The Layout Book explores examples of layout, both contemporary and historic, from around the world. It contains examples from leading graphic designers to provide a sample of the rich and diverse possibilities for the creative use of layout.
The modular grid:
Dividing a grid into different fields or modules increases the range of active spaces available to a designer, while maintaining a basic column structure. This facilitates a more dynamic use of text and pictures, and provides suitable hooks for captions.
- In the production of the photography book, it is considered that a modular grid might work best in terms of layout, since the individual modules work best with the typical size and formats of photographic images, and would therefore allow me to effectively communicate images in different ways and show the images as a whole without the need to cut out elements from their original size, which may diminish their effective communication, context and ideas.
Juxtaposition:
Juxtaposition in graphic design is the placement of images side by side to create a relationship between them. Arranging images in this way allows the characteristics of one to cross-fertilise with the characteristics of the other. This is most effective when the images have similarities.
- I will consider the use of juxtaposition in the production of the photography book, allowing me to create a kind-of narrative as the reader progresses through the book, attempting to find contrasting similarities between certain images. Within this, layout and format will also be experimented with in terms of size and placement.
Pace:
It is often desirable for printed material to have a certain pace so that the reader can comfortably progress through it. A layout can introduce breaks into the text to help maintain reader interest and provide pauses, which allow the reader to stop and reflect on the information they have received and anticipate what is to come.
All creative works naturally have movement and changes of pace. We easily recognise when a film or piece of music slows down or increases its tempo. In film, pace change is undertaken by the level of activity, the peaks and troughs of dialogue and musical interludes. A publication can be designed with the same considerations in mind. A publication has a narrative whose pace changes through its different sections or chapters, and different layout and design methodologies can alter this pace.
A publication can be planned to imitate musical rhythms. In the illustration below, in this simple flat plan the white pages could be alternated with the blue image pages to form a repetitive cadence that mimics a simple beat: one two, one two, one two.
A more complex visual rhythm could be established following the same principle by combining this repetitive beat with a contrasting beat to create a poly-rhythm, as shown in the multi-layered scheme. This methodology can be used to assign the allocation of special colours or tints, placement of images or other elements of the designers' choosing.
- In thinking about consistency throughout the book, a rhythm could be established which helps inform the layout of the book whilst creating consistency and an interesting narrative. Perhaps the construction of this rhythm could be informed by the context, colour, or size of the photographs.
Thumbnails:
Thumbnails are smaller versions of the spreads of a publication presented on a page that allows a designer to gauge its pace and balance at the macro level without focusing on details. Thumbnails allow a designer to look at the narrative of the publication and tune it as a whole, rather than on a spread-by-spread basis.
Switching between the broader macro perspective and more focused micro perspective allows a designer to fine tune the spreads in a publication and gauge its overall balance. Layout consistency can be evaluated with a macro perspective before changes are made at the micro level.
Picture boxes:
Picture boxes are the spaces created in a layout for the placement of pictures, images and other types of graphic illustration. Of potentially any size and shape, how they are presented impacts on how effectively an image communicates.
REFERENCE: Harris, P. and Ambrose, G. (2007) The Layout Book. Lausanne, Switzerland: AVA Publishing.
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