they started school and we could barely afford school shoes, we had no help from any form of government, we worked harder and harder, struggling from time to time but had our family there for support. Some families aren’t as fortunate as us where they have a family to turn to for money. People do not realise other people struggle with money in the UK, it’s hard to buy school shoes, struggle with gas and electric but we never let our children know we were struggling they should not know. Poverty is right under your nose even when you do not expect it, it’s not about being homeless it’s about struggling with the smaller things in life.
my mum and dads story 🙂
The design aspect was actually quite simple for this type. I thought I would put it in a white lowered opacity square so you could still see the image in the background and read the information clearly. As you can see from the image below, there is a lot of type but it fitted nicely within the box and onto the left hand page well. The type sits in courier 10 like the other designs. Below the box sits another box, that indicates a link to the website (that would be made in near future and if we had longer on this project) I wanted to use this page as an advertising technique as well as an informative page. With the personal story it connects to the reader and the understand it more, then linking them to the website allows them to read the story in full and promote the brand more.
The final page:
This is the final page for my designs. This presents personal stories from my mum and dad but not the entire article as the idea is people go and visit the website to find out more. The image portrays emotion so well and indicates what life feels like to people in poverty just by the squinted look in his eye. I think this page goes against all the stereotypical aspects of poverty and really makes the reader engage with the issues the UK face today.
mock up of design:
Out of all the pages, I think this is my all time favourite. Obsiouly what I think is irrelevant but when I showed this page to my family and friends, they felt connected to the page and the story got told through the picture before even reading about it. my mum said she looked at this page and cried as the picture captured so many emotions and the story melted her heart and that’s why I design and do what I do. When compressed into this layout it makes the two pages come together and tell a story, and fills the entire page with emotion. its eye catching tot he audience and says for them to understand.
The first two pages have been short with information and did not want to go not a lot of detail within poverty. I did this so the reader would have to read on and want to continue to find out about UK poverty and ways in which they could help. Therefore the next page is “defining poverty” Again all the information is taken from full fact . com and this has been said in the type.
left hand page:
I wanted this page to be slightly different; meaning it would still have all the elements the other pages would have like the orange and black and white colour theme but the layout to be slightly different. This page is all about poverty and defining it therefore was a perfect platform to showcase all the elements that fall on the poverty line. On the left hand side I wanted to display a column of photographs that represented poverty within the UK and try my hardest to show case that well. I used the images that I felt represented the idea of struggling and desperation through photography… as you can see they are all black and white and the theme. At first I was going to make the entire left hand page a collage, but then felt as if it would become too over crowed in comparison to the other pages within the magazine already designed. Therefore, I stuck with the idea of collage but then moved the two columns right over to the left hand side so no gaps were shown, this then allowed me to have a bit of negative space left on the left hand page and follow through to the gutter to allow more images or text to be added. I am not sure if you can notice but when I screens hotted this to add It to my blog, I noticed a white gap that was between the two images which automatically made me change it. I did not change the design just made sure this white gap was gone (however I already did mock ups therefore had to change them also) this made me realise I NEED TO DOUBLE CHECK EVERYTHING!!!!!
this is the updated one without that annoying white space between the two photographs at the bottom just to showcase that. I made them slightly thinner and this then made the white space disappear and no longer annoyed me.
I then thought about making the title slightly different in comparison to the other designs. This page was different already due tot amount of images used so why nit make the type slightly different. I enjoy making posters and editorial visualise that are unique and different and that’s what Made me design this editorial spread like this. The aim was to make this page more about the photographs, therefore I did not want the type to over power that. by making two column collage it enabled me to create negative space between the left hand page and gutter and this then made a perfect space for the title. The type spaced BEBAS is that sort of typeface that can be read from any positioning therefore this made me want to alternative the positioning. With the negative space it worked so well and was readable still. I made the working defining in black and the world poverty in orange to follow the colour scheme that follows through the magazine. I was worried this would not be seen but it breaks of the images from one another creating negative space, and does not make it over crowded giving it that minimising effect.
I could of easily left white negative space over the gutter to the next page, but I felt as if this was then separating the two pages and not continuing the story. due to layout of text I thought it would be appropriate to put an image over the gutter next to the text following through to the next page. Within the image below, you can slightly see this image coming over the gutter and links the pages well together.
On the right hand side I wanted the entire page to be filled with an image and then the text to sit over the as this page was all about portraying life in poverty. Out of all the images I had taken one stood out to me the most, and that was the money holding, it represented the idea of living on what you have and not beyond your means therefore thought it was a perfect choice of larger scale image to fill the page. Because, I knew I was going to add type over this image I lowered the opacity to around 70 so the image could still be seen but did not contrast against the writing. I was worried that it would look weird lowered just because the other photos were not but I actually think it worked well and they told different stories but linked together through their meaning.
Adding type:
The type was an issue, but I got there in the end it just took a few stages to end up with it. I wanted all my information to be from the same website and source therefore again it was from full fact.com.
Poverty is not just about the idea of living on the street, it is based on your household income. (All the information taken from full fact.com)
Being in poverty means different things to different people. That’s one of the reasons we have so many possible ways of measuring it in the UK. Being in poverty means different things to different people. That’s one of the reasons we have so many possible ways of measuring it in the UK.
Different measures of poverty capture different things—some are just about people’s incomes, others take housing costs into account, and some define material essentials people need for a decent standard of living, like warm clothing and basic holidays. Newer options also try to bring fixed costs and savings into the mix as well.
Another approach is to define a fixed set of resources, perhaps by defining a set of essentials people need to have in order to have a decent standard of living (known as “absolute measures”). Anyone who can’t afford that standard is considered to be in poverty, regardless of what everyone else has.
