Response: magazine prototype progress

My fellow design capstone junkies and I are preparing to leave for spring break to pretend that we have social lives outside of school. But before we do, we've been sharing the progress of our final projects. Generally, I think all of our groups need to work out the kinks to make sure that our prototypes have a consistent design tone, though disconnects are obviously to be expected with first drafts.

Modern Midwest

This publication definitely has a lot of interesting content, so seeing where the designs progress from here will be exciting. I know it might take some extra work to find good visuals to work with, but it should be comforting that the designers aren't limited to content that primarily centers around food. I think the magazine's nature will make for some really unique design presentations.

Plaid Dad
I feel your pain with having to differentiate between feature and department content. The design team is definitely on the right track as far as recognizing the different ways to present the information to readers logically. They're doing a good job of keeping their target audience — young dads — in mind while creating design concepts. And kudos for coming up with so many nameplate options.

Shindig

I like the idea of using real-world textures, and I hope you guys are able to find some great ones that correspond with the publication's tone. Also, unlike others, I personally like the publication's title, and the design style does completely reclaim the word. I think your overall design concepts were interesting, and I can't wait to see them implemented.

Cupboard

The content for Cupboard is also pretty unique, but at the same time I think it would be difficult to come up with concepts for some of the stories. The crafty feel that the publication is taking on is fun. I would try to play that up as much as possible.

Good luck everybody, and try to have a relaxing break!

Critique: nosh magazine prototype

For our final project we're developing magazine prototypes for a major magazine publisher. My group is working on a publication called "nosh," which is a magazine for young adults who prefer to eat healthy snacks throughout day rather than three larger meals.

The following are some concepts I developed to help me keep on track as I created my prototype.

branding

• “savor the small things” 
• allow the readers to consume the magazine as they would their food: in bits and pieces
• the content should be easily accessible
• articles should be quick reads that busy young
• adults can consume and relish. short & sweet.
• readers want to display nosh on their coffee table and pass it around to their friends

design tone

• light
• fresh
• clean
• a modern adaptation of “retro chic”

covers

• will feature photos that use simple yet elegant compositions and vibrant colors
• fonts and sell lines set the tone for the magazine
• nothing bland or predictable 

departments

• trendy, fresh color palette
• photos feature people reaping the benefits of advice found within the department
• recipes correspond with each department
• take advantage of space in a way that does not overwhelm the reader 

features

• dramatic use of art to entice the reader
• fonts suited to the tone of the story
• healthy food is both aesthetically pleasing and fun to eat, so it should be presented that way

The following spreads feature the sample designs I created for my prototype.

color palette and lifestyles feature splash page

lifestyles sample spread

department spread

additional feature spread

Anyway, I can't wait to see which of our four designs gets chosen. (See Theresa's design here, Christina's design here and Tanya's design here.) The winner will act as art director for the project, and the whole team will work together to create a professional magazine prototype.

Cheers!