Latest school project-book cover and magazine conception

I'm pretty exhausted so I'm going to do this the lazy way and post the pics and just copy/paste my concept statements. Photos for the book were taken by me. For the magazine cover I used one of Ivan Suta's pieces. I highly recommend visiting his site He is a truly excellent photographer! www.ivan-suta.com

Disclaimer: This photo is not for commercial work and will not be used in any way for profit or personal gain, direct or indirect. It will not go in my portfolio. It was used purely for educational purposes.

Being a dabbler wordsmith I chose to link my 2 projects thematically with poetry not only because I enjoy the subject but also because it is a challenging one with an atypical target audience.

First the book cover, a very straightforward project in which I was to re-design the cover for an already existing book. I chose to re-work C.K Willams's collection Repair

Enter the design. Click the images for a larger view.







With the accompanying concept statement which I wrote, needless to say.

Repair, C.K. Williams's award winning ninth book of poetry is a book to be savored discovered and never rushed. The poems contained within are loosely centered around the theme of reconciliation, forgiveness, repair. The last piece of the collection, Invisible Mending, speaks of old women fixing worn garments with "shining needles fine as hair." It is a very delicate and powerful metaphor. Williams's poetry however leaves the reader some room for interpretation. It is for these reasons that the design is clean, airy and sparse by utilizing white space, wide kerning and low featured fonts to create this quiet non-distracting effect.

The needle placed on the cover visually references both the title of the book and its content, engaging the viewer. The string on the front inside flap (right-hand side in the image) reinforces the metaphor without redundancy, rather it creates even more intrigue and leads the individual to the powerful and mesmerizing poems that follow. The back flap(left-hand side in the image) text and back cover text are typed in a serifed font for increased readability. The back cover text is justified for reasons of cleanliness and solidity. The usage of a grid system gives a feeling of strength. The small format-4.25" x 6.5" closed-makes it portable, discreet and cozy.


Now for the magazine. A much more intricate project in that I had to not only design the periodical but create it at all levels. Needless to say It comes with a heavier responsibility. Again, click the images for a larger view.



















and the full spread with an ad for the Arts Council of England.












Next comes the rather hefty concept statement. Thank you for indulging.


EXUDE:To display (an emotion or quality) strongly and openly

EXUDE's goal is to encourage poets to become more openly creative and expressive, to take their craft to the next level and in so doing achieve more satisfaction, success and exposure.

To reach this goal EXUDE is constructed in a triad fashion. Three sections, each very distinct from each other that readers can rely on issue after issue. The first of these is the "feature" section. It is the broadest category in that it will contain anything from in-depth interviews with masterly or emerging poets, excerpts of their collections, to compilations and discussions of classics always with a very focused emphasis on educational value to the poet reader. The second section is called "Contest". Every quarter year readers may submit pieces to the EXUDE jury for a chance to win awards and prizes. In keeping with the mission of teaching the qualified jury will expound on the reasons behind their choices for the contest finalists. Prizes will also focus on education. Weeks long workshops at prestigious schools, "poetry resort" vacations, private tutoring lessons from masters and so on. The third category is "Workshop" wherein each edition of EXUDE will bring in adept writers will discuss in great detail one or more specific poetry related subjects.

DISTRIBUTION

Distribution will not be typically retail oriented. We will position EXUDE in such a way as to reinforce it's educational value and lateral aim and seek out it's atypical clientele. It will be sold to educational facilities that offer literature curriculum and placed in libraries and book stores. EXUDE will also prominently appear at hip "underground" shops, art galleries and other off-the-beaten path establishments along with the standard magazine retailers.

EXUDE WORD MARK

The EXUDE logo appearing at the top left- for maximum visibility in a magazine rack -of each issue evokes expressiveness, creativity and assurance that are at the core of the poetry métier by the use of bold letter forms who seem to organically grow out of the equally bold and vivid squares of color that simultaneously hint at stained glass and painted canvas and in themselves remind one of artistic flair. An effective and immediate creative and expressive connotation. Here is a mark that is filled with aplomb and allows the viewer no choice but to look more than passively at whatever object it is sitting on.

LAYOUT AND FORMAT

In the layout, we balance the loudness of the word with a minimalist arrangement that is easy to navigate but nonetheless striking due to the use of the colored squares borrowed from the word mark and used as a design element that has the potential of being used within the publication. We use three colored symbols to indicate the triadic organization of the content. At the bottom right we very discreetly show whatever content may not fit in any of the three main sections. At the bottom left rests the ubiquitous bar code and price. This sparse arrangement does not over-stimulate the eye and thus is very pleasant and professional looking. Additionally it allows for the main image on the cover to occupy an appropriately predominant place and captivate the audience. An immerssive and attractive layout.

The smaller, unconventional-in the western world-format further demonstrates its demarcation from other mass market magazines that appeal to the senses with lowered emphasis on content. Nonetheless it is of standard format for periodicals of its genre and so firmly plants itself in the correct market. The reduced dimensions-5.5" x 8.25" closed-facilitates storage and this is important because EXUDE magazines are of such value that educational institutions and other readers will undoubtedly collect them.

CONCLUSION

The design considerations taken for the outer layout of this digest compels our target viewer to notice it and urges that individual to experience the product in greater depth after which the content seals the deal by being of such great value and meaning. EXUDE empowers, enriches and educates.



Before finishing the post I think I'll post one of my proudest poetic creations. Enjoy!


Swaying Beauty

She is wilder than the flowers
a swaying beauty
in a field

Half her life in guarded towers
her subtle strength
now revealed

A pause to clear your mind of thoughts
best forgotten
washed away

She is wilder than the flowers
a swaying beauty
swept away.