SOURCE FULLFACT.COM/POVERTYUK
This was the first attempt of adding type to the page. I really wanted to use a drop cap due to research I had found and to me they make the text stand out so much more so the reader wants to find out more about what you are discussing. I made the type sit in courier and followed a column structure like magazine portray within their designs. However when we had the critique one of the comments was that this was hard to read in the mock up and the editorial design therefore I created a test print to see if that was the case.
test print
Below is an image on a4 the printed editorial layout on this page. I wanted to see if the writing was hard to read. and it was. I positioned this design in different places and stood away from it then close up to it and it was difficult to read on both aspects. I think it’s because the picture is black and white, and the type is so thin and small they contrast with one another. I showed this to my tutor and she suggested adding a block like some of my other pages and see bow that would look therefore I did just that and thought it worked 100000 times better for the reader to visualise and understand the writing.
I decided to add a lower opacity white block behind the writing – and automatically this made the type stand out and become more easier for the audience to read. I could off easily made it a solid white but then yo would not see elements of the image as much and would clash with the rest of the design.
Final editorial design:
Below is an image if the final editorial design. I think this design works so well with the message I am trying to portray which is poverty in the UK. The photos on the left hand page are an indication of what life is like for the everyday person struggling with the small things some of us take for granted. I think the type in the middle separates the two images but weirdly connects them together well. The page indicates sensitivity to the topic and does not portray any stereotypical images that surround people in poverty. The image on the left also portray more than one person, as I wanted to ensure I was displaying what life is like through a variety of people not just one person, I also think not using the same image twice makes it stand out a lot and not a relative element going on in the design.
Mock up of design
Like all the pages I wanted to create a ,mock up for the audience to see what this would look like when featured in a magazine spread. When looking at this mock up you can see all the key elements well and they all tell a story in their own way but connect well with one another. There is a lot of imagery going on but its not too cramped to the readers eye. Having the image on the right be more lowered in opacity makes the page present more sensitivity towards the topic and not too in your face filled with images. The title works so well when featured in the spread, and this is due to the image on the right going over the gutter allowing the type to be seen well.
The next page is displaying facts and figures within poverty in the UK. I wanted people to understand what it is actually like, therefore hitting them with facts and figures makes it more real and the facts are quite astonishing.
Again, the features are similar within the previous page. On the bottom of each page is the number, which in this case is 3 and 4 and is sat in the courier type face once again. The left hand page believe it not took the longest to create and this was due to the bullet point type feature within. However, firstly let’s discuss the title. I wanted the type to be short and sweet, and the title to be informative and eye catching. Therefore, decided to use the idea of spacing BEBAS again, (this to continue through the magazine design) but have the & sign in orange to make it stand out more. I did try it being black and the words being orange however it looked very tacky, where-as this design works effectively. Just like the posters I wanted to indicate where all the facts were from, so people knew they were true facts, therefore underneath the title sits the source that sits in the courier type face.
The issue I had with this design was the way in which I should lay out the type, within magazine I did not feel as if I should use bullet points because it made the design look unprofessional. It took a lot to make them change to the way they are now; but I noticed as soon as I added a guideline (the orange line going down the side) it made the design structure a lot better. I made sure the type didn’t go near the gutter as this was an issue when placing it into the mock up. I then made sure there was enough space between each sentence so It looked clean and even.
There are so many facts and figures that surround UK, poverty therefore I wanted to make sure I was portraying the correct ones and the post important ones for people to take action to help. All the facts have figures in them to relate to the title.
Sometimes with magazines about a certain topic, they over power the design with information therefore people skim the page and do not pick up key information. Therefore it was crucial for me to provide information that was easy for people to access and want to read. I wanted the design to show negative space and only portray the important facts clearly which I think they achieve well.
With the right hand page I was inspired by the image found on Pinterest. (bottom image) I loved the way they used collaged with the photography but made it so simple and not over crowded. Therefore wanted to use this within my design on the right hand page.
Comparing it the image before, you can see that it is slightly alternated in the way it’s displayed due to the photos I had to use. The top two photos represent the subject sitting down, and the focus on all these images are the clothing, indicating he is wearing the same shoes for a long time. I thought I have used a lot of imagery so far that’d displays emotion of the face, it was time to show case materials and other objects and surroundings that represented poverty. I think this design page is so clean and slick and show cases It in an effective way. The white lines that gap between each of the photo let them be individual photos but they come together well due to the layout and black and white theme.
test print
The test print was a great way to visualise any errors that occurred through my designs. When I printed this page I noticed a lot in comparison to when looking at it on screen. I am not sure if it is clear in the picture below however I noticed errors within the type when printing that I did not notice on screen, and analysed them on the printing page. There was a lot of odd spacing between percentage signs and number, and spacing between words. The space between each sentence was slightly off and the writing did not match the alignment of the second page. I then used this to re create the page and adjust the elements that needed adjusting and created it to fit in with the final mock up.
This is the final design before adding it into the mock up. I think it is clean, effective and really grabs the readers attention. I wanted the design to follow through from the first page, and it does so well. it has the same cleanest about it, the same us elf black and white photos and the same colour scheme. I was worried how I would lay out certain photos and I think this simple layout makes the photos stand out well and you are able to locate and identify each photo and realise the story they are trying to tell. The audience, can easily read the writing and get an understanding of the facts and figures that surround poverty in the UK, and I think this is due to the fact its not a over whelming page fill of information and imagery it still incises the reader to continue onto the next page.
mock up
Below this is the mock up of two the pages would look when in magazine. For some reason the facts and figures a lot higher and however when you look at the spread above thats what it looks like its just added in unusually through the mock up. I think the design, portrays the sense of sensitivity around the topic, it does not bombard you and portrays the information clearly to the audience. I personally think the negative space allows the photos to take charge within the design and allows the page to tell a story.
