Layouts and Grids Study Topic 1
The first printed media I will be looking at is a comic book. Comic books have come a long way from comic strips in newspapers to graphic novels. The art style and grid layout have changed since then. From what I have found by studying the comic book below is the art style is part of the "Ageless Age", or the present time, of comic books. It is the age where "Comics have expanded into something without shape or borders" were "advanced technology ... has created an unstoppable juggernaut of adaptations" (Jamahl Johnson, The amazing stylistic history of comic books, 2017).
Now comic books have the same structure and grids like the previous ages of the comic book age, I believe that what Jamahl was talking about the books now being "without shape and borders" is that the imagery is freer and not entirely restricted to a grid layout, as can be seen in the image below.
I have been able to identify that there is a 3mm trim, from the margin, and gutter throughout the book, often with large background images bleeding off the page.
Each page looks like it has it's own unique grid system, some pages have 5 rows and 3 columns while other pages may have 3-4 rows and 4-5 columns.
The use of imagery in comic books is to tell a story using visuals and dialogue.
My understanding after studying the layout and grids from this comic book is that the book isn't restricted to one set grid layout, the designers are free to design the layout in a way that best shows the reader the story, allowing there to be fast past or slow sections where necessary.
The next article I will be looking at is a Burgerfuel brochure. This was designed for both kids and adults in mind. The drawing/activity section was designed to keep customers busy while they wait for their order to come out. This would be great for parents with their kids or even just the average customer who likes to keep busy. The rest of the brochure is designed with the intent of informing customers of the latest community news, promotions, products. The brochure was designed for customers to take home as it's small and easily fits into a pants pocket.
Each section of the brochure has 5 mm margins, 3 mm gutters, 4 columns and 7 rows. Each section has a different subject it focuses on, it's often all straight to the point, except for the Franchisee and VIB sections where they give more detail about the Burgerfuel community.
Each promotional piece has it's own design flavour, for example, the "Kumara Fries" has kumara forming the words "Kumara Fries". This draws the readers focus on this specific piece the purple in the centre next to the yellow and orange creates a contrast that pops out from the dark background.
The "Free Fries" text is in big bold and capitalised wording, the orange used for the text contrasts with the blue sky background demanding the readers focus in relation to the rest of the side facing the customer.
After studying this brochure I see the structure of the grids that I wouldn't have known about before the course, the layout keeps everything in line and order even when imagery is bleeding off the page.
The final print I'll be studying is a magazine. This book has 12 mm margins with 4 mm gutters, 6 columns and at least 8 rows. Throughout the book, I have noticed that some of the images and text do not adhere to the grid layout so I presume there are more rows and columns. The headings, in the header section of the page, are all one font type making that distinction from the general text headings.
The book is designed around supplying information to the readers, it has instructions on sewing and crafts. The way the book has been laid out makes the text easily legible and easy on the eyes. The spacing, kerning and font has been chosen well as the book is legible from a distance. The steps for the instruction have been numbered in big bold colourful numbers that stand out from the page.
After studying these different mediums of layout and grid design I noticed that the styles of writing and fonts vary. The magazine is designed around more structured grid lines with easy to read text with various sizes and fonts that distinguish the difference between headers and paragraph and numbered points for the instructions. The Brochure has a set grid and layout similar to the magazine however it has humour in its text which won't be found in the magazine. The comic book has an informal style of text and less structured grids yet it has layout and design in its structure, it succeeds in its purpose which is to tell a story in a legible way.
References
Johnson, J. (2017) The amazing stylistic history of comic books https://99designs.com/blog/design-history-movements/history-of-comic-book-styles/
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